Divergent biophysical responses of western United States forests to wildfire driven by eco-climatic gradients

Author:

Shrestha SurendraORCID,Williams Christopher A.ORCID,Rogers Brendan M.ORCID,Rogan John,Kulakowski Dominik

Abstract

Abstract. Understanding vegetation recovery after fire is critical for predicting vegetation-mediated ecological dynamics in future climates. However, information characterizing vegetation recovery patterns after fire and their determinants over large geographical extents is limited. This study uses Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) leaf area index (LAI) and albedo to characterize patterns of post-fire biophysical dynamics across the western United States (US) and further examines the influence of topo-climatic variables on the recovery of LAI and albedo at two different time horizons, 10 and 20 years post-fire, using a random forest model. Recovery patterns were derived for all wildfires that occurred between 1986 and 2017 across seven forest types and 21 level III ecoregions of the western US. We found differences in the characteristic trajectories of post-fire vegetation recovery across forest types and eco-climatic settings. In some forest types, LAI had recovered to only 60 %–70 % of the pre-fire levels by 25 years after the fire, while it recovered to 120 %–150 % of the pre-fire levels in other forest types, with higher absolute post-fire changes observed in forest types and ecoregions that had a higher initial pre-fire LAI. Our random forest results showed very little influence of fire severity on the recovery of both summer LAI and albedo at both post-fire time horizons. Post-fire vegetation recovery was most strongly controlled by elevation, with faster rates of recovery at lower elevations. Similarly, annual precipitation and average summer temperature had significant impacts on the post-fire recovery of vegetation. Full recovery was seldom observed when annual precipitation was less than 500 mm and average summer temperature was above the optimal range, i.e., 15–20 °C. Climate influences, particularly annual precipitation, were a major driver of post-fire summer albedo change through its impact on ecological succession. This study provides quantitative measures of primary controls that could be used to improve the modeling of ecosystem dynamics post-fire.

Publisher

Copernicus GmbH

Reference154 articles.

1. Abatzoglou, J. T. and Williams, A. P.: Impact of anthropogenic climate change on wildfire across western US forests, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 113, 11770–11775, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1607171113, 2016.

2. Allen, C. D., Breshears, D. D., and McDowell, N. G.: On underestimation of global vulnerability to tree mortality and forest die-off from hotter drought in the Anthropocene, Ecosphere, 6, 1–55, https://doi.org/10.1890/ES15-00203.1, 2015.

3. Amiro, B. D., Chen, J. M., and Liu, J.: Net primary productivity following forest fire for Canadian ecoregions, Can. J. Forest Res., 30, 939–947, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-30-6-939, 2000.

4. Amiro, B. D., Orchansky, A. L., Barr, A. G., Black, T. A., Chambers, S. D., Chapin, F. S., Goulden, M. L., Litvak, M., Liu, H. P., McCaughey, J. H., McMillan, A., and Randerson, J. T.: The effect of post-fire stand age on the boreal forest energy balance, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 140, 41–50, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2006.02.014, 2006.

5. Amiro, B. D., Barr, A. G., Barr, J. G., Black, T. A., Bracho, R., Brown, M., Chen, J., Clark, K. L., Davis, K. J., Desai, A. R., Dore, S., Engel, V., Fuentes, J. D., Goldstein, A. H., Goulden, M. L., Kolb, T. E., Lavigne, M. B., Law, B. E., Margolis, H. A., Martin, T., McCaughey, J. H., Misson, L., Montes-Helu, M., Noormets, A., Randerson, J. T., Starr, G., and Xiao, J.: Ecosystem carbon dioxide fluxes after disturbance in forests of North America, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 115, G00K02, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JG001390, 2010.

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3