Determining reference conditions for ecosystem management of southwestern ponderosa pine forests

Fule, Peter Z. and Covington, W.Wallace and Moore, Margaret M. (1997) Determining reference conditions for ecosystem management of southwestern ponderosa pine forests. Ecological Applications, 7 (3). pp. 895-908. ISSN 1051-0761

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Abstract

The fire disturbance regime and forest structure prior to Euro-American settlement (AD 1883) of a southwestern ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) landscape were quantified in order to establish reference conditions as a baseline for ecosystem management. The mean presettlement fire interval between 1637 and 1883 was 3.7 yr for all fires and 6.5 yr for widespread fires, but fire has been excluded from the study area since 1883. Forest density increased under fire exclusion from an average of 148 trees/ha in 1883 (65 pines, 80 oaks, three other species), an open forest dominated by relatively large ponderosa pines, to 1265 trees/ha in 1994/1995 (720 pines, 471 oaks, 74 others), a dense forest characterized by relatively small and young trees. Species composition has shifted toward greater dominance by Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) and conifers less adapted to frequent fires: white fir (Abies concolor) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). The reference presettlement conditions can be applied to management of this ecosystem in two ways. First, reference conditions are a benchmark against which to evaluate contemporary conditions and future alternatives. The comparison shows that the contemporary forest is well above the range of presettlement variability in forest density, and both live and dead fuel structures have developed that can support high-intensity wildfire. Second, reference conditions can serve as a goal for ecological restoration treatments.

Item Type:	Article
Publisher’s Statement:	Copyright by the Ecological Society of America. Fule, P.Z. and Covington, W.W. and Moore, M.M. (1997) Determining reference conditions for ecosystem management of southwestern ponderosa pine forests. Ecological Applications, 7 (3). pp. 895-908. ISSN 1051-0761
ID number or DOI:	10.1890/1051-0761(1997)007[0895:DRCFEM]2.0.CO;2
Keywords:	Reference conditions, Ecological Restoration, Management, Fire ecology, Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), Pre-settlement, ERI Library
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences S Agriculture > SD Forestry
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Faculty/Staff
Department/Unit:	Research Centers > Ecological Restoration Institute College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Science > School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Science > School of Forestry
Date Deposited:	15 Jan 2016 18:22
URI:	http://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/1408

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