Assessing Post-Fire Douglas-Fir Mortality and Douglas-Fir Beetle Attacks in the Northern Rocky Mountains

Assessing Post-Fire Douglas-Fir Mortality and Douglas-Fir Beetle Attacks in the Northern Rocky Mountains
Author: United States Department of Agriculture
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2015-06-25
Genre:
ISBN: 9781511614504

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Douglas-fir has life history traits that greatly enhance resistance to injury from fire, thereby increasing post-fire survival rates. Tools for predicting the probability of tree mortality following fire are important components of both pre-fire planning and post-fire management efforts. Using data from mixed-severity wildfire in Montana and Wyoming, Hood and Bentz (2007) developed models for predicting the probability of Douglas-fir mortality and Douglas-fir bark beetle attack based on fire injury and stand characteristics. This guide is based on information in Hood and Bentz (2007) and is intended for use in development of post-fire management and prescribed burn plans. Included are descriptions of both models and variables that significantly influence post-fire Douglas-fir mortality and bark beetle attack. A supplemental field guide provides photographs of a range of levels for each fire-related injury and descriptions for measuring each characteristic in the field. Also provided are discussions on how to interpret Douglas-fir mortality and bark beetle attack models for use in management decision-making regarding wild and prescribed fires in the Northern Rocky Mountains.

Assessing Post-Fire Douglas-Fir Mortality and Douglas-Fir Beetle Attacks in the Northern Rocky Mountains

Assessing Post-Fire Douglas-Fir Mortality and Douglas-Fir Beetle Attacks in the Northern Rocky Mountains
Author: Sharon Hood
Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub
Total Pages: 38
Release: 2012-10-22
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781480164581

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Many coniferous species have life history traits and characteristics that greatly enhance their resistance to injury from fire, thereby increasing post-fire survival rates. Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco), for example, is known for its fire tolerance, in large part, due to thick insulating bark that develops with age and protects the inner cambium from heat injury. Mortality following fire, however, depends not only on tree species, but also on type and degree of fire-caused injuries, initial tree vigor, and post-fire environment. These same factors may also influence timing of tree death, which can be delayed as long as 4 years post-fire. Within a few months to a few years following fire, bark and wood boring beetles may preferentially attack, and wood deterioration caused by staining, decay pathogens, and/or checking can occur. Parker and others provide an extensive review of interactions between insects and fire (prescribed and wildfire) in coniferous forests of interior western North America. Development of management plans immediately following fire, therefore, can be difficult due to the timing and uncertainty of many interacting factors. Reliable estimates of post-fire Douglas-fir mortality, predicted from field-based characterizations of fire injury, would greatly facilitate informed post-fire management, including salvage, following both mixed-severity wildfires and applications of prescribed fire. Prediction of fire- and beetle-caused delayed tree mortality is also an important component in the development of prescribed burn plan objectives. Managers must know what fire intensity levels are needed to accomplish mortality related objectives. Also, in adaptive management, a key part to determining if burn objectives were met is installation of monitoring plots. By revisiting prescribed burns and monitoring fire effects, future burn prescriptions can be adjusted to better achieve desired results. To do this, field crews must be able to accurately assess post-fire tree injury and the potential for delayed mortality. Fire behavior and effects models, such as the First Order Fire Effects Model (FOFEM) and BehavePlus, are available for use in predicting post-fire tree mortality. The tree mortality model in these software packages is based on models developed by Ryan and Reinhardt (1988) and Ryan and Amman (1994). However, this tree mortality model was developed from data for several different tree species. More importantly, this model does not fully account for bark beetle effects on post-fire tree mortality. Douglas-fir bark beetles (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytine) are highly attracted to fire-injured Douglas-fir and can cause significant tree mortality, apart from fire injuries alone. If Douglas-fir beetle populations are a concern following fire, it is important to characterize the fire-related tree injuries most conducive to beetle attack and successful brood production and survival. Hood and Bentz (2007) developed a model to predict the probability of Douglas-fir mortality and one to predict the probability of Douglas-fir beetle attacks within 4 years post-fire based on data collected from three mixed-severity wildfires in western Montana and Wyoming. The intent of this guide is to facilitate use of these models in post-fire management and prescribed burn planning. We note that ecological and economic constraints make forest management following wildfire a complex task. Our models are meant to be used as part of a multidisciplinary strategy aimed at maximizing benefits to post-fire ecological communities and forest management. Following a brief description of the two models, variables significant in predicting post-fire Douglas-fir mortality and Douglas-fir beetle attack are described.

