Download or read book Characterizing the Spatial Patterns and Spatially Explicit Probabilities of Post Fire Vegetation Residual Patches in Boreal Wildfire Scars written by Yikalo Hayelom Araya and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Effects of Grain Size on Morphological Patterns and Land Cover Within Boreal Wildfire Residual Patches written by Budhendra Oudesh Singh and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book An Assessment of Residual Patches in Boreal Fires in Relation to Ontario s Policy Directions for Emulating Natural Forest Disturbance written by Ajith Perera and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Forest Management Guide for Natural Disturbance Pattern Emulation (NDPE), which has been applied in Ontario since 2003, specifies directions and provides standards and guidance to emulate fire disturbances. Included in the NDPE guide are specific directions about the amount of residual structure to be retained during forest harvest. Improved understanding of the characteristics of post-fire residual structure in natural conditions will help forest policymakers to provide better strategic guidance for emulating natural fire disturbance patterns during forest harvesting, and forest managers to make better tactical decisions about retaining post-harvest residual structure to emulate fire disturbances. The objective of this report is to characterize the extent and variability of post-fire residual patch occurrence in natural boreal forest fire events to better understand their extent and spatial patterns and to relate these results to the directions provided in Ontario's NDPE guide.--Document.
Download or read book Guidance on spatial wildland fire analysis written by Richard D. Stratton and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 18 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Patterns and Drivers of Wildfire Occurrence and Post fire Vegetation written by João Torres and published by . This book was released on 2017-04-30 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Development of Coarse scale Spatial Data for Wildland Fire and Fuel Management written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Mapping Wildfire Susceptibility with the BURN P3 Simulation Model written by Marc-André Parisien and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Resource management in fire-dominated ecosystems requires an understanding of the probability of wildfire occurring & spreading at different points in a landscape. This report describes an approach to evaluating wildfire susceptibility, or burn probability, for fire-prone landscapes such as the boreal forest of North America. The approach involves use of the BURN-P3 (probability, prediction, & planning) landscape-level simulation model, which combines deterministic fire growth based on the Canadian Fire Behaviour Prediction System and spatial data for forest fuels & topography with probabilistic fire ignitions & spread events derived from historical fire & weather data. A case study of the application of BURN-P3 is undertaken for a boreal mixedwood area of central Saskatchewan. The results presented highlight the importance of landscape features to wildfire susceptibility and indicate whether assessments based solely on stand-level characteristics are adequate.
Download or read book Spatial Patterns of Post wildfire Neighborhood Recovery written by Jacqueline W. Curtis (corresponding author) and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 18 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Examining Drivers of Post Wildfire Vegetation Dynamics Across Multiple Scales Using Time Series Remote Sensing written by Grant M. Casady and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecosystem response to disturbance is a function of environmental factors interacting at a number ofspatio-temporal scales. This research explored ecosystem response to wildfire as a function of local and broad-scale environmental factors using satellite based time-series remote sensing data. This topic was explored as a series of three independent but related studies. The first study focused on the evaluation of techniques for the analysis of time-series satellite data for describing post-fire vegetation trends at sites in the US, Spain, and Israel. Time-series data effectively described post-fire trends, and reference sites were valuable for differentiating between post-fire effects and other environmental factors. The use of phenological indicators derived from the time-series shows promise as a monitoring tool, but requires further investigation. The next study evaluated the influence of broad-scale climate factors on rates of post-fire vegetation regeneration across the western US. Rates of post-fire regeneration were higher with increased precipitation and higher minimum temperatures. Changes in climate are likely to result in shifts in post-fire vegetation dynamics, leading to important feedbacks into the climate system. The use of time-series data was a valuable tool in measuring trends in post-fire vegetation across a large area and over an extended period. The final study used time-series vegetation data to measure variations in post-fire vegetation response across an extensive 2002 wildfire. Regression tree analysis related post-fire regeneration to local environmental factors such as burn severity, soil properties, vegetation, and topography. Residuals from modeled rates of post-fire regeneration were evaluated in the context of management activities and site characteristics using expert knowledge. Post-fire rates of regeneration were a function of water availability, pre-burn vegetation, and burn severity. Management activities, soil differences, and shifts in vegetation community composition resulted in deviations from the modeled post-fire regeneration rates. The results of these three research studies indicate that remotely sensed time-series vegetation data provide a useful tool for measuring post-fire vegetation dynamics. Both broad-scale and local environmental factors play important roles in defining post-fire vegetation response, and the use of remote sensing and geospatial data sets can be useful in integrating these factors and enhancing management decisions.
