Articles

Contrasting Fire Regimes in a Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest and a Savanna Ecosystem in the Western Ghats, India

Tropical dry forests and savannas constitute more than half of all tropical forests and grasslands, but little is known about forest fire regimes within these two extensive types of ecosystems. Forest fire reg...

Authors: Narendran Kodandapani

The LANDFIRE Refresh Strategy: Updating the National Dataset

The LANDFIRE Program provides comprehensive vegetation and fuel datasets for the entire United States. As with many large-scale ecological datasets, vegetation and landscape conditions must be updated periodic...

Authors: Kurtis J. Nelson, Joel Connot, Birgit Peterson and Charley Martin

Potential Effects of Disturbance Types and Environmental Variability on Sagebrush-Steppe Community Dynamics

While fire is widely recognized as an important factor shaping sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems, little is known about the role other natural events play in these systems. Using a state-and-transition modeli...

Authors: Louisa B. Evers, Richard F. Miller and Paul S. Doescher

The Influence of Fire on the Radiocarbon Signature and Character of Soil Organic Matter in the Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon, USA

Forest fires contribute a significant amount of CO₂ to the atmosphere each year, and CO₂ emissions from fires are likely to increase under projected conditions of global climate change. In addition to volatilizin...

Authors: Katherine Heckman, John Campbell, Heath Powers, Beverly Law and Chris Swanston

Creating Hotter Fires in the Sonoran Desert: Buffelgrass Produces Copious Fuels and High Fire Temperatures

Buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare [L.] Link) can create a grass-fire cycle in many parts of the world because it is a highly competitive, fire-tolerant grass and can replace less fire-tolerant native plants. Fuel l...

Authors: Christopher J. McDonald and Guy R. McPherson

Opportunities for Improved Fire Use and Management in California: Lessons from Western Australia

As the large scale of fuel treatments needed to promote ecosystem health and reduce heavy fuel loads becomes clear in California’s mixed conifer forests, managers are beginning to focus on how to scale up pres...

Authors: Rick J. Sneeuwjagt, Tim S. Kline and Scott L. Stephens

Introduction to A.M.A. Aubréville’s Article

Authors: Mark A. Cochrane

Wetland Fire Scar Monitoring and Analysis Using Archival Landsat Data for the Everglades

The ability to document the frequency, extent, and severity of fires in wetlands, as well as the dynamics of post-fire wetland land cover, informs fire and wetland science, resource management, and ecosystem p...

Authors: John W. Jones, Annette E. Hall, Ann M. Foster and Thomas J. Smith III

Smoldering Combustion and Ground Fires: Ecological Effects and Multi-Scale Significance

Although fires in wetlands would seem to be rare or impossible by definition, these ecosystems do occasionally experience fire. A common feature of fires in wetlands is smoldering combustion in organic soils, ...

Authors: Adam C. Watts and Leda N. Kobziar

Successional and Transitional Models of Natural South Florida, USA, Plant Communities

We developed a conceptual successional model for South Florida that describes relationships among major natural plant communities in terms of the region’s two major environmental processes, hydrology and fire ...

Authors: Michael J. Duever and Richard E. Roberts

Evaluating Methods to Restore Amphibian Habitat in Fire-Suppressed Pine Flatwoods Wetlands

Although fire is recognized as an important disturbance in longleaf pine uplands of the southeastern US, less is known about the importance of fire or other disturbances in the wetlands embedded within this ec...

Authors: Thomas A. Gorman, Carola A. Haas and John G. Himes

Foraging Wading Bird (Ciconiiformes) Attraction to Prescribed Burns in an Oligotrophic Wetland

Many wetland communities are fire prone or fire dependent, especially those dominated by forbs and grasses. Despite our considerable knowledge about fire effects on wildlife in uplands, there is a relative pau...

Authors: Louise S. Venne and Peter C. Frederick

Dynamics of Mangrove-Marsh Ecotones in Subtropical Coastal Wetlands: Fire, Sea-Level Rise, and Water Levels

Ecotones are areas of sharp environmental gradients between two or more homogeneous vegetation types. They are a dynamic aspect of all landscapes and are also responsive to climate change. Shifts in the positi...

Authors: Thomas J. Smith III, Ann M. Foster, Ginger Tiling-Range and John W. Jones

Multi-Year Salutary Effects of Windstorm and Fire on River Cane

Canebrakes are monodominant stands of cane (Arundinaria gigantea [Walter] Muhl.), a bamboo native to and once prominent in the southeastern USA. Canebrakes were important wildlife habitat within the bottomland ha...

Authors: Paul R. Gagnon, Heather A. Passmore and William J. Platt

Tree Island Response to Fire and Flooding in the Short-Hydroperiod Marl Prairie Grasslands of the Florida Everglades, USA

Within the marl prairie grasslands of the Florida Everglades, USA, the combined effects of fire and flooding usually lead to very significant changes in tree island structure and composition. Depending on fire...

