The Demise of Fire and “Mesophication” of Forests in the Eastern United States

Nowacki, Gregory J.; Abrams, Marc D.

doi:10.1641/b580207

Cited by 1,036 publications

(1,020 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…of the midwestern and eastern United States are experiencing substantial changes, as the combination of natural succession and human-related factors have created conditions that typically favor more mesic, shade-tolerant, broad-leaved forest types (termed the ''mesophication'' of the forests; Nowacki and Abrams, 2008). The consequences of this conversion may have profound impacts on ecosystem services.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, prior to Euro-American settlement, the disturbance of oak forests by periodic fire was common (Abrams, 1992) early-to mid-successional, fire-adapted oak forests maintained a competitive advantage over later-successional forest types. Spatial variation in fire disturbance maintained landscape-level heterogeneity of ecosystem types (Nowacki and Abrams, 2008). Changing land ownership patterns and management decisions since settlement have contributed to altered fire regimes, particularly fire exclusion, and consequently early-to mid-successional communities have subsequently dwindled in extent (Williams, 1989;Askins, 2001;Hanberry et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Forest change in the Driftless Area of the Midwest: From a preferred to undesirable future

Knoot

Shea

Schulte

et al. 2015

Forest Ecology and Management

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In the midwestern and eastern U.S., oaks (Quercus spp.) have been a dominant component of forests for at least the last 10,000 years, providing vital habitat for numerous wildlife and plant species that have adapted to oak forest conditions. However, the current state of these oak systems, in which there has been a general lack of successful oak regeneration and recruitment and an increase in the relative dominance of mesophytic species, may be nearing critical thresholds. If reached, restoring oak systems through natural regeneration and other methods, such as prescribed fire, may become especially challenging if not impossible. An understanding of spatial variation in oak dominance over time can inform and potentially improve the efficacy of intervention strategies. Using Public Land Survey and Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) inventories, we evaluated changes in the composition of timberland across ecoregional subsections in the Driftless Area of the Midwest at three time periods (pre-settlement 1800s, 1990s, and 2000s). We identified an overall decrease in oak dominance, and particularly dominance of the white oak (Quercus alba L., Q. macrocarpa Michx., and Q. bicolor Willd.) species group since the presettlement era, and an increase in other eastern soft hardwoods. Within the last 20 years, both the red oak (Q. rubra L., Q. ellipsoidalis E.J. Hill and Q. velutina Lam.) and white oak species groups decreased in dominance, with an increase in hard maple-basswood (A. saccharum Marsh., A. nigra L., and Tilia americana L.) species group dominance, indicating further mesophication of forests in the region. However, we found a notable decrease in hard maple-basswood relative dominance within the small diameter class across most of the regions within the last 10-20 years, with an increase in dominance of other, non-oak, species. Our findings complement qualitative evidence from interviews with natural resource professionals from the region and offer further information on the potential for forest conversion to ''undesirable'' forest conditions, as identified as a source of concern by some professionals. There was spatial variation in these trends, however, with some pronounced differences across adjacent state boundaries. The variation in forest change across state boundaries suggests the role of state-level socioeconomic and policy factors in affecting forest conditions, and thus the potential for a targeted and timely approach to promoting preferred pathways of change. RightsWorks produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted. a b s t r a c tIn the midwestern and eastern U.S., oaks (Quercus spp.) have been a dominant component of forests for at least the last 10,000 years, providing vital habitat for numerous wildlife and plant species that have adapted to oak forest conditions. However, the current state of these oak systems, in which there has been a general lack of successful oak reg...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest change in the Driftless Area of the Midwest: From a preferred to undesirable future

Knoot

Shea

Schulte

et al. 2015

Forest Ecology and Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Before Euro-American settlement, perhaps at least half of forests in the central eastern and southeastern United States during the 1800s were oak or pine forest ecosystems (Nowacki and Abrams, 2008;Hanberry et al, 2012a;Thompson et al, 2013). Oak and pine species have functional traits to survive, and possibly facilitate, low severity fire regimes (Beckage et al, 2009) that periodically removed biomass of fire-sensitive species and small diameter oak and pine trees, leaving large, thick-barked oak and pine trees (Nowacki and Abrams, 2008;Hanberry et al, 2012a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Oak and pine species have functional traits to survive, and possibly facilitate, low severity fire regimes (Beckage et al, 2009) that periodically removed biomass of fire-sensitive species and small diameter oak and pine trees, leaving large, thick-barked oak and pine trees (Nowacki and Abrams, 2008;Hanberry et al, 2012a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the border of prairie grasslands and eastern forests in the United States, fire return intervals and spread were propagated by continuous fine fuels and flat topography of prairies and plateaus, but then fires were disrupted by fire breaks of dissected river hills and major stream networks draining to the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Many open forest ecosystems destabilize without periodic fires to remove fire-sensitive plants (Nowacki and Abrams, 2008;Hanberry et al, 2014). In the eastern United States, even after fire exclusion during the first half of the twentieth century, oak and pine had the advantage of overstory dominance and advance regeneration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Loss of aboveground forest biomass and landscape biomass variability in Missouri, US

Hanberry

Shifley

2016

Ecological Complexity

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Sheltered from the storm? Population viability analysis of a rare endemic under periodic catastrophe regimes

2018

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Rare species are important targets for biodiversity conservation efforts because rarity often equates to small populations and increased endangerment. Rare species are prone to stochastic extinction events and may be particularly susceptible to catastrophes. Therefore, understanding how rare species respond to disturbances is critical for evaluating extinction risk and guiding conservation managers. Population viability analyses (PVAs) are essential for assessing rare species' status yet they seldom consider catastrophic events. Accordingly, we present a PVA of a rare tropical epiphyte, Lepanthes caritensis (Orchidaceae), under simulated disturbance regimes to evaluate its demographics and extinction risk. We aimed to test how demographic models incorporating catastrophes affect population viability estimates. Our goal was to better guide management of these orchids and other rare plants. Results revealed L. caritensis numbers have declined recently, but projected growth rates indicated that most subpopulations should increase in size if undisturbed. Still, projection models show that moderate catastrophes reduce growth rates, increase stochasticity in subpopulation sizes, and elevate extinction risk. Severe catastrophes had a more pronounced effect in simulations; growth rates fell below replacement level, there was greater variation in projected population sizes, and extinction risk was significantly higher. PVAs incorporating periodic catastrophes indicate that rare species may have greater extinction probabilities than standard models suggest. Thus, precautionary conservation measures should be taken in disturbance prone settings and we encourage careful monitoring after environmental catastrophes. Future rare plant PVAs should incorporate catastrophes and aim to determine if rescue and reintroduction efforts are necessary after disturbances to insure long-term population viability.

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The Demise of Fire and “Mesophication” of Forests in the Eastern United States

Cited by 1,036 publications

References 42 publications

Forest change in the Driftless Area of the Midwest: From a preferred to undesirable future

Forest change in the Driftless Area of the Midwest: From a preferred to undesirable future

Loss of aboveground forest biomass and landscape biomass variability in Missouri, US

Sheltered from the storm? Population viability analysis of a rare endemic under periodic catastrophe regimes

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