Fire Ecology最新文献

{"title":"How an unprecedented wildfire shaped tree hollow occurrence and abundance—implications for arboreal fauna","authors":"Benjamin Wagner, Patrick J. Baker, Craig R. Nitschke","doi":"10.1186/s42408-024-00274-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-024-00274-y","url":null,"abstract":"Tree hollows are an important habitat resource used by arboreal fauna for nesting and denning. Hollows form when trees mature and are exposed to decay and physical damage. In the absence of excavating fauna, hollow formation can take up to 200 years in Australian temperate Eucalyptus forests, making tree hollows a critical but slow forming habitat feature. The increasing frequency and severity of wildfires due to climate change has led to increased concern about the landscape-scale loss of nesting space for arboreal fauna, including endangered species such as the folivorous southern greater glider (Petauroides volans). To understand patterns of nesting resource availability, we assessed drivers of hollow occurrence in southeastern Australian mixed-species Eucalyptus forests and quantified the effects of an unprecedented large-scale wildfire, the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires, on hollow occurrence and abundance. Tree size and shape, as well as site productivity and topography, were important predictors for hollow occurrence both before and after the fires. The occurrence of the southern greater glider was strongly dependent on high proportions of hollow-bearing trees. While high fire severities had a negative impact on southern greater glider occurrence, the number of hollow-dependent arboreal species was not affected. While the wildfires significantly reduced hollow abundance, we did not find significant effects on hollow occurrence. Fires altered the relationship between tree size and hollow occurrence expressed as a change in the probability of hollow occurrence, with a higher likelihood at smaller tree sizes after the fires. Our findings suggest that post-fire nesting space may be reduced at the tree-scale, while at the stand-scale, hollow-bearing trees persist as biological legacies. These persisting trees can support the recovery of hollow-dependent arboreal fauna, such as the endangered southern greater glider by providing denning and nesting space. Hollow-bearing trees that survived the fires have the potential to form new hollows faster compared to undisturbed mature trees.","PeriodicalId":12273,"journal":{"name":"Fire Ecology","volume":"54 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140832349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Frequent burning and limited stand-replacing fire supports Mexican spotted owl pair occupancy","authors":"Gavin M. Jones, Marion A. Clément, Christopher E. Latimer, Marilyn E. Wright, Jamie S. Sanderlin, Shaula J. Hedwall, Rebecca Kirby","doi":"10.1186/s42408-024-00271-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-024-00271-1","url":null,"abstract":"Changing fire regimes have the potential to threaten wildlife populations and communities. Understanding species’ responses to novel fire regimes is critical to formulating effective management and conservation strategies in an era of rapid change. Here, we examined the empirical effects of recent and historical wildfire activity on Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) populations in the southwestern United States. Using region-wide, standardized detection/non-detection data of Mexican spotted owl breeding pairs collected from 2015 to 2022, we found (i) higher rates of pair occupancy at sites that experienced more frequent fires in the three decades prior to the initiation of our study, and (ii) lower rates of local persistence at sites that experienced more extensive high-severity fire during the study. Historical fire regimes throughout much of our study area were characterized by high fire frequencies and limited high-severity components, indicating that Mexican spotted owls responded to wildfire in a manner consistent with their evolutionary environment. Management activities such as prescribed burning and mechanical thinning that aim to reduce stand-replacing fire risk and re-introduce the potential for frequent-fire regimes will likely benefit Mexican spotted owl conservation objectives, as well as promote more resilient forest landscapes.","PeriodicalId":12273,"journal":{"name":"Fire Ecology","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140634996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Response of vulnerable karst forest ecosystems under different fire severities in the Northern Dinaric Karst mountains (Slovenia)","authors":"Lucia Čahojová, Aljaž Jakob, Mateja Breg Valjavec, Andraž Čarni","doi":"10.1186/s42408-024-00267-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-024-00267-x","url":null,"abstract":"This study deals with wildfires in marginal areas of the Mediterranean climatic and biogeographical regions (Northern Mediterranean) where fires were not common. The aim of the research was to determine the differences in floristic composition and traits at different intensities of fire damage and to analyze the changes in forest ecosystems during the wildfires that took place in the summer of 2022. The study included both the zonal forests and non-native black pine (Pinus nigra) forests. Remote sensing