Land ownership impacts post-wildfire forest regeneration in Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forests

Stephens, Connor; Collins, Brandon M.; Rogan, John

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118161

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Clear-felling, a tendency towards conifer plantations, and short rotation cycles are more abundant in such large privately owned forests than in most public forests both in North America [9,24,125,133] and in Europe [24]. Concerning the post-wildfire forest regeneration of mixedconifer forests in the Sierra Nevada (California), the silvicultural treatments in private industrial forests were more intensive and uniform than those on public forestland [134]. Conservation-oriented silviculture and the retention of oldgrowth structures are less common in large private forests or depend on financial compensation or guidelines set by conservation plans and certification schemes [36,135].…”

Section: Characteristics Of Large Private Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Interplay of Ownership Patterns, Biodiversity, and Conservation in Past and Present Temperate Forest Landscapes of Europe and North America

2021

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Purpose of Review Ownership patterns and the associated management characteristics are related to forest structures, biodiversity patterns, and their conservation worldwide. A literature review on this topic is missing so far. We fill this gap with an emphasis on the temperate forests of Europe and North America. Mixed-ownership landscapes are the special focus of the analysis. In a first step, historical effects of ownership patterns on forest structure and biodiversity are elucidated. Second, connections between present-time forest ownership patterns and both forest structural and biodiversity patterns are analyzed. Finally, implications for integrative conservation management are evaluated with a special focus on mixed-ownership forest landscapes. Recent Findings Close linkages between ownership type-specific forest management and particular forest structural and biodiversity patterns are identified for past and current forest landscapes. Both in Europe and North America, publicly and privately owned forests show comparable lines of historical development but with a time shift. Forest reserves and ancient woodland with long ecological continuity appear to be mainly connected with public ownership. A high diversity of management approaches and cultural landscape habitats is characteristic of non-industrial small private forests. In mixed-ownership landscapes, a more diverse mosaic of habitats has developed than in mono-ownership landscapes. Summary We conclude that cross-boundary ecosystem management is crucial for effective conservation in present-day mixed-ownership landscapes. Integrative forest management that considers biodiversity and social-ecological aspects across ownerships is indispensable. We present a framework of implications for conservation management in mixed-ownership forest landscapes that build on each other and may enhance cross-boundary ecosystem management.

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Section: Characteristics Of Large Private Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Interplay of Ownership Patterns, Biodiversity, and Conservation in Past and Present Temperate Forest Landscapes of Europe and North America

2021

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“…The amount of carbon stored in an untreated stand’s fire‐killed snags may initially be similar to that stored in a treated stand’s surviving trees (North and Hurteau 2011, Eskelson et al 2016), but unless they are harvested snags will become carbon sources while live trees remain carbon sinks (Dore et al 2008, Carlson et al 2012). Furthermore, we do not explicitly account for the potential for a long‐term deforested condition due to the lack of tree regeneration following large severe wildfires (e.g., Collins and Roller 2013, Stephens et al 2020 a ). Attempting to account for these long‐term benefits of fuel treatments was beyond the scope of this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The combined effects of these changes increase susceptibility to uncharacteristic patterns of high‐severity wildfire (Taylor et al 2014) and reduce the stability of forest carbon stocks (Hurteau and Brooks 2011). Wildfires in forests account for a disproportionate share of recent declines in California’s carbon stocks and can cause long‐term type conversions to other ecosystem types (Stevens et al 2014, Gonzalez et al 2015, Hessburg et al 2016, Stephens et al 2020 a ). This trend is expected to continue given projected climatic conditions, threatening forests’ carbon stocks and their ability to sequester additional carbon (Westerling et al 2011, Liang et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential wildfire and carbon stability in frequent‐fire forests in the Sierra Nevada: trade‐offs from a long‐term study

