Effects of prescribed fire on fuels, vegetation, and Golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) demographics in Texas juniper-oak woodlands: An update six years post-fire

Reidy, Jennifer L.; Thompson, Frank R.; Rowin, Scott; Schwope, Carl; Mueller, James M.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119191

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Perhaps a period of surface fire to open the canopy to allow oak regeneration, followed by a fire-free period to allow the canopy to close, would be best for this bird. Reidy et al (2021) found that after a surface fire, warbler usage of burned plots was reduced, but 6 years after burning, differences between control and treated plots were no longer detectable. The same fires also increased relative hardwood sapling abundance after 6 years.…”

Section: Management Goals and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…A study of prescribed surface fire in mixed woodlands found that surface fires reduced the densities of Ashe juniper seedlings and saplings, as well as hardwood saplings, 16 months later (Reidy et al 2016). Six years after the fire, though, Ashe juniper seedling and sapling densities were still reduced, but hardwood sapling density was significantly higher in plots with the highest fire severity than in unburned plots (Reidy et al 2021). Yao et al (2012) also reported more oak saplings in severely burned than in unburned woodland sites.…”

Section: Woodland Surface Fires Deer and Oak Regenerationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Roles of fire in the plant communities of the eastern Edwards Plateau of Texas

Fowler,

Carden

2024

fire ecol

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Background The eastern Edwards Plateau supports a mosaic of woodlands, savannas, and shrubland in which native plant and animal species are often still dominant. Some woodlands are dominated by a mix of native woody species, including Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei), oak species (Quercus spp.), and other hardwoods. Other woodlands are nearly pure Ashe juniper; these are particularly susceptible to crown fires. The savannas were once, and still can be, maintained by surface fires. Results We hypothesize that frequent surface fires once kept some of the mixed woodlands more open and more diverse (a “lost community”) and that these fires would have reduced the abundance of Ashe juniper, which does not resprout from the base, and allowed oak regeneration, which is currently failing. The absence of fire, the current failure of oak regeneration, and high white-tailed deer densities together favor the “juniperization” of woodlands, that is, the conversion of mixed woodlands into nearly pure stands of Ashe juniper. Surface fires in savannas can sometimes control woody encroachment and the non-native grass King Ranch bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum), although the particular fire characteristics required are not yet clear. The current lack of fire in savannas favors their conversion to woodlands. Since under present conditions Ashe juniper is the primary encroacher, without fire or mechanical clearing these savannas are also on trajectories towards nearly pure stands of Ashe juniper. Conclusions Prescribed fire, sometimes paired with mechanical thinning, offers land managers in this region a tool for achieving many goals, including increasing native biodiversity and reducing wildfire danger. However, more study of the effects of fires of different intensities and frequencies in these woodlands, savannas, and shrublands is needed to better inform the use of prescribed fire in this region.

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Section: Management Goals and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Woodland Surface Fires Deer and Oak Regenerationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roles of fire in the plant communities of the eastern Edwards Plateau of Texas

Fowler,

Carden

2024

fire ecol

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“…The threats of stand‐replacing, high‐severity wildfire (Baccus et al 2007, Reemts and Hansen 2008) and recruitment failure of oaks (Russell and Fowler 2002, 2004), however, may warrant specific management. Low‐intensity prescribed fire in Ashe juniper‐oak woodlands has so far had mixed success at achieving management goals and must be coordinated with management of white‐tailed deer density to have beneficial effects (Andruk et al 2014; Reidy et al 2016 b , 2021). Additional experimentation is needed to evaluate techniques for maximizing growth rates of juniper‐oak stands, recruitment of oaks, and survival of mature trees under current and predicted climate scenarios (Moore et al 2016, Schwantes et al 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi‐scale species density model for conserving an endangered songbird

