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Effects of landscape patterns of fire severity on regenerating ponderosa pine forests (Pinus ponderosa) in New Mexico and Arizona, USA

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Abstract

Much of the current effort to restore southwestern ponderosa pine forests to historical conditions is predicated upon assumptions regarding the catastrophic effects of large fires that are now defining a new fire regime. To determine how spatial characteristics influence the process of ponderosa pine regeneration under this new regime, we mapped the spatial patterns of severity at areas that burned in 1960 (Saddle Mountain, AZ) and (La Mesa, NM) 1977 using pre- and post-fire aerial photography, and quantified characteristics of pine regeneration at sample plots in areas where all trees were killed by the fire event. We used generalized linear models to determine the relationship of ponderosa pine stem density to three spatial burn pattern metrics: (1) distance to nearest edge of lower severity; (2) neighborhood severity, measured at varying spatial scales, and (3) scaled seed dispersal kernel surfaces. Pine regeneration corresponded most closely with particular scales of measurement in both seed dispersal kernel and neighborhood severity. Spatial patterns of burning remained important to understanding regeneration even after consideration of subsequent disturbance and other environmental variables, with the exception of a few cases in which simpler models were equally well-supported by the data. Analysis of tree ages revealed slow progress in early post-fire years. Our observations suggest that populations spread in a moving front, as well as by remotely dispersed individuals. Based on our results, recent large fires cannot be summarily dismissed as catastrophic. We conclude that management should focus on the value and natural recovery of post-fire landscapes. Further, process centered restoration efforts could utilize our findings in formulating reference dynamics under a changing fire regime.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to S. de Stephano, P. McCarthy, C. Miller, W. Romme and M. Savage for critical insights and support throughout the project. We gratefully acknowledge work in field and lab by R. Franklin, D. Lively, J. Riling and J. Stone. Many individuals at the Kaibab and Santa Fe National Forests, Bandelier National Monument, Grand Canyon National Park, and Los Alamos Laboratory provided permits, data and logistical support during the project. The manuscript benefitted from comments by three anonymous reviewers. This work was supported by The Nature Conservancy, University of Massachusetts, U.S. Geological Survey, and a fellowship from the American Association of University Women.

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  1. Department of Natural Resources Conservation, Holdsworth Natural Resources Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

    Sandra L. Haire & Kevin McGarigal

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  1. Sandra L. Haire
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  2. Kevin McGarigal
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Correspondence to Sandra L. Haire.

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Haire, S.L., McGarigal, K. Effects of landscape patterns of fire severity on regenerating ponderosa pine forests (Pinus ponderosa) in New Mexico and Arizona, USA. Landscape Ecol 25, 1055–1069 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-010-9480-3

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