Authors: Pablo L. Ruiz, Jay P. Sah, Michael S. Ross and Adam A. Spitzig

Impacts of Fire on Microbial Carbon Cycling in Subtropical Wetlands

Fire is a major determinant of the global carbon (C) balance. While it is known that C is lost through organic matter combustion, the effect fire has on soil C biogeochemistry is unclear. Studies investigating...

Authors: Cassandra A. Medvedeff, Kanika S. Inglett, Leda N. Kobziar and Patrick W. Inglett

Fire Effects on Nitrogen Cycling in Native and Restored Calcareous Wetlands

Fire is an important natural process and management tool in the Florida Everglades, but few studies have examined its effects on nutrients; nitrogen (N) in particular has received little attention across the w...

Authors: Xiaolin Liao, Patrick W. Inglett and Kanika S. Inglett

Fire and Water: New Perspectives on Fire’s Role in Shaping Wetland Ecosystems

This special issue of Fire Ecology is dedicated to furthering scientific understanding of the role fire plays in the development and functioning of wetland ecosystems. While not initially intuitive, the concept o...

Authors: Todd Z. Osborne, Leda N. Kobziar and Patrick W. Inglett

A Future in Flames. 2010. By Danielle Clode. Melbourne University Press of Victoria, Australia. 304 pages. Paper. US$27. ISBN-978-0522857238

Authors: John Derek Scasta

Aspen Restoration in the Eastern Sierra Nevada: Effectiveness of Prescribed Fire and Conifer Removal

Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) comprises only a small fraction (1 %) of the Sierra Nevada landscape, yet contributes significant biological diversity to this range. In an effort to rejuvenate declining aspen ...

Authors: Kevin D. Krasnow, Anne S. Halford and Scott L. Stephens

Simulated Effects of Two Fire Regimes on Bighorn Sheep: The San Gabriel Mountains, California, USA

An isolated population of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) occupies fire-adapted chaparral ranges in the San Gabriel Mountains, California, USA. During 1976 to 2006, the amount of high-suitability habitat ...

Authors: Stephen A. Holl, Vernon C. Bleich, Barry W. Callenberger and Bernard Bahro

Monitoring Live Fuel Moisture Using Soil Moisture and Remote Sensing Proxies

Live fuel moisture (LFM) is an important fuel property controlling fuel ignition and fire propagation. LFM varies seasonally, and is controlled by precipitation, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and plant ph...

Authors: Yi Qi, Philip E. Dennison, Jessica Spencer and David Riaño

Biomass and Burning Characteristics of Sugar Pine Cones

We investigated the physical and burning characteristics of sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana Douglas) cones and their contribution to woody surface fuel loadings. Field sampling was conducted at the Yosemite Forest ...

Authors: Anton T. Gabrielson, Andrew J. Larson, James A. Lutz and James J. Reardon

Trends in Wildfire Severity: 1984 to 2010 in the Sierra Nevada, Modoc Plateau, and Southern Cascades, California, USA

Data from recent assessments indicate that the annual area of wildfires burning at high severity (where most trees are killed) has increased since 1984 across much of the southwestern United States. Increasing...

Authors: Jay D. Miller and Hugh Safford

Time Since Fire Affects Ectoparasite Prevalence on Lizards in the Florida Scrub Ecosystem

Prevalence of parasites can be an indicator of individual and population health of hosts. Populations of parasites can be affected by habitat management practices, however, which in turn can affect prevalence ...

Authors: Earl D. McCoy, Joseph M. Styga, Carol E. Rizkalla and Henry R. Mushinsky

The Role of Fire-Return Interval and Season of Burn in Snag Dynamics in a South Florida Slash Pine Forest

Standing dead trees, or snags, are an important habitat element for many animal species. In many ecosystems, fire is a primary driver of snag population dynamics because it can both create and consume snags. T...

Authors: John D. Lloyd, Gary L. Slater and James R. Snyder

Fuel Conditions Associated with Native and Exotic Grasses in a Subtropical Dry Forest in Puerto Rico

Exotic grasses capable of increasing frequency and intensity of anthropogenic fire have invaded subtropical and tropical dry forests worldwide. Since many dry forest trees are susceptible to fire, this can res...

Authors: Jarrod M. Thaxton, Skip J. Van Bloem and Stefanie Whitmire

Fire-Stick Farming

Authors: Rhys Jones

Introduction to Fire-Stick Farming

Authors: Aaron M. Petty

Fire History in California’s Southern Sierra Nevada Blue Oak Woodlands

Fire history for blue oak (Quercus douglasii Hook. & Arn.) woodlands in California’s southern Sierra Nevada range was characterized with samples of 49 trees. Mean fire interval was 12.8 years from 1850 to 1965, w...

Authors: Richard B. Standiford, Ralph L. Phillips and Neil K. McDougald

Post-Fire Soil Water Repellency, Hydrologic Response, and Sediment Yield Compared between Grass-Converted and Chaparral Watersheds

In 2002, the Williams Fire burned >90 % of the San Dimas Experimental Forest, providing an opportunity to investigate differences in soil water repellency, peak discharge, and sediment yield between grass-conv...

