Fire history and vegetation data reveal ecological benefits of recent mixed-severity fires in the Cumberland Mountains, West Virginia, USA

Fire Ecology

Table 2 “Major fires” at Hite Fork and Wall Fork with the percentage of trees scarred, relative fire extent (RFE), fire-scar seasonality, and likely fire occurrence(s), including cause and area burned. Fire-scar seasonality: D dormant, E early earlywood, M middle earlywood, L late earlywood, A latewood

Dated fire year	Hite Fork			Wall Fork			Likely fire occurrence(s)	Cause of fire	Hectares burned
Dated fire year	%Trees scarred	RFE	Season	%Trees scarred	RFE	Season	Likely fire occurrence(s)	Cause of fire	Hectares burned
1930	26.3	53.6	D/E	-	-	-	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
1935	-	-	-	35.0	31.9	D	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
1936	30.0	25.0	D	-	-	-	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
1942	21.7	73.3	D	-	-	-	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
1953	28.6	40.0	D	71.0	79.7	D	Late fall 1952^a	Unknown	Unknown
1966	37.1	81.3	D	-	-	-	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
1985	64.0	71.9	D	-	-	-	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
1991	44.4	71.9	D	-	-	-	Apr. 2, 1991^a	Smoker	61
1995	44.4	84.4	D	-	-	-	Oct. 30, 1994^a	Incendiary	30
							Oct. 31, 1994^a	Incendiary	20
							Nov. 4, 1994^a	Incendiary	30
2002	91.7	97.0	D	-	-	-	Nov. 1, 2001^a,b	Incendiary	1963
2007	-	-	-	34.4	6.6	M/L/A	Jul. 3, 2007^a	Lightning	18
2013	64.0	91.0	D	-	-	-	Nov. 18, 2012^a	Incendiary	40
2017	40.0	55.0	D	-	-	-	Oct. 30, 2016^a	Incendiary	19

Source: ^aWest Virginia Division of Forestry, ^bMonitoring Trends in Burn Severity (www.MTBS.gov)