Assessing Post-fire Douglas-fir Mortality and Douglas-fir Beetle Attacks in the Northern Rocky Mountains

Assessing Post-fire Douglas-fir Mortality and Douglas-fir Beetle Attacks in the Northern Rocky Mountains
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 18
Release: 2007
Genre: Douglas fir
ISBN:

Download Assessing Post-fire Douglas-fir Mortality and Douglas-fir Beetle Attacks in the Northern Rocky Mountains Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Douglas-fir have life history traits that greatly enhance resistance to injury from fire, thereby increasing post-fire survival rates. Tools for predicting the probability of tree mortality following fire are important components of both pre-fire planning and post-fire management. Hood and Bentz (2007) developed models for predicting the probability of Douglas-fir mortality and Douglas-fir bark beetle attack in the northern Rocky Mountains based on fire injury and stand characteristics. This supplemental field guide to RMRS-GTR-199 provides reference photographs to help quantify injury level for use with the post-fire Douglas-fir mortality and bark beetle attack models. It also includes descriptions for measuring each characteristic in the field.

Assessing Post-fire Douglas-fir Mortality and Douglas-fir Beetle Attacks in the Northern Rocky Mountains

Assessing Post-fire Douglas-fir Mortality and Douglas-fir Beetle Attacks in the Northern Rocky Mountains
Author: Sharon M. Hood
Publisher:
Total Pages: 24
Release: 2007
Genre: Douglas fir
ISBN:

Download Assessing Post-fire Douglas-fir Mortality and Douglas-fir Beetle Attacks in the Northern Rocky Mountains Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Douglas-fir has life history traits that greatly enhance resistance to injury from fire, thereby increasing post-fire survival rates. Tools for predicting the probability of tree mortality following fire are important components of both pre-fire planning and post-fire management efforts. Using data from mixed-severity wildfire in Montana and Wyoming, Hood and Bentz (2007) developed models for predicting the probability of Douglas-fir mortality and Douglas-fir bark beetle attack based on fire injury and stand characteristics. This guide is based on information in Hood and Bentz (2007) and is intended for use in development of post-fire management and prescribed burn plans. Included are descriptions of both models and variables that significantly influence post-fire Douglas-fir mortality and bark beetle attack. A supplemental field guide provides photographs of a range of levels for each fire-related injury and descriptions for measuring each characteristic in the field. Also provided are discussions on how to interpret Douglas-fir mortality and bark beetle attack models for use in management decision-making regarding wild and prescribed fires in the Northern Rocky Mountains.

Predicting Postfire Douglas-fir Beetle Attacks and Tree Mortality in the Northern Rocky Mountains

Predicting Postfire Douglas-fir Beetle Attacks and Tree Mortality in the Northern Rocky Mountains
Author: Sharon Hood
Publisher:
Total Pages: 12
Release: 2007
Genre: Beetles
ISBN:

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Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) were monitored for 4 years following three wildfires. Logistic regression analyses were used to develop models predicting the probability of attack by Douglas-fir beetle (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins, 1905) and the probability of Douglas-fir mortality within 4 years following fire. Percent crown volume scorched (crown scorch), cambium injury, diameter at breast height (DBH), and stand density index for Douglas-fir were most important for predicting Douglas-fir beetle attacks. A nonlinear relationship between crown scorch and cambium injury was observed, suggesting that beetles did not preferentially attack trees with both maximum crown scorch and cambium injury, but rather at some intermediate level. Beetles were attracted to trees with high levels of crown scorch, but not cambium injury, 1 and 2 years following fire. Crown scorch, cambium injury, DBH, and presence/absence of beetle attack were the most important variables for predicting postfire Douglas-fir mortality. As DBH increased, the predicted probability of mortality decreased for unattacked trees but increased for attacked trees. Field sampling suggested that ocular estimates of bark char may not be a reliable predictor of cambium injury. Our results emphasize the important role of Douglas-fir beetle in tree mortality patterns following fire, and the models offer improved prediction of Douglas-fir mortality for use in areas with or without Douglas-fir beetle populations.

General Technical Report RMRS

General Technical Report RMRS
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 114
Release: 1998
Genre: Forests and forestry
ISBN:

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