It Takes a Few to Tango: Changing Climate and Fire Regimes Can Cause Regeneration Failure of Two Subalpine Conifers

It Takes a Few to Tango: Changing Climate and Fire Regimes Can Cause Regeneration Failure of Two Subalpine Conifers PDF Author: Winslow D. Hansen
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Climatic changes
Languages : en
Pages : 12

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Book Description
Environmental change is accelerating in the 21st century, but how multiple drivers may interact to alter forest resilience remains uncertain. In forests affected by large high-severity disturbances, tree regeneration is a resilience linchpin that shapes successional trajectories for decades. We modeled stands of two widespread western U.S. conifers, Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca), and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia), in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, USA) to ask (1) What combinations of distance to seed source, fire return interval, and warming-drying conditions cause postfire tree-regeneration failure? (2) If postfire tree regeneration was successful, how does early tree density differ under future climate relative to historical climate? We conducted a stand-level (1 ha) factorial simulation experiment using the individual-based forest process model iLand to identify combinations of fire return interval (11?100 yr), distance to seed source (50?1,000 m), and climate (historical, mid-21st century, late-21st century) where trees failed to regenerate by 30-yr postfire. If regeneration was successful, we compared stand densities between climate periods. Simulated postfire regeneration were surprisingly resilient to changing climate and fire drivers. Douglas-fir regeneration failed more frequently (55%) than lodgepole pine (28% and 16% for nonserotinous and serotinous stands, respectively). Distance to seed source was an important driver of regeneration failure for Douglas-fir and non-serotinous lodgepole pine; regeneration never failed when stands were 50 m from a seed source and nearly always failed when stands were 1 km away. Regeneration of serotinous lodgepole pine only failed when fire return intervals were ?20 yr and stands were far (1 km) from a seed source. Warming climate increased regeneration success for Douglas-fir but did not affect lodgepole pine. If regeneration was successful, postfire density varied with climate. Douglasfir and serotinous lodgepole pine regeneration density both increased under 21st-century climate but in response to different climate variables (growing season length vs. cold limitation). Results suggest that, given a warmer future with larger and more frequent fires, a greater number of stands that fail to regenerate after fires combined with increasing density in stands where regeneration is successful could produce a more coarse-grained forest landscape.

It Takes a Few to Tango: Changing Climate and Fire Regimes Can Cause Regeneration Failure of Two Subalpine Conifers

It Takes a Few to Tango: Changing Climate and Fire Regimes Can Cause Regeneration Failure of Two Subalpine Conifers PDF Author: Winslow D. Hansen
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Climatic changes
Languages : en
Pages : 12

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Book Description
Environmental change is accelerating in the 21st century, but how multiple drivers may interact to alter forest resilience remains uncertain. In forests affected by large high-severity disturbances, tree regeneration is a resilience linchpin that shapes successional trajectories for decades. We modeled stands of two widespread western U.S. conifers, Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca), and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia), in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, USA) to ask (1) What combinations of distance to seed source, fire return interval, and warming-drying conditions cause postfire tree-regeneration failure? (2) If postfire tree regeneration was successful, how does early tree density differ under future climate relative to historical climate? We conducted a stand-level (1 ha) factorial simulation experiment using the individual-based forest process model iLand to identify combinations of fire return interval (11?100 yr), distance to seed source (50?1,000 m), and climate (historical, mid-21st century, late-21st century) where trees failed to regenerate by 30-yr postfire. If regeneration was successful, we compared stand densities between climate periods. Simulated postfire regeneration were surprisingly resilient to changing climate and fire drivers. Douglas-fir regeneration failed more frequently (55%) than lodgepole pine (28% and 16% for nonserotinous and serotinous stands, respectively). Distance to seed source was an important driver of regeneration failure for Douglas-fir and non-serotinous lodgepole pine; regeneration never failed when stands were 50 m from a seed source and nearly always failed when stands were 1 km away. Regeneration of serotinous lodgepole pine only failed when fire return intervals were ?20 yr and stands were far (1 km) from a seed source. Warming climate increased regeneration success for Douglas-fir but did not affect lodgepole pine. If regeneration was successful, postfire density varied with climate. Douglasfir and serotinous lodgepole pine regeneration density both increased under 21st-century climate but in response to different climate variables (growing season length vs. cold limitation). Results suggest that, given a warmer future with larger and more frequent fires, a greater number of stands that fail to regenerate after fires combined with increasing density in stands where regeneration is successful could produce a more coarse-grained forest landscape.

