Climate and humans interact to shape the fire regime of a chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) forest in eastern Bhutan

Abstract

Abstract Background Chir pine (Pinus roxburghii Sarg.) forests are distributed in the dry valleys of Bhutan Himalaya. In the past, these forests have been heavily influenced by human activities such as grazing, burning, resin tapping, and collection of non-timber forest products. Bhutan’s Forest Act of 1969, which shifted forest management from local community control to centralized governmental control, greatly restricted these activities. To understand the implications of the Forest Act on the chir pine forests, we used tree-rings and fire scars to reconstruct the fire history of a chir pine forest in eastern Bhutan. This provided an opportunity to characterize the fire regime before and after the Forest Act of 1969 was implemented and assess the scale and magnitude of changes that have occurred. Results We developed a 120-year chir pine fire chronology from nine sites within a single forested landscape. Between 1900 and ~ 1970, fires were small and patchy. When fires occurred, they were limited to one to two sites within the larger study area. After 1970, there was a distinct shift in fire activity, with fires in 1985, 1989, 1996, 2000, and 2013 burning > 90% of sample plots. Fire activity was positively associated with La Niña conditions (wetter, cooler) in the preceding year. This is likely the result of increased accumulation and connectivity of fuels on the forest floor in wetter years. Conclusions Prior to 1970, the fire regime in the studied chir pine landscape in eastern Bhutan was dominated by patchy, low-intensity fires indicating that the fire regime was fuel limited. After 1970, fires became larger and more frequent. This shift was associated with the enactment of the Bhutan Forest Act in 1969, which regulated grazing and implemented a policy of strict fire exclusion in government-reserved forests. This likely led to a large buildup of fuels, particularly after La Niña years. Historical patterns of grazing and low-intensity fires prior to the Forest Act kept fuel loads low and disconnected. The cessation of most human activities in these forests after 1969 resulted in an increase in fuel loads and connectivity within the landscape. This has greatly reshaped fire regimes in the chir pine forests of eastern Bhutan over the past half century.