Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Gradient Analysis of Fire Regimes in Montane Forests of the Southern Cascade Range, Thousand Lakes Wilderness, California, USA

  • Published:
Plant Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Species distribution and abundance patterns in the southern Cascades are influenced by both environmental gradients and fire regimes. Little is known about fire regimes and variation in fire regimes may not be independent of environmental gradients or vegetation patterns. In this study, we analyze variation in fire regime parameters (i.e., return interval, season, size, severity, and rotation period) with respect to forest composition, elevation, and potential soil moisture in a 2042 ha area of montane forest in the southern Cascades in the Thousand Lakes Wilderness (TLW). Fire regime parameters varied with forest composition, elevation, and potential soil moisture. Median composite and point fire return intervals were shorter (4-9 yr, 14-24 yr) in low elevation and more xeric white fir (Abies concolor)-sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) and white fir-Jeffrey pine (P. jeffreyi) and longest (20-37 yr, 20-47 yr) in mesic high elevation lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and red fir (Abies magnifica)-mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) forests. Values for mid-elevation red fir-white fir forests were intermediate. The pattern for fire rotation lengths across gradients was the same as for fire return intervals. The percentage of fires that occurred during the growing season was inversely related to elevation and potential soil moisture. Mean fire sizes were larger in lodgepole pine forests (405 ha) than in other forest groups (103-151 ha). In contrast to other parameters, fire severity did not vary across environmental and compositional gradients and >50% of all forests burned at high severity with most of the remainder burning at moderate severity. Since 1905, fire regimes have become similar at all gradient positions because of a policy of suppressing fire and fire regime modification will lead to shifts in landscape scale vegetation patterns.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agee, J. K. 1981. Fire effects on Pacific Northwest forests: flora, fuels, and fauna. Pp. 54–66. Proceedings of the Northwest fire council, Portland, Oregon. USA.

  • Agee, J. K. 1991. Fire history of Douglas-fir forests in the Pacific Northwest. Pp. 25–33. In: Ruggiero, L. F., Audry, K. B., Carey, A. B. & Huff, M. H. (eds), Wildlife and vegetation of unmanaged Douglas fir forests: USDA Forest Service General Technical Report PNW-285. Agee, J. K. 1993. Fire ecology of Pacific Northwest forests. Island Press, Covelo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Agee, J. K., Finney, M. & DeGouvenain, R. 1990. Forest fire history of Desolation Peak, Washington. Can. J. For. Res. 20: 350–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Agee, J. K., Wakimoto, R. H. & Biswell, H.H. 1978. Fire and fuel dynamics of Sierra Nevada conifers. For. Ecol. Manag. 1: 255–265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Albini, F. 1976. Estimating wildfire behavior and effects. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report INT-GTR-156.

  • Arno, S. F. & Petersen, T. D. 1983. Variation in estimates of fire intervals: a closer look at fire history on the Bitterroot National Forest. USDA Forest Service Research Paper INT-RS-301.

  • Arno, S. F. & Sneck, K. M. 1977. A method for determining fire history in coniferous forests of the mountain west. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report INT-GTR-42.

  • Baisan, C. H. & Swetnam, T. W. 1990. Fire history on a desert mountain range: Rincon Mountain Wilderness, Arizona, U.S.A. Can. J. For. Res. 20: 1559–1569.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barbour, M. G. 1988. California upland forests and woodlands. Pp. 131–164. In: Barbour, M. G. & Billings W. D. (eds). North American Terrestrial Vegetation: Cambridge University Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barrett, S. W. & Arno, S. F. 1988. Increment borer methods for determining fire history in coniferous forests. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report INT-GTR-244.

  • Barton, A. M. 1993. Factors controlling plant distributions: drought, competition, and fire in montane pines in Arizona. Ecol. Monog. 63: 367–397.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beaty. R. M. 1998. Spatial and temporal variation in fire regimes and forest dynamics along a montane forest gradient in the southern Cascades, California. Master's Thesis, The Pennsylvania State University.

