Large-diameter trees dominate snag and surface biomass following reintroduced fire

The reintroduction of fire to landscapes where it was once common is considered a priority to restore historical forest dynamics,including reducing tree density and decreasing levels of woody biomass on the forest floor.However,reintroducing fire causes tree mortality that can have unintended ecological outcomes related to woody biomass,with potential impacts to fuel accumulation,carbon sequestration,subsequent fire severity,and forest management.In this study,we examine the interplay between fire and carbon dynamics by asking how reintroduced fire impacts fuel accumulation,carbon sequestration,and subsequent fire severity potential.Beginning pre-fire,and continuing 6 years post-fire,we tracked all live,dead,and fallen trees≥1 cm in diameter and mapped all pieces of deadwood(downed woody debris)originating from tree boles≥10 cm diameter and≥1 m in length in 25.6 ha of an Abies concolor/Pinus lambertiana forest in the central Sierra Nevada,California,USA.We also tracked surface fuels along 2240 m of planar transects pre-fire,immediately post-fire,and 6 years post-fire.Six years after moderate-severity fire,deadwood≥10 cm diameter was 73 Mg ha^(−1),comprised of 32 Mg ha^(−1) that persisted through fire and 41 Mg ha^(−1) of newly fallen wood(compared to 72 Mg ha^(−1) pre-fire).Woody surface fuel loading was spatially heterogeneous,with mass varying almost four orders of magnitude at the scale of 20 m×20 m quadrats(minimum,0.1 Mg ha^(−1);mean,73 Mg ha^(−1);maximum,497 Mg ha^(−1)).Wood from large-diameter trees(≥60 cm diameter)comprised 57%of surface fuel in 2019,but was 75%of snag biomass,indicating high contributions to current and future fuel loading.Reintroduction of fire does not consume all large-diameter fuel and generates high levels of surface fuels≥10 cm diameter within 6 years.Repeated fires are needed to reduce surface fuel loading.

Large-diameter trees, snags, and deadwood in southern Utah, USA

Background:The epidemic Dendroctonus rufipennis(spruce beetle)outbreak in the subalpine forests of the Colorado Plateau in the 1990s killed most larger Picea engelmannii(Engelmann spruce)trees.One quarter century later,the larger snags are beginning to fall,transitioning to deadwood(down woody debris)where they may influence fire behavior,regeneration,and habitat structure.Methods:We tracked all fallen trees≥1 cm in diameter at breast height(1.37-m high)and mapped all pieces of deadwood≥10-cm diameter and≥1 m in length within 13.64 ha of a high-elevation mixed-species forest in the Picea–Abies zone annually for 5 years from 2015 through 2019.We examined the relative contribution of Picea engelmannii to snag and deadwood pools relative to other species and the relative contributions of large-diameter trees(≥33.2 cm at this subalpine site).We compared spatially explicit mapping of deadwood to traditional measures of surface fuels and introduce a new method for approximating vertical distribution of deadwood.Results:In this mixed-species forest,there was relatively high density and basal area of live Picea engelmannii 20 years after the beetle outbreak(36 trees ha^(−1) and 1.94 m^(2) ha^(−1)≥10-cm diameter)contrasting with the near total mortality of mature Picea in forests nearby.Wood from tree boles≥10-cm diameter on the ground had biomass of 42 Mg ha^(−1),7 Mg ha^(−1) of Picea engelmannii,and 35 Mg ha^(−1) of other species.Total live aboveground biomass was 119 Mg ha^(−1),while snag biomass was 36 Mg ha^(−1).Mean total fuel loading measured with planar transects was 63 Mg ha^(−1) but varied more than three orders of magnitude(0.1 to 257 Mg ha^(−1)).Planar transects recorded 32 Mg ha^(−1) of wood≥7.62-cm diameter compared to the 42 Mg ha^(−1) of wood≥10-cm diameter recorded by explicit mapping.Multiple pieces of deadwood were often stacked,forming a vertical structure likely to contribute to active fire behavior.Conclusion:Bark beetle mortality in the 1990s has made Picea an important local constituent of deadwood at 20-m scales,but other species dominate total deadwood due to slow decomposition rates and the multi-centennial intervals between fires.Explicit measurements of deadwood and surface fuels improve ecological insights into biomass heterogeneity and potential fire behavior.