Table 2 Description of Composite Burn Index (CBI) and all independent field measures of burn severity across all 315 plots. Note that all variables are ultimately in proportions ranging from 0–1

CBI

Average CBI value per plot, converted to proportion from the 0 to 3 scale (e.g., CBI of 1.8 was converted to a proportion of 0.6 to scale accordingly with other metrics).

Change in live canopy cover

Average proportion change in live canopy cover per plot. Proportion of pre-fire canopy in burned plots was modeled using the relationship between plot basal area and proportion of live canopy in from unburned plots

Dead needle

Average needle index value per plot, averaged from 20 randomly selected trees alive at time of fire, converted to proportion from 0 to 7 scale (e.g., needle index of 3 = 0.43)

Killed BA

Proportion of average tree basal area alive at time of fire and killed by fire per plot

Killed trees

Proportion of average number of trees alive at time of fire killed by fire per plot

Char height

Average proportion of total tree height charred from 20 randomly selected dominant canopy trees alive at time

of fire

Bole char

Average proportion of visible char on 20 randomly selected dominant canopy trees alive at time of fire

Deep char

Average deep char index value on 20 randomly selected dominant canopy trees alive at time of fire, converted to proportion from 0 to 2 scale

Surface char

Average proportion of plot containing charred material on surface, taken from 480 points every 10 cm apart along main plot axis (N–S, E–W)