  • Bessie, W. C. & Johnson, E. A. 1995. The relative importance of fuels and weather on fire behavior in subalpine forests. Ecology 76: 747–762.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonnicksen, T. M. & Stone, E. C. 1982. Reconstruction of a presettlement giant sequoia-mixed conifer forest community using the aggregation approach. Ecology 63: 1134–1148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P. M. & Swetnam, T. W. 1994. A cross-dated fire history from coast redwood near Redwood National Park, California. Can. J. For. Res. 24: 21–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caprio, A. C. & Swetnam, T. W. 1995. Historic fire regimes along an elevational gradient on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada, California. Pp. 173–179. In: Brown, J. K., Mutch, R. W., Spoon C. W. & Wakimoto R. H. (Tech. Coor.), Symposium on fire in wilderness and park management, proceedings: USDA Forest Service General Technical Report INT-GTR-320.

  • Chappell, C. B. & Agee, J. K. 1996. Fire severity and tree seedling establishment in Abies magnifica forests, southern Cascades, Oregon. Ecol. App. 6: 628–640.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, N. L. 1993. Fire regimes and ecosystem dynamics. Pp. 233–244. In: Crutzen, P. J., Goldhammer, J. G. (eds), Fire in the environment: the ecological, atmospherical, and climatic importance of vegetation fires. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooke, E. R., Meko, D. M., Stahle, D. W. & Cleavland, M. K. 1996. Tree ring reconstructions of past drought across the conterminous United States: tests of a regression method and calibration/ verification results. Pp. 155–170. In: Dean, J. S., Meko, D. M. & Swetnam T. W. (eds), Tree rings, environment, and humanity. University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cottam, G. & Curtis, J. T. 1956. The use of distance measures in phytosociological sampling. Ecology 37: 451–460.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dieterich, J. 19080. The composite fire interval-a tool for more accurate interpretation of fire history. Pp. 8–14. In: Stokes, M. & Dieterich, J. (eds), Proceedings of the fire history workshop. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RM-GTR-81.

  • Drew, L. G. 1972. Tree ring chronologies of western North America, Vol. 3, California and Nevada. Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durbin, W. G. 1930. Report on Thousand Lake Valley Primitive Area, Lassen National Forest. Unpublished report, on file at Lassen National Forest Headquarters, Susanville, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fonda, R. W., Belanger, L. A. & Burley, L. L. 1998. Burning characteristics of western conifer needles. Northwest Sci. 72: 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster, D. R. 1988. Species and stand response to catastrophic wind in central New England, USA. J. Ecol. 76: 133–151.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster, D. R. and Boose, E. 1992. Patterns of forest damage resulting from catastrophic wind in central New England, USA. J. Ecol. 80: 753–772.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franklin, J. F. & Dyrness, C. T. 1973. Natural vegetation of Oregon andWashington. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report PNW-GTR-8.

