The size and frequency of large wildfires in western North America have increased in recent years, a trend climate change is likely to exacerbate. Due to fuel limitations, recently burned forests resist burning for upwards of 30 years; however, extreme fire-conducive weather enables reburning at shorter fire-free intervals than expected. This research quantifies the outcomes of short-interval reburns in upland and wetland environments of northwestern Canadian boreal forests and identifies an interactive effect of post-fire drought. Despite adaptations to wildfire amongst boreal plants, post-fire forests at paired short- and long-interval sites were significantly different, with short-interval sites having lower stem densities of trees due to reduced conifer recruitment, a higher proportion of broadleaf trees, less residual organic material, and reduced herbaceous vegetation cover. Drought reinforced changes in proportions of tree species and decreases in tree recruitment, reinforcing non-resilient responses to short-interval reburning. Drier and warmer weather will increase the incidence of short-interval reburning and amplify the ecological changes such events cause, as wildfire activity and post-fire drought increase synergistically. These interacting disturbances will accelerate climate-driven changes in boreal forest structure and composition. Our findings identify processes of ongoing and future change in a climate-sensitive biome
Related Resources
Factors Driving Territory Size and Breeding Success in a Threatened Migratory Songbird, the Canada Warbler
Resource Date:
2016
Maintaining Animal Assemblages Through Single-species Management: The Case of Threatened Caribou in Boreal Forest
Resource Date:
February
2016
Organization
Effects of Disturbance on Understory Succession in Upland and Lowland Boreal Forests and Implications for Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)
Resource Date:
2016
Spatial Patterning of Prey at Reproduction to Reduce Predation Risk: What Drives Dispersion from Groups?
Resource Date:
2016
Organization
Was this helpful?
|