Fire Ecology and Management: Past, Present, and Future of US Forested Ecosystems

Fire Ecology and Management: Past, Present, and Future of US Forested Ecosystems PDF Author: Cathryn H. Greenberg
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030732673
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 513

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Book Description
This edited volume presents original scientific research and knowledge synthesis covering the past, present, and potential future fire ecology of major US forest types, with implications for forest management in a changing climate. The editors and authors highlight broad patterns among ecoregions and forest types, as well as detailed information for individual ecoregions, for fire frequencies and severities, fire effects on tree mortality and regeneration, and levels of fire-dependency by plant and animal communities. The foreword addresses emerging ecological and fire management challenges for forests, in relation to sustainable development goals as highlighted in recent government reports. An introductory chapter highlights patterns of variation in frequencies, severities, scales, and spatial patterns of fire across ecoregions and among forested ecosystems across the US in relation to climate, fuels, topography and soils, ignition sources (lightning or anthropogenic), and vegetation. Separate chapters by respected experts delve into the fire ecology of major forest types within US ecoregions, with a focus on the level of plant and animal fire-dependency, and the role of fire in maintaining forest composition and structure. The regional chapters also include discussion of historic natural (lightning-ignited) and anthropogenic (Native American; settlers) fire regimes, current fire regimes as influenced by recent decades of fire suppression and land use history, and fire management in relation to ecosystem integrity and restoration, wildfire threat, and climate change. The summary chapter combines the major points of each chapter, in a synthesis of US-wide fire ecology and forest management into the future. This book provides current, organized, readily accessible information for the conservation community, land managers, scientists, students and educators, and others interested in how fire behavior and effects on structure and composition differ among ecoregions and forest types, and what that means for forest management today and in the future.

Ecosystem Collapse and Climate Change

Ecosystem Collapse and Climate Change PDF Author: Josep G. Canadell
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 303071330X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 365

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Book Description
Human-driven greenhouse emissions are increasing the velocity of climate change and the frequency and intensity of climate extremes far above historical levels. These changes, along with other human-perturbations, are setting the conditions for more rapid and abrupt ecosystem dynamics and collapse. This book presents new evidence on the rapid emergence of ecosystem collapse in response to the progression of anthropogenic climate change dynamics that are expected to intensify as the climate continues to warm. Discussing implications for biodiversity conservation, the chapters provide examples of such dynamics globally covering polar and boreal ecosystems, temperate and semi-arid ecosystems, as well as tropical and temperate coastal ecosystems. Given its scope, the volume appeals to scientists in the fields of general ecology, terrestrial and coastal ecology, climate change impacts, and biodiversity conservation.

Governing the Anthropocene

Governing the Anthropocene PDF Author: Sarah Clement
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030603504
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 353

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Book Description
This book focuses on the present and future challenges of managing ecosystem transformation on a planet where human impacts are pervasive. In this new epoch, the Anthropocene, the already rapid rate of species loss is amplified by climate change and other stress factors, causing transformation of highly-valued landscapes. Many locations are already transforming into novel ecosystems, where new species, interactions, and ecological functions are creating landscapes unlike anything seen before. This has sparked contentious debate not just about science, but about decision-making, responsibility, fairness, and human capacity to intervene. Clement argues that the social and ecological reality of the Anthropocene requires modernised governance and policy to confront these new challenges and achieve ecological objectives. There is a real opportunity to enable society to cope with transformed ecosystems by changing governance, but this is notoriously difficult. Aimed at anyone involved in these conversations, be those researchers, practitioners, decision makers or students, this book brings together diffuse research exploring how to confront institutional change and ecological transformation in different contexts, and provides insight into how to translate governance concepts into productive pathways forward.

