Fire in Restoration Ecology Christie Sampson

 Fire is an essential disturbance  In the context of restoration ecology  Restoring fire to a fire-dependent ecosystem  Can be a tool in a new area  Fire regime = spatial and temporal variations of fires and their effects in a given area over a given time period Fire in ecosystems

US Fire Adapted Ecosystems  Tallgrass Prairie: Midwest  Chaparral: California and Southwest  Ponderosa Pine: Interior West  Douglas-Fir: Pacific Northwest  Loblolly and Shortleaf Pine: The Southeast  Jack Pine: Great Lake States

Fire in ecosystems Fire contributes to the : Recycling of nutrients Regulation of plant succession and wildlife habitat Controlling insect populations and diseases Maintenance biological diversity Reduction of biomass

Natural Burning Regime (nature.org)

Changes in North American Fires  Increases in human-related fire ignitions  forest roads, widespread logging, recreational use and development  Reduction in biomass of fine fuels  livestock grazing and increased tree invasion  Increases in fuel accumulation  dense tree plantations and a buildup of shade- tolerant conifers

Changes in North American Fires  Modifications/habitat fragmentation  agriculture, urban development, and other firebreaks  Active fire suppression changed the types of forests found in the US  fewer forest that need frequent, low intensity fire  Loss of forests with fire-resilient properties  community and landscape levels  removal of large trees and “legacy” stand components

Environmental Effects

Environmental Effects -Soil  Return nutrients to soil  Factors  Frequency, duration, and intensity  soil characteristics  Consequences  Loss of duff layer  Surface runoff and soil erosion

Environmental Effects -Water  Consequences  Erosion  Nutrient Loading

Environmental Effects -Plants  Fire adapted  smoke-activated seeds or fire-activated buds  Southern pine bark thicker than many hardwoods, needles will survive exposure to 1300°F for about 5 minutes  chaparral - plants have oil covered leaves that allows their fire- activated seeds to germinate. The offspring can then flourish can then capitalize on the lack of competition in a burnt landscape. Grasses regenerate quickly, outcompeting trees and shrubs

Fire Impacts on Succession

Environmental Effects - Wildlife  Primarily indirect  Regenerate food sources  Creation of habitat  Snags  Loss of habitat  Dead and down wood  Temporary loss of grasslands/understory

Restoration Challenges  What was the temporal variability of the fire regime over multi- century reference periods?  History is needed to identify temporal trends that may be related to climatic variation prior to and during intensive European settlement  How was the fire regime influenced by Native Americans?  How much influence did they have on the ecosystem?  How did native and introduced herbivores affect fuels and fire regimes?  Fires declined with reduced grass fuels due to the introduction of sheep and cattle  Fluctuations in native herbivore populations (Veblen 2003)

Restoration Challenges  What was the spatial variability of the fire regime within a particular ecosystem type?  climatic seasonality  topography  weather patterns  understory species/characteristics  site productivity (related to geology, soils, and/or climate)  use by Native Americans  How have invasive plant species altered fire regimes?  Exotic plant species can change fuel continuity- spread and intensity may be significantly altered (Veblen 2003)

Invasive Species  Nonnative plant abundance was over 200% higher on fuel breaks than in adjacent areas

Invasive Species  Reduced exotic plant seed production (seed bank)  Increased native seedling establishment through litter removal and decreased competition

(Veblen 2003)

Overcoming public dissent  Fire = dangerous force to be suppressed and contained at all costs

Overcoming public dissent  Walt Disney’s Bambi  U.S. Forest Service’s Smokey Bear okey_the_bear.jpg?w=453&h=660 not-as-bad-as-this/

Overcoming public dissent  Discuss environmental, social and economic benefits and consequences for the community

Additional References      Brown, James K.; Smith, Jane Kapler (2000). "Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on flora". Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR- 42-vol. 2 40, Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.  DellaSala, D. A., J. E. Williams, C.D. Williams and J. F. Franklin Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: a Synthesis of Fire Policy and Science. Conservation Biology, 18:976–986  Menke, J. W GRAZING AND FIRE MANAGEMENT FOR NATIVE PERENNIAL GRASS RESTORATION IN CALIFORNIA GRASSLANDS. Journal of the California Native Plant Society 20:22-25  Merriam, Kyle E., Jon E. Keeley, and Jan L. Beyers Fuel Breaks Affect Nonnative Species Abundance In Californian Plant Communities. Ecological Applications 16:515–527  Romme, W.H Fire history terminology: report of the Ad Hoc Committee. Pages in M.A. Stokes and J.H. Dieterich, editors. Proceedings of the fire history workshop, Oct , Tucson, Arizona. U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, General Technical Report  Veblen, T.T Key issues in fire regime research for fuels management and ecological restoration. Pages in: P. Omi and L. Joyce (technical eds). Fire, Fuel Treatments and Ecological Restoration: Conference proceedings; April; Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 475 p.