Big trees burning: Divergent wildfire effects on large trees in open- vs. closed-canopy forests

IF 2.9 3区 环境科学与生态学 Q2 ECOLOGY
Ecosphere Pub Date : 2025-09-04 DOI:10.1002/ecs2.70360
Garrett W. Meigs, Caden P. Chamberlain, James S. Begley, C. Alina Cansler, Derek J. Churchill, Gina R. Cova, Daniel C. Donato, Joshua S. Halofsky, Jonathan T. Kane, Van R. Kane, Susan J. Prichard, L. Annie C. Smith
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Wildfire activity has accelerated with climate change, sparking concerns about uncharacteristic impacts on mature and old-growth forests containing large trees. Recent assessments have documented fire-induced losses of large-tree habitats in the US Pacific Northwest, but key uncertainties remain regarding contemporary versus historical fire effects in different forest composition types, specific impacts on large trees within closed versus open canopies, and the role of fuel reduction treatments. Focusing on the 2021 Schneider Springs Fire, which encompassed 43,000 ha in the eastern Cascade Range of Washington and burned during a period of severe drought, this study addresses three interrelated questions: (1) Are burn severity distributions consistent with historical fire regimes in dry, moist, and cold forest types? (2) How does burn severity vary among forest structure classes, particularly large trees with open versus closed canopies? (3) How do fuel reduction treatments influence forest structure and burn severity inside and outside of treated areas? Within each forest type, burn severity proportions were similar to historical estimates, with lower overall severity in dry forests than in moist and cold forests. However, across all forest types combined, high-severity fire affected 30% (4500 ha) of large-tree locations with tree diameters >50 cm. In each forest type, burn severity was lower in locations with large-open structure (<50% canopy cover) than in locations with large-closed structure (>50% canopy cover). Burn severity also was lower inside than outside treated sites in all structure classes, and untreated large-closed forests tended to burn at lower severity closer to treatments. These results highlight the susceptibility of dense, late-successional forests to contemporary fires, even in events with widespread potentially beneficial effects consistent with historical fire regimes. These results also illustrate the effectiveness of treatments that shift large-closed to large-open structures and suggest that treatments may help mitigate fire effects in adjacent large-closed forests. Long-term monitoring and adaptive management will be essential for conserving critical wildlife habitats and fostering ecosystem resilience to climate change, wildfires, and other disturbances.

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大树燃烧:不同的野火对开放与封闭林冠森林中大树的影响
野火活动随着气候变化而加速,引发了人们对含有大树的成熟和原始森林的不同寻常影响的担忧。最近的评估已经记录了美国太平洋西北地区大火导致的大型树木栖息地损失,但关键的不确定性仍然存在,包括不同森林成分类型的当代与历史火灾效应,对封闭与开放树冠内大型树木的具体影响,以及减少燃料处理的作用。该研究聚焦于2021年施耐德斯普林斯大火(Schneider Springs Fire),该火灾覆盖了华盛顿州东部喀斯喀特山脉43,000公顷的土地,并在严重干旱期间燃烧,该研究解决了三个相互关联的问题:(1)燃烧严重程度分布是否与干燥、潮湿和寒冷森林类型的历史火灾制度一致?(2)不同的森林结构类型,特别是具有开放树冠和封闭树冠的大树,燃烧严重程度如何变化?(3)减燃处理如何影响处理区域内外的森林结构和燃烧严重程度?在每种森林类型中,烧伤严重程度的比例与历史估计相似,干燥森林的总体严重程度低于潮湿和寒冷森林。然而,在所有森林类型中,高度严重的火灾影响了30%(4500公顷)树径为50厘米的大树位置。各林型中,大开放结构(50%冠层盖度)的烧伤严重程度低于大封闭结构(50%冠层盖度)。在所有结构类别中,内部烧伤严重程度低于外部烧伤严重程度,未经处理的大型封闭森林在接近处理的地方往往燃烧严重程度较低。这些结果突出了密林、晚演替森林对当代火灾的易感性,即使在与历史火灾制度相一致的具有广泛潜在有益影响的事件中也是如此。这些结果还说明了将大封闭结构转变为大开放结构的处理措施的有效性,并表明处理措施可能有助于减轻相邻大封闭森林的火灾影响。长期监测和适应性管理对于保护重要的野生动物栖息地和增强生态系统对气候变化、野火和其他干扰的适应能力至关重要。
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来源期刊
Ecosphere
Ecosphere ECOLOGY-
CiteScore
4.70
自引率
3.70%
发文量
378
审稿时长
15 weeks
期刊介绍: The scope of Ecosphere is as broad as the science of ecology itself. The journal welcomes submissions from all sub-disciplines of ecological science, as well as interdisciplinary studies relating to ecology. The journal''s goal is to provide a rapid-publication, online-only, open-access alternative to ESA''s other journals, while maintaining the rigorous standards of peer review for which ESA publications are renowned.
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