Requiem for America’s Best Idea

Requiem for America’s Best Idea PDF Author: Michael J. Yochim
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
ISBN: 082636344X
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
In his enthusiastic explorations and fervent writing, Michael J. Yochim “was to Yellowstone what Muir was to Yosemite. . . . Other times, his writing is like that of Edward Abbey, full of passion for the natural world and anger at those who are abusing it,” writes foreword contributor William R. Lowry. In 2013 Yochim was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). While fighting the disease, he wrote Requiem for America’s Best Idea. The book establishes a unique parallel between Yochim’s personal struggle with a terminal illness and the impact climate change is having on the national parks—the treasured wilderness that he loved and to which he dedicated his life. Yochim explains how climate change is already impacting the vegetation, wildlife, and the natural conditions in Olympic, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yellowstone, and Yosemite National Parks. A poignant and thought-provoking work, Requiem for America’s Best Idea investigates the interactions between people and nature and the world that can inspire and destroy them.

Origins of Abrupt Change? Postfire Subalpine Conifer Regeneration Declines Nonlinearly with Warming and Drying

Origins of Abrupt Change? Postfire Subalpine Conifer Regeneration Declines Nonlinearly with Warming and Drying PDF Author: Winslow D. Hansen
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Climatic changes
Languages : en
Pages : 21

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Book Description
Robust tree regeneration following high-severity wildfire is key to the resilience of subalpine and boreal forests, and 21st century climate could initiate abrupt change in forests if postfire temperature and soil moisture become less suitable for tree seedling establishment. Using two widespread conifer species, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca), we conducted complementary experiments to ask (1) How will projected early- to mid-21st-century warming and drying affect postfire tree seedling establishment and mortality? (2) How does early seedling growth differ between species and vary with warming and drying? With a four-year in situ seed-planting experiment and a one growing season controlled-environment experiment, we explored effects of climate on tree seedling establishment, growth, and survival and identified nonlinear responses to temperature and soil moisture. In our field experiment, warmer and drier conditions, consistent with mid21st-century projections, led to a 92% and 76% reduction in establishment of lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir. Within three years, all seedlings that established under warmer conditions died, as might be expected at lower elevations and lower latitudes of species? ranges. Seedling establishment and mortality also varied with aspect; approximately 1.7 times more seedlings established on mesic vs. xeric aspects, and fewer seedlings died. In the controlled-environment experiment, soil temperatures were 2.0°?5.5°C cooler than the field experiment, and warming led to increased tree seedling establishment, as might be expected at upper treeline or higher latitudes. Lodgepole pine grew taller than Douglas-fir and produced more needles with warming. Douglas-fir grew longer roots relative to shoots, compared with lodgepole pine, particularly in dry soils. Differences in early growth between species may mediate climate change effects on competitive interactions, successional trajectories, and species distributions. This study demonstrates that climate following high-severity fire exerts strong control over postfire tree regeneration in subalpine conifer forests. Climate change experiments, such as those reported here, hold great potential for identifying mechanisms that could underpinfundamental ecological change in 21st-century ecosystems.

Subalpine Tree Regeneration Following Fire

Subalpine Tree Regeneration Following Fire PDF Author: Ronda L. Little
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Conifers
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description


The Physiological Response of Conifers to Fire

The Physiological Response of Conifers to Fire PDF Author: Raquel Partelli Feltrin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
One of the grand unknowns of ecosystem science is how fire kills trees. Answering this question is critical to parameterize climate-vegetation models given the observed changes in global fire regimes, the feedbacks between fire and forests in the global carbon cycle, and the potential role of forest management in moderating anthropogenic climate change. In this dissertation I conducted three studies using Pinus ponderosa saplings burned under controlled conditions to improve the understanding how fire effects on tree physiology. First, I assessed the impact of two fire intensities on sapling mortality under two water status pre-fire (well-watered and drought-stressed). The results showed that saplings under drought-stress pre-fire were more vulnerable to mortality when exposed to low fire intensities. However, 100% of mortality was observed regardless of the pre-fire water status when saplings were exposed to high fire intensity. Thus, the data also suggest that there is a fire intensity threshold where the pre-fire water stress can have a significant influence on sapling mortality. Second, we investigated the short (one-day post-fire) and long-term (21-months post-fire) effects of fire on sapling water transport. In the short-term, fire did not have impact on sapling xylem hydraulic conductivity or were more vulnerable to drought-induced embolism. However, in the long-term, saplings were more vulnerable to cavitation. But no damage in the xylem conduits cell walls were observed. Thus, it was hypothesized that the new traumatic xylem formed in the edges of the fire scar and the pre-fire xylem clogging with resin could be responsible for increasing vulnerability to cavitation in these plants. Lastly, I evaluated the impact of a lethal fire intensity on sapling hydraulic conductivity and non-structural carbohydrates periodically for 28-days post-fire. Hydraulic conductivity was not affected any day. This confirmed the results found in the second study. Fire caused a decline in total NSC in burned plants compared with unburned saplings, but it was significantly only 28-days post-fire. The results suggest that tree mortality from fire is likely not due to hydraulic failure but may be related to carbon imbalance.

