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Project ID: 01-3-2-02

Year: 2001

Date Started: 09/19/2001

Date Completed: 09/30/2005

Title: Tree Regeneration Response to Fire Restoration in Mixed-Conifer Forest

Project Proposal Abstract: This study will determine the effects of alternative fire re-introduction and fire surrogate techniques on tree and shrub regeneration and mortality, in relation to changes in soil moisture availability and light, in the mixed conifer forest of the Sierra Nevada. The Forest Service's February 2001 plan for the Sierra National Forests places a primary emphasis on fire and fuels management and re-introduction of fire as an ecosystem process. New practices are to rely on thinning and prescribed burning, but there is little data on biological responses and stand development following alternative mechanical and burning treatments. The need to reduce density of shade-tolerant fir and promote an open spacing of pine requires careful attention to tree regeneration and shrub response. Fire and mechanical treatments dramatically affect several tree regeneration parameters, including seed production, microclimate, seedbed substrates, and competing vegetation. Foresters attempting to regenerate thinned or burned stands in the Sierra have had mixed success. This study will use burning and no-burning treatments crossed with overstory thinning, understory thinning, and no thinning treatments in a replicated, factorial design on the Sierra National Forest. The study will compare experimental and survey approaches to better understand germination, survival, and growth of several co-occurring species, and the variation and suitability of seedling microsites across the different treatments. Soil depth, soil moisture, and microclimate measurements will elucidate the mechanisms controlling biological responses. Sharing of data and results among multiple scientific studies will greatly enhance our understanding and ability to provide land managers with concrete recommendations on fuels treatments and re-introduction of fire.

Principal Investigator: Andrew Gray

Agency/Organization: Forest Service

Branch or Dept: PNW-Forestry Sciences Lab-Corvallis

Other Project Collaborators

Type	Name	Agency/Organization	Branch or Dept
Collaborator/Contributor	Ruth Kern	California State University-Fresno	Department of Biology
Collaborator/Contributor	Malcolm P. North	Forest Service	PSW-Sierra Nevada Research Center
Collaborator/Contributor	Ray Porter	Forest Service	Sierra NF-High Sierra Ranger District
Federal Cooperator	Andrew Gray	Forest Service	PNW-Forestry Sciences Lab-Corvallis
Technical Contact	Harold S. Zald	Oregon State University	Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society

Project Locations

Consortium

California

There are no project locations identified for this project.

Project Deliverables

Final Report ("Results presented in JFSP Final Reports may not have been peer-reviewed and should be interpreted as tentative until published in a peer-reviewed source.")

	ID	Type	Title
	6254	Refereed Publication	Influence of Soil Thickness on Stand Characteristics in a Sierra Nevada Mixed-Conifer Forest
	2785	Refereed Publication	Stand Conditions Associated with Tree Regeneration in Sierran Mixed-Conifer Forests
	9861	NonRefereed Publication	Effects of Thinning and Prescribed Fire on Wildlife Severity
	9860	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Twenty-Fifth Annual Forest Vegetation Management Conference: 25 Years of Excellence--Where We Are, Where We’ve Been & Where We’re Going

Supporting Documents

The following supporting documents are available for this project.

Brief

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