et al. 2020

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Forests are the largest terrestrial carbon stock, and disturbance regimes can have large effects on the structure and function of forests. Many dry temperate forests in the western United States are adapted to a regime of frequent, low‐to‐moderate severity fire. The disruption of this disturbance regime over the last century has shifted forest conditions, making them more susceptible to high‐severity fire. Fuel treatments have been shown to effectively reduce wildfire hazard, often with co‐benefits to ecological values. However, the effects of fuel treatments on forest carbon are complex, often characterized by direct costs (e.g., carbon emissions from prescribed fire) and wildfire‐contingent benefits (increased resistance of live tree carbon to wildfire). In this study, we employ risk‐sensitive carbon accounting and empirical data from a replicated field experiment to evaluate the stand‐scale carbon effects of four management regimes over a 14‐yr period in a historically frequent‐fire adapted forest. All three active treatment regimes immediately increased stable live tree carbon stocks over no‐treatment controls. In most contexts examined, mechanical‐only or no‐treatment controls will maximize expected total carbon stocks when incorporating wildfire risk and the carbon stability of live biomass, dead biomass, and offsite forest products, although we acknowledge our wildfire modeling may underestimate C losses, particularly in the control stands. Undoubtedly, many other ecosystem and social values besides carbon will be important factors that influence fuel and restoration treatments.

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“…Plantations are typically characterized by dense, spatially homogeneous fuel structures, and the young trees that form the upper canopy are particularly susceptible to re because of thinner bark and low crown base heights. Despite these vulnerabilities, replanting is often necessary for post-wild re reforestation, especially in large high-severity patches where wind-dispersed seed from surviving conifers is inadequate and the potential for long-term conversion to shrublands is high (Stephens et al 2020). In these areas, managers must choose whether to allow conversion to non-forest vegetation or replant and invest in at least the potential for a future forest that can mature and persist through the next wild re.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing Fuels, Tree, and Stand Growth Using Prescribed Fire and Alternatives in Young Mixed Conifer Stands

Russell

York

2021

Preprint

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Background In the wake of increasingly frequent and severe wildfires in California, artificial regeneration and density management facilitate prompt reforestation and the rapid growth of large, fire-resistant trees. Young plantations are particularly prone to high-severity wildfire effects, suggesting the implementation of fuel reduction treatments in the early stages of stand development. The extent to which density management (i.e., thinning) and fuels management (i.e., prescribed fire) can work together is uncertain given their potentially conflicting effects on tree and stand level growth. We investigated how four different treatments – mastication, mastication plus herbicide, two prescribed burns, and mastication plus two burns – affected individual and stand-level growth versus fuel loads in mixed-conifer plantations during young stand development in the north-central Sierra Nevada, California, USA. Results The mastication plus herbicide treatment maximized individual tree growth, especially for white fir and incense-cedar, but fuel loads doubled after five years without the use of fire. The mastication only treatment resulted in a 151% increase in fuel loads over the same period, and individual tree growth was comparable to the burn only and mastication plus burn treatments. The burn only treatment greatly decreased fuel loads but also resulted in low relative stand growth. The mastication plus burn treatment prevented fuel accumulation and generally did not slow down individual tree growth. In addition, stand growth occurred at a rate similar to that of the mastication plus herbicide treatment. Conclusions Mastication followed by repeated prescribed burning could be a viable management strategy to reduce wildfire hazard without sacrificing growth in young mixed-conifer stands that are entering a vulnerable stage of fire risk. Mastication in combination with herbicide may grow trees to a large, fire-resistant size more quickly, but does not address fuel buildup. The use of fire alone can effectively reduce fuels while not substantially impacting individual tree growth, but stand growth may decline relative to mastication and herbicide.

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Land ownership impacts post-wildfire forest regeneration in Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forests

Cited by 11 publications

References 61 publications

On the Interplay of Ownership Patterns, Biodiversity, and Conservation in Past and Present Temperate Forest Landscapes of Europe and North America

On the Interplay of Ownership Patterns, Biodiversity, and Conservation in Past and Present Temperate Forest Landscapes of Europe and North America

Potential wildfire and carbon stability in frequent‐fire forests in the Sierra Nevada: trade‐offs from a long‐term study

Managing Fuels, Tree, and Stand Growth Using Prescribed Fire and Alternatives in Young Mixed Conifer Stands

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