  • Gauch, H. G. 1982. Multivariate analysis in community ecology. Cambridge University Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gosz, J. R. 1992. Gradient analysis of ecological change in time and space: implications for forest management. Ecol. Appl. 2: 248–261.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harmon, M. E., Bratton, S. P. & White, P. S. 1983. Disturbance and vegetation response in relation to environmental gradients in the Great Smoky Mountains. Vegetatio 55: 129–139.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatcher, J. B. 1941. Unapproved report, Burney Project. Unpublished report, on file at Lassen National Forest Headquarters, Susanville, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heinselman, M. L. 1973. Fire in the virgin forests of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Minnesota. Quat. Res. 3: 329–382.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, M. O. 1979. TWINSPAN:A FORTRAN program for arranging multivariate data in an ordered two-way table by classification of individuals and attributes. Section on Ecology and Systematics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, R. L., Adams, R. K. & Fritts, H. C. 1986. Tree-ring chronologies of western North America: California, eastern Oregon and northern Great Basin. Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Husari. S. & McKelvey, K. S. 1996. Fire management policies and programs. Pp. 1041–1069. Sierra Nevada ecosystem project: fi-nal report to congress, Vol. II, Assessments and scientific basis for management options. University of California Davis, Center for Water and Wildland Resources, Davis, California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, E. A. 1979. Fire recurrence in the subarctic and its implications for vegetation composition. Can. J. Bot. 57: 1374–1379.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kane, P. S. 1980. Through Vulcan's eye. The geology and geomorphology of Lassen Volcanic National Park. Loomis Museum Associates, Red Bluff, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kauffman, J. B. 1990. Ecological relationships of vegetation and fire in Pacific Northwest Forests. Pp. 39–52. In: Walstad, J. D., Radosevich, S. R. & Sandberg, D. V. (eds), Natural and prescribed fire in Pacific Northwest forests. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, OR.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kilgore, B. M. 1973. The ecological role of fire in Sierran conifer forests: its application to national park management. Quat. Res. 3: 496–513.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kilgore, B. M. & Taylor, D. 1979. Fire history of a mixed-conifer forest. Ecology 55: 772–783.

    Google Scholar 

  • Major, J. 1977. California climate in relation to vegetation. Pp. 11–74. In: Barbour, M. G. &. Major, J. (eds). Terrestrial vegetation of California. John Wiley & Sons, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNeil, R. C. & Zobel, D. B. 1980. Vegetation and fire history of a ponderosa pine-white fir forest in Crater Lake National Park. Northwest Sci. 54: 30–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Means, J. E. 1989. Estimating the date of a single bole scar by counting tree rings in increment cores. Can. J. For. Res. 19: 1491–1496.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merriam, C. H. 1898. Life zones and crop zones of the United States. Bulletin of the US Biological Survey 10: 1–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris, R. M. & Webb, R. W. 1990. Geology of California. John Wiley & Sons, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, A. J. 1982. The topographic relative moisture index: an approach to soil moisture assessment in mountain terrain. Phys. Geogr. 3: 160–168.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, A. J. 1991. Forest/environment relationships in Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, U.S.A. J. Biogeogr. 18: 534–552.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, D. J. & DeBenedetti, S. H. 1979. Impact of fire suppression on a mixed-conifer forest. For. Ecol. Manag. 2: 21–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peet, R. K. 1978. Latitudinal variation in southern Rocky Mountain forests. J. Biogeogr. 5: 275–289.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pitcher, D. C. 1987. Fire history and age structure of red fir forests in Sequoia National Park, California. Can. J. For. Res. 1: 582–587.

    Google Scholar 

  • Romme, W. H. 1982. Fire and landscape diversity in subalpine forests of Yellowstone National Park. Ecol. Monogr. 52: 199–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Romme, W. H. & Knight, D. H. 1981. Fire frequency and subalpine forest succession along a topographic gradient in Wyoming. Ecology 62: 319–326.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rothermel, R. C. 1983. How to predict the spread and intensity of wildfires. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report INTGTR-143.