techniques linked to the vegetation data sampled in the field during the 2023 vegetation season, the very first season after the fires, were also used in the fire assessment. The study confirmed that satellite data analysis, orthophoto interpretation, and on-site vegetation sampling provide equivalent information on fire severity, opening up the possibility of transferring knowledge to similar post-fire sites without field sampling in the future. TWINSPAN classification analysis divided the sampled plots into clusters based on tree species prevalence and fire severity. The diagnostic species of the clusters were calculated using a fidelity measure. Ordination revealed that the first axis on the detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) correlated with wildfire severity. Ecological conditions and strategies, life forms, chorotypes, seed dispersal classes, and regeneration traits were analyzed along this gradient. We found that post-fire sites became warmer, drier, and lighter, which favored the growth of ruderal, theropytic, cosmopolitan, anemochorous and post-fire emergent species. After the fire, a “wave” of annual ruderal species was observed. The results indicate that post-fire recovery can be left to natural processes without human intervention, except in the case of non-native pine stands where planting or seeding may be necessary. Otherwise, it is essential to control the possible occurrence of invasive species. Isolated adaptations of species to fire have also been observed, such as heat-stimulated germination. Such adaptations could develop in regions exposed to frequent fires and where fires act as an evolutionary factor.","PeriodicalId":12273,"journal":{"name":"Fire Ecology","volume":"98 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140613332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Case study of UAS ignition of prescribed fire in a mixedwood on the William B. Bankhead National Forest, Alabama","authors":"John Craycroft, Callie Schweitzer","doi":"10.1186/s42408-024-00263-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-024-00263-1","url":null,"abstract":"For at least four decades, practitioners have recognized advantages of aerial versus ground ignition for maximizing the effectiveness of prescribed fires. For example, larger areas can be ignited in less time, or ignition energy may be variously targeted over an area in accordance with the uneven distribution of fuels. The maturation of wireless communication, geopositioning systems, and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) has enhanced those advantages, and UAS approaches also provide further advantages relative to helicopter ignitions, such as reduced risk to human safety, lower operating costs, and higher operational flexibility. In a long running study at the Bankhead National Forest in northcentral Alabama, prescribed fire has been used for nearly 20 years. Most of the burns have been hand-ignited via drip torches, while some have been aerially ignited via helicopter. In March 2022, for the first time, a UAS was used to ignite prescribed fires across a landscape that included a long-term research stand. This field note relates comparisons of both fire behavior and fuel consumption metrics for the UAS-ignited burn versus previous burns on the same stand, and versus burns of other research stands in the same year. The UAS-ignited prescribed fire experienced burn effects similar to those from ground-ignited prescribed fires on the same stand in previous years, as well as those from ground-ignited prescribed fires on other stands in the same year. This post hoc analysis suggests that UAS ignition approaches may be sufficient for achieving prescribed burn goals, thereby enabling practitioners to realize the advantages offered by that ignition mode.","PeriodicalId":12273,"journal":{"name":"Fire Ecology","volume":"120 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140572065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of the surface forest fuel load in the Ukrainian Polissia","authors":"S. Sydorenko, V. Gumeniuk, F. De Miguel-Díez, O. Soshenskiy, I. Budzinskyi, V. Koren","doi":"10.1186/s42408-024-00265-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-024-00265-z","url":null,"abstract":"There is a clearly increasing trend of wildfires that become catastrophic in some countries such as the United States, Australia, Russia, Portugal, Greece, and Spain. Fuel is one of the key components that influences fire behavior and its effects. Assessing the fuel load and distribution of its components in the landscape provides effective fire management treatments in terms of fire prevention campaigns on a scientific basis. This study aims to evaluate the litter, duff, and herb fuels in highly flammable coniferous forest types in Ukrainian Polissia. To estimate relationships between forestry variables that reflect the characteristics of the pine stand (DBH, height of the stand, age, relative density, stock of the plantation etc.) and the load of litter, duff, and herb fuels (CWD, FWD, litter, live grass, etc.), correlation analysis was used. To analyze difference between groups of sampling plots that have different forests, we use generalized linear mixed models including random effects of sampling plot type. Cluster analysis was performed using k-means partitioning method and