Download or read book Peatlands Reduce Fire Severity and Promote Fire Refugia in Boreal Forests written by Christine E. Kuntzemann and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the boreal biome of North America, large wildfires usually leave behind residual patches of unburned vegetation, termed refugia, which can strongly affect post-fire ecosystem processes. While topographic complexity is a major driver of fire refugia in mountainous terrain, refugia and fire severity (the ecological impacts of fire) in boreal landscapes are more likely driven by bottom-up controls affecting the extent and type of fuels. In this study, I investigate the role of hydrological (e.g., peatlands), ecological, and topographic heterogeneity on fire severity and the presence of fire refugia under different spatial and temporal climate moisture conditions in the Alberta boreal region over a 33-year (1985-2018) period. Fire severity was measured using the Relativized Burn Ratio (RBR). Generalized linear models were used to examine relationships of fire severity and probability of refugia as a function of bottom-up (vegetation, topography, site moisture, ecosystem) and top-down (normal and annual climatic moisture) controls. I then developed predictive maps of refugia probability and fire severity under normal and inter-annual climatic moisture conditions. I found that peatlands, stratified as bogs and fens, burned at lower severities and exhibited a higher probability of refugia than uplands, with vegetation (fuel) presenting a stronger control on fire than climate, topography, site moisture, or ecosystem type. In general, locations with wetter regional (normal) climatic moisture, a proxy for fuel amount, experienced increased fire severity and refugia probabilities when surrounded by more peatlands. While the amount of bogs affected both fire severity and refugia at intermediate scales (900-m area), fens affected fire severity most strongly when at a landscape scale (3000-m area) and refugia when at a local-scale (120-m area). Bogs decreased fire severity in adjacent uplands and peatlands under all regional and annual climatic moisture conditions but did not affect refugia probability in uplands. Fens reduced fire severity in adjacent uplands under all conditions and had varying effects on adjacent peatlands depending on moisture availability. Fens also increased refugia probability in adjacent uplands under all conditions, as well as in adjacent peatlands under all regional climatic moisture conditions. Areas of hydrologically-connected peatlands, particularly fens, may be capable of slowing future vegetation transitions, stemming from climate-driven increases to fire severity and post-disturbance moisture stress, in neighboring forests.
Download or read book Toward a Better Understanding of Boreal Forest Fires and Their Role in the Climate System written by Brendan Morris Rogers and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Large areas of boreal forest in North America and Eurasia are frequently disturbed by wildfire. These fires alter ecosystem structure and function and affect climate through various biophysical and biogeochemical pathways. Fire-related forcings, however, are highly uncertain, can be opposite in sign, and depend on fire behavior as mediated by meteorology and intrinsic ecosystem properties. Our current understanding of large-scale fire dynamics is inadequate for fully characterizing their role in the climate system. This is particularly pertinent given the sensitivity of high latitudes and the large projected increases in fire frequencies during the 21st century. My dissertation aims to better characterize the controls on and feedbacks from boreal fires so that we may properly account for them in global change projections and potentially mitigate the impacts. I first quantified landscape-scale fire carbon emissions from a 2010 burn in Alaska using field measurements and fine-scale (30 m) remote sensing imagery. Accurate maps of fire emissions are needed to validate larger-scale models and quantify regional carbon fluxes, but are currently lacking due to spatial scaling issues. Here I show that by accounting for plot-level heterogeneity and species effects on spectral signatures, emission models can be generated from non-linear correlations between the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) and field data. Belowground combustion was quantified from soil cores and scaled to the site-level using spruce adventitious root heights. Species-specific allometric equations and visual estimates were used to characterize aboveground carbon losses. Results indicated that fire-wide combustion (1.98 ± 0.19 kg C m−2) was substantially lower than that in the core burning area (2.67 ± 0.24 kg C m−2) and sites (2.88 ± 0.23 kg C m−2) because of lower-severity patches and unburned islands. These areas constitute a significant fraction of burn perimeters in Alaska but are generally not accounted for in regional-scale estimates. This approach may be suitable for other fires in the region. In addition to the positive forcing from carbon emissions, forest fires in boreal North America exert a cooling effect due to relatively large increases in spring albedo from canopy destruction and tree fall. Although this forcing has been characterized at local and regional scales, its climate impacts have not been assessed. I simulated the continental-scale climate footprint of this cooling under various burning scenarios. Forest composition was characterized using a stochastic model of fire