  • Rowe, J. S., Bergsteinsson, J. L., Podbury, G. A. & Hermesh, R. 1974. Fire studies in the MacKenzie Valley. Canadian Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Ottawa, Ontario. INA Publication QA-1567–000-EE-A1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rundel, P. W., Parsons, D. J. & Gordon, D. T. 1977. Montane and subalpine vegetation of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges. Pp. 559–599. In: Barbour, M. G. & Major J. (eds), Terrestrial vegetation of California: John Wiley & Sons, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Savage, M. L & Swetnam, T. W. 1990. Early 19th-century fire decline following sheep pasturing in Navajo ponderosa pine forest. Ecology 71: 2374–2378.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schulz, P. E. 1954. Indians of Lassen Volcanic National Park and vicinity. Loomis Museum Associates, Red Bluff, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shinneman, D. J. & Baker, W. L. 1996. Nonequilibrium dynamics between catastrophic disturbances and old-growth forests in ponderosa pine landscapes of the Black Hills. Cons. Biol. 11: 1276–1288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, C. N. & Chang, C. R. 1996. Fire regimes, past and present. Pp. 1041–1069. Sierra Nevada ecosystem project: final report to congress, Vol. II, Assessments and scientific basis for management options, University of California Davis, Center for Water and Wildland Resources, Davis, California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solem, M. N. 1995. Fire history of the Caribou Wilderness, Lassen National Forest, California, USA. M.S. thesis, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spies, T. & Franklin, J. F. 1989. Gap characteristics and vegetation response in coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest. Ecology 70: 543–545.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stohlgren, T. J. 1988. Litter dynamics in two Sierran mixed conifer forests, I. Litter fall and decomposition rates. Can. J. For. Res. 18: 1127–1135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strong, D. H. 1973. These happy grounds: a history of the Lassen region. Loomis Museum Associates, Red Bluff, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, A. H. 1990a. Habitat segregation and regeneration of red fir and mountain hemlock in ecotonal forests of Lassen Volcanic National Park, California. Phys. Geogr. 11: 36–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, A. H. 1990b. Tree invasion of meadows in Lassen Volcanic National Park, California. Prof. Geogr. 42: 457–470.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, A. H. 1993. Fire history and structure of red fir (Abies magnifica) forests, Swain Mountain Experimental Forest, Cascade Range, northeastern California. Can. J. For. Res. 23: 1672–1678.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, A. H. 1995. Forest expansion and climate change in the mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) zone, Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, U.S.A. Arc. & Alp. Res. 27: 207–216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, A. H. 2000. Fire regimes and forest changes in mid and upper montane forests in the southern Cascades, Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, USA. J. Biogeogr. 27: 87–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, A. H. & Skinner, C. N. 1998. Fire history and landscape dynamics in a late successional reserve, Klamath Mountains, California, USA. For. Ecol. Manag. 111: 285–301.

    Google Scholar 

  • USDA 1995. Range management plan Magee Peak Allotment. USDA Forest Service, Lassen National Forest, Supervisors Office, Susanville, California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veblen, T. T. 1989. Tree regeneration responses to gaps along a transandean gradient. Ecology 70: 541–543.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Wagtendonk, J. W. 1998. Fuel bed characteristics of Sierra Nevada conifers. Western J. Appl. For. 13: 73–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veblen, T. T., Hadley, K. S., Reid, M. S. & Rebertus, A. J. 1991. The response of subalpine forests to spruce beetle outbreak in Colorado. Ecology 72: 213–231.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veblen, T. T., Kitzberger, T. & Lara, A., 1992. Disturbance and forest dynamics along a transect from Andean rain forest to Patagonian shrubland. J. Veg. Sci. 3: 507–520.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weatherspoon, C. P., Husari, S. & van Wagtendonk, J. W. 1992. Fire and fuels management in relation to owl habitat in forests of the Sierra Nevada and southern California. Pp. 247–260. In: Verner, J., Mckelvey, K. S., Noon, B. R., Gutierrez, R. J. & Gould, G. I. Jr. (Tech. Coor.), California spotted owl: a technical assessment of its current status: USDA Forest Service General Technical Report PSW-GTR-133.

  • Whittaker, R. H. 1956. Vegetation of the Great Smoky Mountains. Ecol. Monogr. 26: 1–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whittaker, R. H. 1967. Gradient analysis of vegetation. Biol. Rev. 42: 207–264.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, The Pennsylvania State University, 302 Walker Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA; present address: Department of Geography, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA

    Matthew F. Bekker & Alan H. Taylor

Authors
  1. Matthew F. Bekker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alan H. Taylor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bekker, M.F., Taylor, A.H. Gradient Analysis of Fire Regimes in Montane Forests of the Southern Cascade Range, Thousand Lakes Wilderness, California, USA. Plant Ecology 155, 15–28 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013263212092

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013263212092

Search

Navigation