Repeated Application of Fuel Reduction Treatments in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, USA: Implications for Achieving Management Goals

Waldrop, Thomas A.; Hagan, Donald L.; Simon, D.

doi:10.4996/fireecology.1202028

Cited by 55 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…); the second burn (March 2006) produced flame heights generally <1.5 m; and the average temperature 30 cm aboveground was 155°C in B and 222°C in MB plots (Waldrop et al. ). The third and fourth burns were low‐intensity, producing flame lengths <2 m; however, measurements of fire temperature were not collected.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis) and woodland ant responses to repeated applications of fuel reduction methods

et al. 2019

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Ants (Formicidae: Hymenoptera) are important components of forest ecosystems and can be affected by fuel reduction forest management practices. We assessed the impact of repeated applications of fuel reduction treatments on abundance and diversity of ants within upland mixed-hardwood forests in the Southern Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, USA. We established three replicate blocks (~56 ha each) and split each block into four fuel reduction treatments, which included prescribed burning (B), mechanical felling (M), a combination of prescribed burning and mechanical felling (MB), and a control (C; i.e., no treatment). We implemented treatments multiple times (two mechanical thinnings and four prescribed burns) over the course of a 15-yr period. Due to tree mortality and resultant canopy gaps from high-severity burns, forest structure was dramatically altered in MB. Over a 3-yr period (2014-2016), we captured 54,219 ants comprised of 23 genera using pitfall and colored pan traps. Prenolepis imparis was the most common ant species collected, and it was significantly lower in abundance in MB than all other treatments. However, the non-native species Brachyponera chinensis was more abundant in MB than all other treatments. Thus, some fuel reduction treatments may have consequences for invasive ant colonization in forests. Most ant taxa did not differ in abundance among treatments, suggesting that some fuel reduction practices may affect some, but not all ant species. Our results indicate that some fuel reduction treatments can alter forest ant communities, thus contributing to changing forest ecosystem dynamics. Monitoring of ants and other bioindicators after repeated rounds of fuel reduction treatments could provide useful knowledge that can be used to help balance forest management and biological diversity.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis) and woodland ant responses to repeated applications of fuel reduction methods

et al. 2019

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“…During the first prescribed burns (Mar 2003), flame lengths of 1–2 m occurred throughout all burn units, but flame lengths reached up to 5 m in localized spots within blocks, where topography or intersecting flame fronts contributed to erratic fire behavior (Waldrop et al ). Loading of fine woody fuels on mechanical + burn units, where the shrub layer was felled, was approximately double that on control and burn‐only sites.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Average fire temperature at 30 cm aboveground was much hotter in mechanical + burn than burn‐only (370°C and 180°C, respectively). The second burn (Mar 2006) was less intense, with flame lengths generally <1.5 m. Average temperature 30 cm aboveground was 155°C in burn‐only units and 222°C in mechanical + burn units (Waldrop et al ). We did not measure fire temperatures in the third and fourth burns, but we observed that they were low‐intensity with flame lengths <2 m.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We measured select stand‐level habitat features during or close to years when we sampled herpetofauna (Table ). We measured tree (>10 cm dbh) density and basal area within 10, 0.05‐ha (10 × 50 m) vegetation plots, located at grid points (50 × 50 m) spaced at 50‐m intervals throughout each experimental unit, starting from a randomly selected origin (Waldrop et al ). We measured shrub (woody stems <10 cm dbh and ≥1.4 m in height) stem density (including all stems within sprout clumps) within 5, 10‐ × 10‐m subplots within each vegetation plot.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, repeated burning could have additive effects on habitat attributes, such as canopy cover, shrub density, or leaf litter depth, and associated changes in forest floor microclimate, food, and cover resources that might alter habitat suitability for various taxa over the long‐term. Additionally, there could be a time lag in fire‐induced changes, most notably delayed mortality of overstory trees (Waldrop et al ). Prescribed fire is not a precise forest management tool; weather, fuel types and volumes, vegetation structure, topography, and ground moisture affect fire intensity and consequent post‐fire tree mortality (Knapp et al ).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Long‐term herpetofaunal response to repeated fuel reduction treatments