occurrence, historical fire data from national inventories, and succession trajectories derived from moderate-scale remote sensing (500 m). When coupled to an Earth system model, younger vegetation from increased burning cooled the high-latitude atmosphere, primarily in the winter and spring, with noticeable feedbacks from the ocean and sea ice. Results from multiple scenarios suggested that a doubling of burn area could cool the surface by 0.23 ±0.09°C across boreal North America during winter and spring months (December through May). This has the potential to provide a negative feedback to winter warming across the domain on the order of 3 - 5% for a doubling, and 14 - 23% for a quadrupling, of burn area. Maximum cooling occurred in the areas of greatest burning and between February and April, reaching feedback potentials of up to 60%. Fire dynamics have been studied much less extensively in boreal Eurasia despite the region containing roughly 2/3rds of the world's boreal forests and displaying unique patterns of fire behavior. I used over a decade of satellite imagery to characterize variations in circumpolar fire behavior, immediate impacts, and longer-term responses. Compared to boreal North America, Eurasian fires were 58 ± 31% less likely to be crown fires, combusted 36 ± 5% less live vegetation, and caused 42 ± 5% less tree mortality. Eurasian fires also generated a 69 ± 9% smaller surface shortwave forcing during the initial post-fire decade, suggesting a near-neutral net climate forcing. Current global fire models were unable to capture the continental differences. I demonstrate that fire weather cannot explain the divergent fire dynamics and climate feedbacks. The primary drivers are shown to be species-level adaptations to fire, making this a preeminent example of species effects on continental-scale carbon and energy exchange.
Download or read book Field Guide for Mapping Post Fire Soil Burn Severity written by Annette Parsons and published by . This book was released on 2012-11-07 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Post-fire assessments are generally conducted by U S Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service or U S Department of the Interior (DOI) Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) teams after large wildfires. A BAER team's primary objective is to rapidly identify post-fire effects and determine whether the wildfire has created unacceptable risk to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources. The BAER team may manage risk by recommending treatments for land, channel, road, and trail stabilization and for public safety (Calkin and others 2007; USDOI BLM 2007; Napper2006;USDAForestService2004). A map that reflects the fire's effects on the ground surface and soil condition is needed in order to rapidly assess fire effects, identify potential areas of concern, and prioritize initial field reconnaissance. Thus, it is important to develop a soil burn severity map as quickly as possible during the initial post-fire assessment phase. This map identifies the fire-induced changes in soil and ground surface properties that may affect infiltration, runoff, and erosion potential (Parsons 2002). It also enables BAER teams to achieve their primary objective of identifying areas of unacceptable risk to a critical value and where rehabilitation treatments may be most effective (Robichaud and others 2008b; Calkin and others 2007; Robichaud and others 2000) BAER teams have often struggled with accurately mapping post-fire soil burn severity. This challenge has grown in recent years as larger fires affect multiple jurisdictions, agencies, and landowners. There is a need for consistent methodologies, assessment tools, and terminology that quickly and accurately identify the post-fire conditions In response, BAER teams are using many geospatial assessment tools to expedite post-fire soil burn severity assessment. However, little standardization of methodology or terminology has occurred in soil burn severity mapping and field verification. This guide provides direction to BAER teams to promote consistency in post-fire soil burn severity mapping. With a field-validated soil burn severity map, BAER teams can more readily evaluate secondary wildfire effects, including increased runoff, erosion, flooding, sedimentation, and vulnerability to invasive weeds, and can predict natural revegetation (Calkin and others 2007). This field guide clarifies concepts, terminology, context, and use of the soil burn severity map. Field indicators and classification guidelines are also provided for use in mapping. Using this field guide will ensure consistency in map products across ecoregions around the United States. Components of this guide include: terminology and definitions, the role of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) in BAER assessments, guidelines for identifying soil burn severity classes in the field, discussion on soil burn severity within general vegetation density models, photo series showing representative postfire soil and ground conditions, and field data sheets to assist in data collection for mapping soil burn severity. This guide provides a reference for ground conditions, soil characteristics, and vegetation density models that most closely match the field setting. Observations can be compared with those in the tables and photos to make a determination of the soil burn severity classification at a field location. This guide presents representative conditions only. Actual ground conditions will vary within the categories.
