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Project ID: 09-1-06-3

Year: 2009

Date Started: 07/01/2009

Ending Date:  09/30/2013

Title: Bark Beetles, Fuels and Future Fire Hazard in Contrasting Conifer Forests of Greater Yellowstone

Project Proposal Abstract: Recent increases in insect and fire activity throughout the western US have presented forest managers with formidable challenges. The extent and severity of bark beetle (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) epidemics have reached unprecedented levels, and the number of large, severe fires continues to increase. These trends are expected to continue because climate change is implicated for both disturbances. Insects and fire have tremendous ecological and economic effects in western forests, yet surprisingly little is known about how fire hazard may change following bark beetle epidemics, and the efficacy of alternative forest management practices (e.g., removal of beetle-killed trees or remaining small trees) designed to reduce future fire hazard is largely unknown. We propose to employ a powerful combination of field studies, remote sensing and simulation modeling to understand how bark beetle infestation affects fire hazard in two widespread but contrasting forest types, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir forests are key components of Rocky Mountain landscapes, and both are experiencing extensive and severe bark beetle outbreaks. Published research on beetle effects on fire in lodgepole pine forests is inconclusive, and almost no studies have examined Douglas-fir. We hypothesize that differences in fire regime, stand structure, regeneration potential and decomposition of woody fuels lead to important differences in fuel profiles, fire hazard and, in turn, the effectiveness of alternative mitigation strategies in lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir. Our studies will be conducted in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), where we build on > 20 yrs of research and our recently initiated studies of bark beetles and fire in lodgepole pine forests. We will test specific hypotheses as part of addressing three major research questions. (1) How do effects of bark beetle outbreaks on fuel profiles and subsequent fire hazard differ between lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir forests? We will test hypotheses about how post-beetle fuel profiles and future fire hazard differ between these two widespread forest types. A time-since-beetle chronosequence will be sampled in Douglas-fir forests of Greater Yellowstone to quantify fuel profiles from 0 to 20 yrs since the epidemic. Results will be compared to our current data for lodgepole pine (2006 Joint Fire Science Program award). Remote sensing products will be developed to map canopy, herbaceous and woody fuels in post-beetle stands across the GYE. (2) How was the severity of recent fire in lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir forests affected by prior bark beetle infestation, and does the combination of beetle infestation and fire compromise forest recovery? In recent fires (2006-2008) in the GYE, field studies and remote sensing will be used to determine how actual spatial variation of fire severity across the landscape was related to pre-fire beetle infestation. We will measure fire severity in the Gunbarrel Fire that burned in beetle-killed Douglas-fir on the Shoshone National Forest, and the New Fork Lakes Fire that burned in beetle-killed lodgepole pine on the Bridger-Teton National Forest. We will also compare forest regeneration in areas affected by fire only, beetles only and both beetles and fire. (3) What post-beetle fuel treatments are likely to change the hazard of subsequent severe fire in lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir forests? We will parameterize the FIRE AND FUELS EXTENSION TO THE FOREST VEGETATION SIMULATOR model (Reinhardt and Crookston 2003) for lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir with our field data. Simulations will explore the effects of a wide range of common forest management practices (e.g., thinning, removal of beetle killed trees or remaining small trees, slash management, etc.) on future fire hazard.

Principal Investigator: Monica G. Turner

Agency/Organization: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Branch or Dept: Department of Zoology

Other Project Collaborators

Type	Name	Agency/Organization	Branch or Dept
Co-Principal Investigator	William H Romme	Colorado State University	Department of Forest, Rangeland & Watershed Stewardship
Co-Principal Investigator	Philip A. Townsend	University of Wisconsin-Madison	Department of Forest & Wildlife Ecology
Federal Cooperator	Roy Renkin	NPS-National Park Service	Yellowstone National Park
Federal Fiscal Representative	Lindsay C. Robb	NPS-National Park Service	Yellowstone National Park

Project Locations

Consortium

Northern Rockies

Level	State	Agency	Unit
STATE	WY	NPS	Yellowstone National Park
STATE	WY	NPS	Grand Teton National Park
STATE	WY	FS	Bridger-Teton National Forest
STATE	WY	FS	Shoshone National Forest

Project Deliverables

There is no final report available for this project.

	ID	Type	Title
	9797	Refereed Publication	Bark Beetle Effects on Fuel Profiles Across a Range of Stand Structures in Douglas-Fir Forests of Greater Yellowstone, USA
	9777	Refereed Publication	A Method for Surfacing Large Log Cross-Sections for Scanning and Cross-Dating
	9772	Refereed Publication	Changes to the N Cycle Following Bark Beetle Outbreaks in Two Contrasting Conifer Forest Types
	9769	Refereed Publication	Consequences of Spatial Heterogeneity for Ecosystem Services in Changing Forest Landscapes: Priorities for Future Research
	9799	Refereed Publication	Do Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreaks Change the Probability of Active Crown Fire in Lodgepole Pine Forests?
	9798	Refereed Publication	Salvage Harvest Effects on Advance Tree Regeneration, Soil Nitrogen, and Fuels Following Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak in Lodgepole Pine
	9776	Ph.D. Dissertation	Bark Beetle Disturbance and Nitrogen Cycling in Conifer Forests of Greater Yellowstone (J.M. Griffin)
	10285	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Bark Beetle Effects on Fuel Profiles and Wildfire Severity in Douglas-Fir Forests of Greater Yellowstone
	9774	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Douglas-Fir Beetle Impacts on Fire Severity and Postfire Tree Regeneration in Lower Montane Forests of Greater Yellowstone
	9773	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Disturbance at the Edge: Douglas-Fir Beetle Outbreaks and Potential Forest-Grassland Shifts Near the Lower Treeline of Greater Yellowstone
	9771	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Interactions Between Bark Beetle Outbreaks and Wildfire Potential in Douglas-Fir Forests of Greater Yellowstone
	9770	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Effects of Recent Mountain Pine Beetle Infestation on Fire Severity and Post-Fire Regeneration in a Lodgepole Pine Forest of Greater Yellowstone

Supporting Documents

There are no supporting documents available for this project.

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