Pine woodland fire dynamics mirror industrial history at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, West Virginia, USA

Abstract

Fire is an important biophysical process in pine (Pinus) and mixed pine-oak (Quercus) forests and woodlands across the Central Appalachian Mountains. Decades of fire exclusion, however, particularly on public lands, have resulted in a well-documented homogenization of species composition and forest structure. Our objective was to inform management and restoration efforts by expanding on previous dendroecological research at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and adjacent Babcock State Park in southern West Virginia. Specifically, we assessed pine woodland fire activity in the context of local industrial history, land management, and regional drought. Samples cut from 110 fire-scarred pine trees, distributed across four sites, were used to develop a fire-scar record that spans the period 1842–2010; however, sample depth diminishes rapidly before the 1860s. Fires occurred frequently and extensively in the early–mid 20th century, coinciding with peak coal production and population density. Eleven major fires, or years when at least two trees and 25 % of samples recorded a fire scar at an individual site, were documented in the tree-ring record, but none occurred during the federal land management era (1978–present). Synchronous fire events recorded at two or more sites were associated with drier than average September–May (‘dormant season’) climate conditions. Our results indicate that, since the late 19th century, fire activity in pine woodlands at the New River Gorge has been driven primarily by human ignitions associated with industrial activities, and that periods of drought have amplified landscape-scale fire occurrence. Land managers should consider these historical fire patterns when developing restoration strategies that may include prescribed fire, thinning treatments, and managed wildfires.