A comparison of effects from prescribed fires and wildfires managed for resource objectives in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Compounding effects of white pine blister rust, mountain pine beetle, and fire threaten four white pine species

“…As a result, the sugar pine population was reduced by more than half over the last 20 yr in our study. Sugar pine mortality was best explained by fire, MPB, blister rust, and size class (smaller size classes had higher probabilities of mortality), which is consistent with previous studies (van Mantgem et al 2004, Nesmith et al 2011, Das et al 2016). In addition, a large proportion of the sugar pine plots were surveyed in 2015 before the full effect of the recent 2012–2016 drought had been realized.…”

Pattern and process of prescribed fires influence effectiveness at reducing wildfire severity in dry coniferous forests

“…These findings conflict with those of a study conducted in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California which found that at fine spatial scales, prescribed fires and managed wildfires had similar burn severities, heterogeneity patterns, and effects on survivorship of small trees (Nesmith et al 2011). However, as previously stated, early season prescribed fires in the northern Rocky Mountains are typically ignited shortly after snowmelt and thus the locations most likely to burn are on south-facing aspects where fuels have dried sufficiently.…”

Global patterns in fire leverage: the response of annual area burnt to previous fire

“…Fire mapping from 1945 to 2011 was used (NPS 2013), which revealed very low mean annual area burnt in these forests, varying from 0.11% per year for lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) to 0.96% for interior live oak (Quercus wislizeni). Following many decades of fire suppression, management shifted in 1968 to generally allowing natural lightning ignitions to burn freely and applying prescribed fire (Nesmith et al 2011). Consequently the average area burnt area has increased from 0.10% across the six forest types before 1968 to 1.04% post-1968, including 0.48% of prescribed fire.…”