Climate change projected to reduce prescribed burning opportunities in the south-eastern United States

Kupfer, John A.; Terando, Adam; Gao, Peng; Teske, Casey; Hiers, J. Kevin

doi:10.1071/wf19198

Cited by 55 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…The timing and intensity of asthma morbidity attributable to smoke PM 2.5 across the US presented here from 2006 to 2018 is likely to change in the future due to changes in human‐fire interactions (Balch et al., 2017 ; Kupfer et al., 2020 ), population, land‐management strategies (Ford et al., 2018 ), and climate‐driven changes in fire regimes (Abatzoglou & Williams, 2016 ; Barbero et al., 2015 ; Goss et al., 2020 ; Spracklen et al., 2009 ; Williams et al., 2019 ). Balch et al.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…( 2017 ) showed that human impacts on landscape fires have expanded fire seasons in the US. Climate impacts may also alter fire weather and seasonality in the future, altering timing of extreme wildfire conditions (Goss et al., 2020 ; Williams et al., 2019 ) and seasonal availability of suitable prescribed burning days (Kupfer et al., 2020 ). In addition, intensity and frequency of large fires is projected to increase in the western US (Barbero et al., 2015 ; Spracklen et al., 2009 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estimated Mortality and Morbidity Attributable to Smoke Plumes in the United States: Not Just a Western US Problem

et al. 2021

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As anthropogenic emissions continue to decline and emissions from landscape (wild, prescribed, and agricultural) fires increase across the coming century, the relative importance of landscape‐fire smoke on air quality and health in the United States (US) will increase. Landscape fires are a large source of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), which has known negative impacts on human health. The seasonal and spatial distribution, particle composition, and co‐emitted species in landscape‐fire emissions are different from anthropogenic sources of PM 2.5 . The implications of landscape‐fire emissions on the sub‐national temporal and spatial distribution of health events and the relative health importance of specific pollutants within smoke are not well understood. We use a health impact assessment with observation‐based smoke PM 2.5 to determine the sub‐national distribution of mortality and the sub‐national and sub‐annual distribution of asthma morbidity attributable to US smoke PM 2.5 from 2006 to 2018. We estimate disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) for PM 2.5 and 18 gas‐phase hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in smoke. Although the majority of large landscape fires occur in the western US, we find the majority of mortality (74%) and asthma morbidity (on average 75% across 2006–2018) attributable to smoke PM 2.5 occurs outside the West, due to higher population density in the East. Across the US, smoke‐attributable asthma morbidity predominantly occurs in spring and summer. The number of DALYs associated with smoke PM 2.5 is approximately three orders of magnitude higher than DALYs associated with gas‐phase smoke HAPs. Our results indicate awareness and mitigation of landscape‐fire smoke exposure is important across the US.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimated Mortality and Morbidity Attributable to Smoke Plumes in the United States: Not Just a Western US Problem

et al. 2021

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“…Other studies suggest that growing season burns are best for restoring gopher tortoise habitat (Aresco andGuyer 1999, Yager et al 2007) because growing season burns result in greater herbaceous forage production (Waldrop et al 1992). Even if growing season burns may produce better outcomes, many managers in the Southeast conduct prescribed burns during the dormant season because burning is safer and easier to conduct in cooler temperatures (Sparks et al 2002), and safe windows for burning in the growing season are likely to be reduced as temperatures continue to warm with climate change (Kupfer et al 2020). Therefore, understanding the differences in outcomes for tortoise populations between growing and dormant season burns is important for making cost-benefit management decisions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire Management Effects on Long‐Term Gopher Tortoise Population Dynamics