Download or read book Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Wildfire Occurrence and Susceptibility in Canada written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wildfire processes in Canada are expected to change as a result of climate change. Predictive modeling of wildfire occurrence and susceptibility requires knowledge of ignition expectations and landscape conditions leading to burn. This research examines and quantifies the spatial and temporal patterns of wildfire across Canada with focus on wildfire occurrence and national scale drivers of susceptibility. Baseline ignition expectations and trends are identified and used to create unique fire ignition regimes, assess anthropogenic influence on ignitions, and determine regions with anomalously high ignitions. The aspatial and spatial characteristics of land cover were characterized for pre- and post-fire landscapes. These included land cover composition, configuration, and abiotic covariates. Temporal trends in forest pattern following ignition are examined and national scale drivers of wildfire susceptibility determined. Fire ignition regimes and anomalous ignition regions provide spatially explicit outputs for exploring ignition expectation in Canada. Wildfire was identified to burn mainly in coniferous forests with little fragmentation. Fragmentation increased after wildfire and regeneration of pre-fire forest pattern took 20 years. Additionally, anthropogenic proximity positively influenced ignition expectation, ignition trend, and wildfire susceptibility. This research provides broad scale methods to assess wildfire occurrence and susceptibility across Canada and will facilitate understanding of changing wildfire processes in the future. Additionally, this research highlights the importance of anthropogenic activity on natural fire processes.
Download or read book Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Wildfire Occurrence and Susceptibility in Canada written by Nicholas John Gralewicz and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wildfire processes in Canada are expected to change as a result of climate change. Predictive modeling of wildfire occurrence and susceptibility requires knowledge ofignition expectations and landscape conditions leading to burn. This research examines and quantifies the spatial and temporal patterns of wildfire across Canada with focus on wildfire occurrence and national scale drivers of susceptibility. Baseline ignition expectations and trends are identified and used to create unique fire ignition regimes, assess anthropogenic influence on ignitions, and determine regions with anomalously high ignitions. The aspatial and spatial characteristics of land cover were characterized for pre- and post-fire landscapes. These included land cover composition, configuration, and abiotic covariates. Temporal trends in forest pattern following ignition are examinedand national scale drivers of wildfire susceptibility determined. Fire ignition regimes and anomalous ignition regions provide spatially explicit outputs for exploring ignition expectation in Canada. Wildfire was identified to burn mainly in coniferous forests with little fragmentation. Fragmentation increased after wildfire and regeneration of pre-fireforest pattern took 20 years. Additionally, anthropogenic proximity positively influencedignition expectation, ignition trend, and wildfire susceptibility. This research provides broad scale methods to assess wildfire occurrence and susceptibility across Canada and will facilitate understanding of changing wildfire processes in the future. Additionally, this research highlights the importance of anthropogenic activity on natural fire processes.
Download or read book Exploring Hydrologic Responses to Different Wildfire Spatial Patterns Through the Lens of Computational Modeling written by Luke M. Telfer and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Severe wildfire disturbances are becoming increasingly common in high-elevation forests of the western United States. These fires alter watershed hydrologic processes, threatening critical downstream water resources and aquatic ecosystems. However, watershed-scale postfire hydrologic responses and water balance changes are highly uncertain. While postfire effects on individual processes such as runoff, infiltration, evapotranspiration, and snow dynamics are relatively well known, the role of wildfire spatial patterns in governing hydrologic connectivity and interactions between water balance components is poorly understood due to challenges associated with measuring and comparing fires at large scales. This thesis aims to examine pattern-related postfire interactions between various hydrologic processes using computational modeling. Our goals are to identify the primary underlying relationships and to provide a methodological approach upon which a more comprehensive understanding of postfire watershed hydrology can be built."--Boise State University ScholarWorks.
Download or read book Permafrost Ecosystems written by Akira Osawa and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-01-04 with total page 507 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing from a decade-long collaboration between Japan and Russia, this important volume presents the first major synthesis of current knowledge on the ecophysiology of the coniferous forests growing on permafrost at high latitudes. It presents ecological data for a region long inaccessible to most scientists, and raises important questions about the global carbon balance as these systems are affected by the changing climate. Making up around 20% of the entire boreal forests of the northern hemisphere, these ‘permafrost forest ecosystems’ are subject to particular constraints in terms of temperature, nutrient availability, and root space, creating exceptional ecosystem characteristics not known elsewhere. This authoritative text explores their diversity, structure, dynamics and physiology. It provides a comparison of these forests in relation to boreal forests elsewhere, and concludes with an assessment of the potential responses of this unique biome to climate change. The book will be invaluable to advanced students and researchers interested in boreal vegetation, forest ecology, silviculture and forest soils, as well as to researchers into climate change and the global carbon balance.
Download or read book Fire and Harvest Residual FAHR Project written by Alberta. Alberta Environment and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