et al. 2017

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Fuel reduction treatments are used to reduce wildfire risk and to restore plant communities. Yet, repeated mechanical or prescribed fire treatments may gradually change forest structure and microhabitat conditions, favoring some taxa and decreasing suitability for others. We experimentally assessed long‐term (intermittent years, 2003–2016) effects of repeated dormant‐season mechanical and prescribed fire treatments on capture rates of reptiles and amphibians in southern Appalachian upland hardwood forests. Treatments were mechanical understory removal (twice), prescribed burning (4 times; burn‐only), mechanical understory removal followed 1 year later by high‐severity prescribed burns and 3 subsequent burns (mechanical + burn), and untreated controls. Initial burns were hotter in mechanical + burn than burn‐only units, resulting in heavy tree mortality and increased canopy openness within 2 growing‐seasons post‐burn. We captured 4,606 individuals of 15 amphibian and 20 reptile species. Capture rates of American toads (Anaxyrus americanus), green frogs (Lithobates clamitans), plethodontid salamanders (Plethodon spp.), and northern red salamanders (Pseudotriton ruber) were not affected by any fuel reduction treatment. The capture rate of five‐lined skinks (Plestiodon fasciatus) was greater in mechanical + burn than burn‐only or control units, and the capture rate of eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) was greater in mechanical + burn than control units. Juvenile eastern fence lizard captures were greater in mechanical + burn units and increased over time, indicating that high‐severity burning followed by repeated burns may improve conditions for successful recruitment. Different responses among species highlight the importance of including multiple taxa when assessing effects of forest disturbances on wildlife, and give perspective on how forest health may vary depending on target taxa. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.

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Sustaining eastern oak forests: Synergistic effects of fire and topography on vegetation and fuels

Hutchinson,

Adams,

Dickinson

et al. 2024

Ecological Applications

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Across much of the eastern United States, oak forests are undergoing mesophication as shade‐tolerant competitors become more abundant and suppress oak regeneration. Given the historical role of anthropogenic surface fires in promoting oak dominance, prescribed fire has become important in efforts to reverse mesophication and sustain oaks. In 2000 we established the Ohio Hills Fire and Fire Surrogate (FFS) study to examine whether repeated prescribed fire (Fire), mechanical partial harvest (Mech), and their combined application (Mech + Fire) reduced the dominance of subcanopy mesophytic competitors, increased the abundance of large oak–hickory advance regeneration, created a more diverse and productive ground‐layer flora, and produced fuel beds more conducive to prescribed fire, reducing the risk of high‐severity wildfire. Here we report on the ~20‐year effects of treatments on vegetation and fuels and examine the support for interactive effects across a topographic‐moisture and energy gradient. In general, we found that Fire and Mech + Fire treatments tended to reverse mesophication while the Mech‐only treatment did not. The moderate and occasionally high‐intensity fires resulted in effects that were ultimately very similar between the two fire treatments but were modulated by topography with increasing fire severity on drier sites. In particular, we found support for an interaction effect between treatment and topography on forest structure and tree regeneration responses. Fire generally reduced mesophytic tree density in the midstory and sapling strata across all site conditions, while leading to substantial gains in the abundance of large oak–hickory advance regeneration on dry and intermediate landscape positions. Fire also promoted ground‐layer diversity and created compositionally distinct communities across all site conditions, primarily through the increased richness of native perennial herbs. However, the fire had limited effects on fine surface fuel loading and increased the loading of large woody fuels, potentially increasing the risk of high‐severity wildfire during drought conditions. We conclude that two decades of repeated fires, with and without mechanical density reduction, significantly shifted the trajectory of mesophication across most of the landscape, particularly on dry and intermediate sites, highlighting the capacity of a periodic fire regime to sustain eastern oak forests and promote plant diversity but modulated by topography.

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Repeated Application of Fuel Reduction Treatments in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, USA: Implications for Achieving Management Goals

Abstract: Fire and resource managers of the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA, have many questions about the use of prescribed fire and mechanical treatments to meet various land management objectives. Three common

Cited by 55 publications

References 27 publications

Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis) and woodland ant responses to repeated applications of fuel reduction methods

Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis) and woodland ant responses to repeated applications of fuel reduction methods

Long‐term herpetofaunal response to repeated fuel reduction treatments

Sustaining eastern oak forests: Synergistic effects of fire and topography on vegetation and fuels

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