Calinski-Harabasz criterion. To assess the significance of individual variables on which the variation of forest fuel depends, the random forest algorithm was used; for variable selection, we used two parameters: the percent increase in mean squared error and the Gini impurity index. The research revealed that in the pine forest stands, the stock of litter and duff varies from 15.5 (15 years) to 140 ton/ha (139 years). When modeling, the humidity level of the forest site (soil) significantly affects the dynamics of forest fuel accumulation. In fresh types of forest-growing conditions, the forest litter stock increases to the age of 80–90 years; then, it strongly decreases, while in wet forest types, continuous forest fuel stock accumulation is established during the entire growth period. Moreover, the results showed that the forest fuel load was influenced by the soil fertility. The stock of live and dead herbaceous fuel in fresh and wet conditions is not statistically different, and soil moisture has not had a significant impact. Fine woody debris stocks were more dependent on stand productivity and practically does not depend on the soil fertility index, site moisture content, and its age and ranged from 0.4 to 1.9 t/ha (1 h), from 0.1 to 2.2 t/ha (10 h), and from 0 to 1.6 t/ha (100 h). The obtained results enabled to develop mathematical models for estimating litter and duff stocks in the Polissia forest stands based on stand characteristic and the soil humidity level. Moreover, the results will serve as basis to develop local forest fuel models as well as to determine potential fire hazards and a fire behavior modeling process in coniferous forests of that region. These models constitute the basis for the national set of fuel model development for each nature zone of Ukraine.","PeriodicalId":12273,"journal":{"name":"Fire Ecology","volume":"115 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140572090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Wildfires alter stream ecosystem functioning through effects on leaf litter","authors":"Javier Pérez, Cecilia Brand, Alberto Alonso, Alaia Sarasa, Diana Rojo, Francisco Correa-Araneda, Luz Boyero","doi":"10.1186/s42408-024-00268-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-024-00268-w","url":null,"abstract":"Wildfires have strong impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, whose frequency, severity, and intensity are increasing with climate change. Moreover, the expansion of exotic monoculture plantations, such as those of eucalypts, increases this risk. When wildfires do not cause the disappearance of riparian vegetation, they still imply the fall of leaf litter exposed to the fire (i.e., crown scorch), which consequences for ecosystems are unknown. To explore how these leaf litter inputs may affect stream ecosystem functioning, we conducted a microcosm experiment where we quantified the decomposition of leaf litter from three tree species (alder, oak, and eucalypt) under two conditions (control litter simulating natural entries and litter subjected to 150 °C for 3 h mimicking exposure to fire). We also examined the interaction between this factor and a temperature rise (which is often associated to the loss of riparian vegetation caused by the wildfire) by manipulating water temperature (10, 12.5, and 15 °C). Finally, we explored the effects of these variables on the growth of a common detritivore, the caddisfly Sericostoma pyrenaicum. Control alder presented the highest decomposition rates, which were notably reduced due to fire exposure. On the contrary, eucalypt litter decomposition was even slower than that of oak and hardly showed any effect derived from fire exposure. The different leaf litter types determined detritivore growth, to a greater extent than variation related to warming, which generally had negligible effects. Our study shows the negative effects of wildfires on stream ecosystem functioning even when they only involve brief exposure of leaf litter to the fire. Effects are greater on the most palatable native species, which represents the highest quality input in streams of the study area. Our results highlight the importance of protecting riparian forests, especially those composed of native species, against wildfires.","PeriodicalId":12273,"journal":{"name":"Fire Ecology","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140603065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Review of fuel treatment effects on fuels, fire behavior and ecological resilience in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems in the Western U.S.","authors":"Jeanne C. Chambers, Eva K. Strand, Lisa M. Ellsworth, Claire M. Tortorelli, Alexandra K. Urza, Michele R. Crist, Richard F. Miller, Matthew C. Reeves, Karen C. Short, Claire L. Williams","doi":"10.1186/s42408-024-00260-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-024-00260-4","url":null,"abstract":"Sagebrush ecosystems are experiencing increases in wildfire extent and severity. Most research on vegetation treatments that reduce fuels and fire risk has been short term (2–3 years) and focused on ecological responses. We review causes of altered fire regimes and summarize literature on the longer-term effects of treatments that modify (1) shrub fuels, (2) pinyon and juniper canopy fuels, and (3) fine herbaceous fuels. We describe treatment effects on