Effects of Fire, Insect, and Pathogen Damage on Wood Quality of Dead and Dying Western Conifers

Effects of Fire, Insect, and Pathogen Damage on Wood Quality of Dead and Dying Western Conifers PDF Author: Eini C. Lowell
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1437935281
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Book Description
Contents: Intro.; The Changing Mgmt. Context; Previous Studies on Effects of Disturbance on Wood Quality; After the Fire: Changes in Dead and Dying Conifers; Predicting Conifer Mortality Following Fires; Types of Changes in the Wood of Dead Conifers; Insect Damage to Conifers; Stain and Decay Fungi Damage to Conifers; Factors Influencing the Rate of Deterioration; Species-Specific Changes in Wood Quality of Dead and Dying Conifers; Douglas-Fir; Englemann Spruce and White Spruce; Grand Fir and White Fir; Lodgepole Pine; Ponderosa, Sugar, Western White, and Jeffrey Pine; Subalpine Fir; Western Hemlock; Western Larch; Wood Quality Changes and Econ. Values; Visual Classification Systems; Volume and Value Loss. Conclusions.

Recent Climate-driven Changes in Demography and Radial Growth of Subalpine Conifers of the Central Sierra Nevada

Recent Climate-driven Changes in Demography and Radial Growth of Subalpine Conifers of the Central Sierra Nevada PDF Author: Christopher Ryan Dolanc
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Global warming
Languages : en
Pages : 147

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Book Description
Climate-linked vegetation models predict major areal reduction of subalpine and alpine vegetation over the next 100 years via replacement by lower-elevation vegetation. However, trees native to subalpine zones are typically long-lived and likely to respond to climate change individualistically, instead of as a whole. Empirical data of response to recent climate change may be more useful in understanding how high-elevation trees will continue to respond to climate change into the future. I re-sampled historical US Forest Service vegetation plots from the early 1930s and compared modern versus historical stand conditions to determine how subalpine forests of the central Sierra Nevada, California, have changed over the last 75 to 80 years. I also collected tree cores from most re-sampled locations to examine trends in radial growth increment during the same period. By focusing on high-elevation (2300 - 3500 m) plots relegated to wilderness areas, impacts from human disturbances, including fire suppression should be minimal. My comparison of modern versus historical stand conditions showed that modern subalpine forest structure is considerably different, with 63% more small trees (10.2 - 30.4 cm dbh) and 20% fewer large trees (>̲ 61.0 cm). These trends are surprisingly consistent across the landscape and from species to species. These changes are likely due to increasing temperatures over the last few decades, resulting in longer growing seasons. When correlating change in structure with change in climate across the landscape of my study area, plots with greater increases in temperature are more likely to have increased numbers of small trees and decreased numbers of large trees, since the 1930s. This correlation is strongest during the winter (December through February) months. Analyses of radial growth and climate during from 1895 to 2007 showed that, in general, growth of subalpine species is negatively correlated with maximum temperature and positively correlated with precipitation. Of seven most common subalpine species, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta ssp. murraynana) and mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) responded most positively to warmer, drier conditions and may be in the best position to endure predicted change. These species, plus whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) also showed increased growth in the upper portions of their elevational range, relative to lower portions. For whitebark pine and mountain hemlock, radial growth from the upper portions has actually been higher than that from lower portions for the last few decades. My combined results do not support the prediction that subalpine vegetation will be largely replaced by lower-elevation vegetation over the next 100 years; recruitment and growth of trees in subalpine is good. Temperatures have been increasing and at high elevations and moisture is not yet limiting, allowing for longer, moderated growing-seasons conducive to greater recruitment and growth. However, continued change could eventually tip the scales in the other direction, facilitating factors such as increased fire activity and disease.