Hunter

Rostal

2021

J Wildl Manag

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Long-term datasets are required to understand the response of long-lived organisms (e.g., gopher tortoises [Gopherus polyphemus]) to management actions, such as prescribed burns. Our objective was to estimate the effects of prescribed burning on gopher tortoise population dynamics over decadal time frames at Fort Stewart Army Reserve, southeastern Georgia, USA. We captured and marked adult tortoises from 1994-2020. In addition, since the early 1990s, managers at Fort Stewart collected spatial records of prescribed burns; thus, we could compare demography of the population to prescribed burning. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model (open population Jolly-Seber model) to estimate population parameters (emigration and survival, immigration and recruitment, and adult abundance) and their relationships with years since burn. We observed opposing responses to years since burn at 2 sites: abundance and the probability of staying (survival plus not emigrating) increased within 1 site when it had been more recently burned (F zones), but abundance and probability of staying in a second site increased when it had been longer since the site was burned (E zones). Some of these effects were weak but indicative of different responses to burning between the sites. Although the sites experienced similar burning regimes, they differed substantially in other habitat features: the F zones had almost twice the tree cover and lower soil sand composition, indicating that tortoise population responses to burning depend on habitat context. We inferred that the primary mechanism for demographic responses to years since burn was likely emigrating adults, which indicates the need for more detailed movement data. Our results demonstrate that gopher tortoise population responses to prescribed burning are complex, context dependent, and primarily influenced by tortoise movements. Therefore, prescribed burn plans may best accommodate spatially dynamic tortoise populations when they create spatial heterogeneity in burn ages within the range of typical tortoise movements.

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“…Moreover, burning outside the dormant season could benefit other restoration objectives such as promoting wire grass expansion and reducing hardwood encroachment (Outcalt, 1994;Addington et al, 2015). While climate change is expected to reduce the availability of summer burning days (Kupfer et al, 2020), we expect growing season burning will become an increasingly important practice for maintaining restoration efforts in southeastern woodlands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonality of Biennial Burning Has No Adverse Effects on Mature Longleaf Pine Survival or Productivity

Willis¹,

Sharma²,

Kush³

2021

Front. For. Glob. Change

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Emulating natural disturbance has become an increasingly important restoration strategy. In the fire-maintained woodlands of the southeastern United States, contemporary restoration efforts have focused on approximating the historical fire regime by burning at short intervals. Due to concerns over escape and damage to mature trees, most prescribed burning has occurred in the dormant season, which is inconsistent with the historical prevalence of lightning-initiated fire in the region. This discordance between contemporary prescribed burning and what is thought to be the historical fire regime has led some to question whether dormant season burning should remain the most common management practice; however, little is known about the long-term effects of repeated growing season burning on the health and productivity of desirable tree species. To address this question, we report on a long-term experiment comparing the effects of seasonal biennial burning (winter, spring, and summer) and no burning on the final survival status, height, diameter, and volume growth of 892 mature longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) over 23 years in three mature even-aged stands in southern Alabama, United States. Overall, longleaf pine survival across all treatments averaged 81 ± 2% [s.e]. Among seasonal burn treatments, survival was highest in the spring burns (82 ± 4%) but did not vary significantly from any other treatment (summer – 79 ± 4%, winter – 81 ± 4%, unburned – 84 ± 4%). However, survival was statistically influenced by initial diameter at breast height, as survival of trees in the largest size class (30 cm) was 40% higher than trees in the smallest size class (5 cm). Productivity of longleaf pine was not significantly different among treatment averages in terms of volume (38.9–44.1 ± 6.0 m3 ha–1), diameter (6.0–6.7 ± 0.3 cm), and height (2.5–3.4 ± 0.4 m) growth. Collectively, our results demonstrate that burning outside the dormant season will have little impact on mature longleaf pine survival and growth. This finding has important implications for the maintenance of restored southeastern woodlands, as interest in burning outside the dormant season continues to grow.

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Climate change projected to reduce prescribed burning opportunities in the south-eastern United States

Cited by 55 publications

References 57 publications

Estimated Mortality and Morbidity Attributable to Smoke Plumes in the United States: Not Just a Western US Problem

Estimated Mortality and Morbidity Attributable to Smoke Plumes in the United States: Not Just a Western US Problem

Fire Management Effects on Long‐Term Gopher Tortoise Population Dynamics

Seasonality of Biennial Burning Has No Adverse Effects on Mature Longleaf Pine Survival or Productivity

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