fuels, fire behavior, ecological resilience, and resistance to invasive annual grasses. Our review revealed tradeoffs in woody fuel treatments between reducing canopy fuels vs. increasing understory herbaceous vegetation (fuels) and fire behavior. In pinyon-juniper expansion areas, all treatments decreased crown fire risk. Prescribed fire and cut and broadcast burn treatments reduced woody fuels long-term but had higher risk of invasion. Mechanical treatments left understory vegetation intact and increased native perennial plants. However, cut and leave treatments increased downed woody fuel and high-intensity wildfire risk, while cut and pile burn and mastication caused localized disturbances and annual grass invasion. Ecological outcomes depended on ecological resilience; sites with warm and dry conditions or depleted perennial native herbaceous species experienced lower recovery and resistance to invasive annual grasses. In invasive annual grass dominated areas, high-intensity targeted grazing reduced fine fuels but required retreatment or seeding; in intact ecosystems with relatively low shrub cover, dormant season targeted grazing reduced fine fuel and thus fire spread. Preemergent herbicides reduced annual grasses with differing effects in warm and dry vs. cool and moist environments. The information largely exists to make informed decisions on treatments to mitigate effects of wildfire and improve ecological resilience at local, project scales. Primary considerations are the short- vs long-term tradeoffs in fuels and fire behavior and thus fire severity and the likely ecological response.\u0000","PeriodicalId":12273,"journal":{"name":"Fire Ecology","volume":"128 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140312599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction: Global impacts of fire regimes on wildland bird diversity","authors":"Fátima Arrogante‑Funes, Inmaculada Aguado, Emilio Chuvieco","doi":"10.1186/s42408-024-00269-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-024-00269-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p>\u0000<b>Correction: Fire Ecol 20, 25 (2024)</b>\u0000</p><p>\u0000<b>https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-024-00259-x</b>\u0000</p><br/><p>After publication of the original article (Arrogante-Funes et al. 2024), it came to the authors’ attention that there was some missing information in the Acknowledgements and Funding information sections, which have been highlighted below in bold:</p><p>\u0000<b>Acknowledgements</b>\u0000</p><p>This research was conducted within the framework of Spanish National Project RTI2018 097538 B I00. In addition, Fátima Arrogante Funes was supported by a predoctoral scholarship (FPI) from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PRE2019 089208). <b>The authors would like to thank the European project FirEurisk for its support, funded by the European Union. Grant agreement ID: 101003890</b>.</p><p>\u0000<b>Funding</b>\u0000</p><p>The Ministerio de Ciencia Innovación y Universidades has supported this research (grant no. RTI2018 097538 B I00) (grant no. PRE2019 089208). <b>This research was supported by the FirEUrisk project, funded by the European Union (Grant agreement ID: 101003890).</b>\u0000</p><p>The original article has been updated\u0000</p><ul data-track-component=\"outbound reference\"><li><p>Arrogante-Funes, F., I. Aguado, and E. Chuvieco. 2024. Global impacts of fire regimes on wildland bird diversity. <i>Fire Ecol</i> 20: 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-024-00259-x.</p><p>Article Google Scholar </p></li></ul><p>Download references<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" height=\"16\" role=\"img\" width=\"16\"><use xlink:href=\"#icon-eds-i-download-medium\" xmlns:xlink=\"http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink\"></use></svg></p><h3>Authors and Affiliations</h3><ol><li><p>Environmental Remote Sensing Research Group, Department of Geology, Geography and Environment, Universidad de Alcala, Colegios 2, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Spain</p><p>Fátima Arrogante‑Funes, Inmaculada Aguado & Emilio Chuvieco</p></li></ol><span>Authors</span><ol><li><span>Fátima Arrogante‑Funes</span>View author publications<p>You can also search for this author in <span>PubMed<span> </span>Google Scholar</span></p></li><li><span>Inmaculada Aguado</span>View author publications<p>You can also search for this author in <span>PubMed<span> </span>Google Scholar</span></p></li><li><span>Emilio Chuvieco</span>View author publications<p>You can also search for this author in <span>PubMed<span> </span>Google Scholar</span></p></li></ol><h3>Corresponding author</h3><p>Correspondence to Fátima Arrogante‑Funes.