Authors: Ken R. Hubbert, Pete M. Wohlgemuth, Jan L. Beyers, Marcia G. Narog and Ross Gerrard

Quantifying the Threat of Unsuppressed Wildfires Reaching the Adjacent Wildland-Urban Interface on the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming, USA

An important objective for many federal land management agencies is to restore fire to ecosystems that have experienced fire suppression or exclusion over the last century. Managing wildfires for resource obje...

Authors: Joe H. Scott, Donald J. Helmbrecht, Sean A. Parks and Carol Miller

Seed Viability and Fire-Related Temperature Treatments in Serotinous California Native Hesperocyparis Species

Fire-prone serotinous California Hesperocyparis L. (cypress) have been experiencing low seedling recruitment, underscoring our need to better understand these species’ responses to fire. We investigated the speci...

Authors: Kate L. Milich, John D. Stuart, J. Morgan Varner III and Kyle E. Merriam

Characterizing Fire-on-Fire Interactions in Three Large Wilderness Areas

The interaction of fires, where one fire burns into another recently burned area, is receiving increased attention from scientists and land managers wishing to describe the role of fire scars in affecting land...

Authors: Casey C. Teske, Carl A. Seielstad and Lloyd P. Queen

Characteristics of Information Available on Fire and Invasive Plants in the Eastern United States

Wildland managers need detailed information about the responses of invasive species to fire and the conditions that increase site invasibility in order to effectively manage fire without introducing or increas...

Authors: Corey L. Gucker, Kris Zouhar, Jane Kapler Smith and Katharine R. Stone

Spatial Variation in Postfire Cheatgrass: Dinosaur National Monument, USA

A major environmental problem in semi-arid landscapes of western North America is the invasion of native vegetation by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), an annual Eurasian grass that covers >40 million ha of range...

Authors: Kirk R. Sherrill and William H. Romme

Post-Fire Effects in Wetland Environments: Landscape Assessment of Plant Coverage and Soil Recovery in the Paraná River Delta Marshes, Argentina

During 2008, under a region-wide drought, there were a large number of simultaneous fires in the Paraná River Delta region: the most affected vegetation was in marshes dominated by Schoenoplectus californicus (C....

Authors: Mercedes Salvia, Darío Ceballos, Francisco Grings, Haydee Karszenbaum and Patricia Kandus

Fire: Its Influence on Biotic Communities and Physical Factors in South and East Africa

Authors: John F. V. Phillips

Introduction to John F.V. Phillips’ Article

Authors: Brian W. van Wilgen

Wildfire Consumption and Interannual Impacts by Land Cover in Alaskan Boreal Forest

Boreal forest fires are an important source of terrestrial carbon emissions, particularly during years of widespread wildfires. Most carbon emission models parameterize wildfire impacts and carbon flux to area...

Authors: Crystal A. Kolden and John T. Abatzoglou

Modelling Fire Ignition Probability from Satellite Estimates of Live Fuel Moisture Content

Biomass burning has critical ecological and social impacts. Recent changes in climate patterns and land use have involved alterations of traditional fire regimes, which have increased the negative impacts of f...

Authors: Sara Jurdao, Emilio Chuvieco and Jorge M. Arevalillo

Crawfish Frog Behavioral Differences in Postburned and Vegetated Grasslands

Amphibians are threatened globally and, with the increased emphasis on using prescribed fire as an important tool to manage ecosystems, it is essential to understand how amphibians respond when exposed to habi...

Authors: Nathan J. Engbrecht and Michael J. Lannoo

Age and Structure of Mature Knobcone Pine Forests in the Northern California Coast Range, USA

An understanding of current structural conditions and disturbance history is a requisite for optimal management of forest ecosystems, especially for serotinous species such as knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata Lemmo...

Authors: Danny L. Fry, James Dawson and Scott L. Stephens

Shrub Seed Banks in Mixed Conifer Forests of Northern California and the Role of Fire in Regulating Abundance

Understory shrubs play important ecological roles in forests of the western US, but they can also impede early tree growth and lead to fire hazard concerns when very dense. Some of the more common genera (Ceanoth...

Authors: Eric E. Knapp, C. Phillip Weatherspoon and Carl N. Skinner

Forest Fires in Northern Canada

Authors: Robert Bell

Introduction to Dr. Robert Bell’s Article

Authors: Martin E. Alexander

Prairie Fire: A Great Plains History. By Julie Courtwright. 2011. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, USA. 274 pages. Cloth. US$29.95. ISBN-13: 978-0-70061794-4

Authors: Jan W. van Wagtendonk

The Relation of Forests and Forest Fires

Authors: Gifford Pinchot

Introduction to Gifford Pinchot’s Article

Authors: James K. Agee

Message from the Editor

Authors: James K. Agee