et al. 2022

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Habitat modeling across a landscape that has gradients of habitat conditions requires potential predictor data that can be quantified at biologically relevant scales. We used remotely sensed data to develop a multi-scale density model in 2018 for the golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia; warbler), a species that breeds in Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei)-oak (Quercus spp.) woodlands in central Texas, USA. We first classified Ashe juniper and broadleaf tree cover at a 1-m resolution and used this to map potential habitat across the warbler's >67,000-km 2 breeding range. We then designed a survey for estimating warbler density based on hierarchical distance sampling. We used stratified random sampling to survey for male warblers at 1,804 points across the continuum of tree canopy cover and composition and detected 810 warblers during our surveys. We developed a suite of potential predictor variables for modeling warbler density that reflected vegetation, topography, climate, and anthropogenic land use conditions across the breeding range and developed these at 3 scales representing the territory, site, and landscape. We modeled warbler density and used the best fit model to produce a spatially explicit estimate. Predicted warbler density was influenced by tree canopy cover and canopy height at the

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“…High deer densities limit recruitment of oaks and other hardwoods to the canopy (Russell and Fowler 2004;Andruk et al 2014;Van Auken et al 2023). Low-to moderate-severity prescribed res in woodlands can reduce understory density and increase oak regeneration (primarily from resprouting), but do not reduce fuel loads (Yao et al 2012; Reidy et al 2016Reidy et al , 2021. However, any mortality of canopy trees reduces habitat quality for golden-cheeked warblers (Reidy et al 2016(Reidy et al , 2021.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crown fires remove a fire-sensitive canopy dominant from oak-juniper woodlands

Reemts,

Picinich,

Sperry

2024

Preprint

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Background In central Texas, re-sprouting oaks (Quercus spp.) co-occur with the non-resprouting Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei). The region’s mature oak-juniper woodlands are the only nesting habitat for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia). We studied long-term recovery of woodland structure and species composition after single and repeated crown fires on three site types (mesas and slopes with shallow soils and deeper savanna soils). Results Understory density of non-juniper species, including oaks, was up to four times higher after the second fire compared to the first fire for the first 2–3 years. On once-burned sites, non-juniper tree density exceeded unburned levels after 14–24 years, indicating successful replacement of hardwood trees (24 years vs unburned, mesa: 481 ± 254 vs 155 ± 137 stems ha− 1; slope: 910 ± 330 vs 251 ± 103 stems ha− 1; deep: 679 ± 250 vs 251 ± 103 stems ha− 1). Non-juniper tree basal area recovered more slowly on slopes and deep soils than on mesas but reached unburned levels by 14–24 years (24 years vs unburned, mesa: 2 ± 1 vs 1 ± 2 m2 ha− 1; slope: 5 ± 2 vs 3 ± 2 m2 ha− 1; deep: 6 ± 2 vs 8 ± 9 m2 ha− 1). Ashe juniper, however, remained almost completely absent from burned woodlands. After 24 years, juniper tree density on once-burned sites was much lower compared to unburned sites (mesa: 6 ± 10 vs 691 ± 410 stems ha− 1; slope: 20 ± 17 vs 731 ± 183 stems ha− 1; deep: 50 ± 71 vs 317 ± 297 stems ha− 1). Juniper trees were still absent from twice-burned sites in year 11 and understory density was recovering more slowly, at least on slopes (one fire: 224 ± 206 stems ha− 1; two fires: 26 ± 47 stems ha− 1). Juniper recovery was explained in part by distance to the wildfire perimeter, suggesting that regeneration is limited by dispersal. Conclusions Oaks and other species successfully recruited after one and two fires, likely due to low deer densities. Ashe juniper recovered very slowly, especially after the second fire, and juniper recovery was limited by dispersal. Our data show that mixed woodlands in the Edwards Plateau can only exist in areas with very long intervals between crown fires. Given the long-term consequences of crown fires for golden-cheeked warbler habitat, maintenance of mature oak-juniper woodlands will require protection from extreme fire.

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Effects of prescribed fire on fuels, vegetation, and Golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) demographics in Texas juniper-oak woodlands: An update six years post-fire

Cited by 4 publications

References 24 publications

Roles of fire in the plant communities of the eastern Edwards Plateau of Texas

Roles of fire in the plant communities of the eastern Edwards Plateau of Texas

Multi‐scale species density model for conserving an endangered songbird

Crown fires remove a fire-sensitive canopy dominant from oak-juniper woodlands

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