</p><p><b>Open Access</b> This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless ","PeriodicalId":12273,"journal":{"name":"Fire Ecology","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140202724","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Forest landowner values and perspectives of prescribed fire in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region of the United States","authors":"Arun Regmi, Jesse K. Kreye, Melissa M. Kreye","doi":"10.1186/s42408-024-00258-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-024-00258-y","url":null,"abstract":"Fire is an important ecological process that shapes structures and compositions in many ecosystems worldwide. Changes in climate, land use, and long-term fire exclusion have altered historic fire regimes often leading to more intense and severe wildfires and loss of biodiversity. There is an increasing interest by resource managers to reintroduce fire in historically fire-dependent ecosystems while enhancing the provision of ecosystem services. Restoring fire, however, is complicated by a diverse mix of public and private land ownerships in regions like the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic US, where private lands make up the majority (~ 70%) but prescribed burning is less common. To help inform policies that promote prescribed burning on private lands, we conducted a regional survey of forest landowners regarding their perspectives and willingness to pay (WTP) for prescribed fire as a management tool. We also used spatial hotspot analysis to detect regional variations in landowner opinions. Respondents had limited knowledge and experience with burning overall, but many also perceived fire as a low-risk tool and were trusting of burning professionals. Most landowners (64%) expressed interest in a variety of prescribed fire programs to help achieve management outcomes. Preferred outcomes include protecting forest health, controlling invasive species, and wildlife habitat. Also significant in explaining landowner choices were economic (e.g., cost of burning), governance (e.g., state coordination, cost-share assistance, and access to consultants), and demographic factors. According to two models, the mean WTP for the prescribed fire was $10 ha−1 and $40 ha−1 ($4 ac−1 and $16 ac−1) but could be as high as $220 ha−1 ($89 ac−1) for specific outcomes and programs. Spatial analysis revealed a north–south gradient in landowner opinions across the region, with opinions about burning more positive in the south. Pennsylvania landowners were unique within our study in that they placed the highest economic value on prescribed fire, despite having limited knowledge and experience. There is significant support by landowners to use prescribed fire to achieve management objectives on private lands in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region. Pennsylvania landowners, in particular, were strongly motivated to use prescribed fire; however, knowledge and experience are severely limited. Education, technical support, financial assistance, and access to professionals will be important for helping landowners use prescribed fire to achieve management objectives.","PeriodicalId":12273,"journal":{"name":"Fire Ecology","volume":"108 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140166784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fire regimes and management options in mixed grassland-fynbos vegetation, South Africa","authors":"Izak P. J. Smit, Johan A. Baard, Brian W. van Wilgen","doi":"10.1186/s42408-024-00262-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-024-00262-2","url":null,"abstract":"Fire regimes in South African fynbos shrublands have been quantified in the western (winter rainfall) and central (aseasonal rainfall) parts. They have not been quantified at their eastern extremity (summer rainfall), where fynbos transitions to grassland and is embedded in other fire-resistant vegetation types. We assessed fire regimes at the eastern extremity of the fynbos biome and discussed the ecological and management implications of our findings. Using remote sensing, we assessed fires over 21 years in a 350,000-ha study area at the eastern edge of the fynbos biome. Only 9% of the study area burned, almost exclusively in mixed grassland-fynbos vegetation. The largest proportion (44% of the total area burnt) burnt in late winter and early spring, but fires occurred throughout the year. Fires only occurred in 39% of the mixed grassland-fynbos vegetation. Of the mixed grassland-fynbos vegetation that did burn, 44%, 11%, 26%, and 19% experienced one, two, three, and four fires, respectively. Areas with multiple fires had return intervals ranging from 3 to 15 years, with 76% of the area with multiple fires burning every 4 to 6 years. Most large fires were preceded by two relatively dry months, when fuels were drier and more flammable. The mixed grassland-fynbos vegetation at the eastern extremity of the fynbos biome is surrounded by fire-resistant vegetation and exhibits a varied fire regime, with different parts experiencing frequent, infrequent, or no fire over 21 years. Fires were largely aseasonal, occurring throughout the year, although data over more years may reveal that a greater proportion of fires will occur in winter, when grasses are cured and rainfall is low, as well as after relatively long (> 2 months) periods of below-average rainfall. As most fires would burn out safely against fire-resistant vegetation, we conclude that lightning-ignited fires should be allowed to spread unhindered to approximate a natural and heterogeneous fire regime, provided that no neighboring properties or infrastructure are threatened. The response of the biota to fires is not well understood for this transition area, and further research is needed.","PeriodicalId":12273,"journal":{"name":"Fire Ecology","volume":"69 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140155037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}