New study of Appalachian forest fire history

A new study of tree rings and fire scars by Charles Lafon, associate professor of geography at Texas A&M University, describes the fire history of forests of the southern and central Appalachian Mountains. His findings are consistent with and relevant to the forest dynamics in California, and provide support the use of fire mimicry methods in mitigating forest decline.

Fire-scarred oak in Santa Barbara. Photo by Lee Klinger.

Here are some excerpts from the Science Daily report:

“We know that Indians often set fires to clear areas”

“Many tree species that inhabit fire-prone areas have thick, protective bark,” he points out. “Some trees depend on fires for their own reproduction. One such tree is the Table Mountain Pine. Through a feature called serotiny, its cones often will not open to release the seeds unless they are heated by a fire, ensuring that the new seedlings emerge at an optimal time to survive and grow — right after a fire has cleared away the competing vegetation.”

“The decline in fire frequency during the 20th century, for example, permitted tree species like red maple to encroach into pine and oak forests. Now the pines, oaks and other fire-associated species like the Peters Mountain mallow are declining in abundance”

Read the entire article here.

Note the similarity of these results to those from the study of oak forests from the Upper Midwest reported here.

On managing California bay laurels to improve oak health

Removing young bay laurels and burning the remains. Photo by Lee Klinger.

Several friends and tree professionals have contacted me about my thoughts on the following article by Peter Femrite that recently appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle:

Saving oak trees by chopping down bay trees

Workers began chopping down 250 California bay laurels this week in the Santa Cruz Mountains so that 49 signature oak trees might be saved from the infectious scourge known as sudden oak death.

The tree-removal project is an attempt by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District to prevent the spread of the tree-killing pathogen, which uses bay trees to scatter spores in the forest.

(h/t to R Zingaro for alerting me to this article)

First, there are important points here with which I agree. The bays are clearly major vectors for sudden oak death disease. I do believe that selective removal of bays will lower the incidence of sudden oak death (SOD). However, I am bothered by the singular focus on the disease. I would rather the focus of efforts be made toward promoting the overall health of the forest ecosystem.

New study with implications for fire management of oak woodlands

Managed fire in a California oak woodland. Photo by Lee Klinger.

A recent study reported at Science Daily on the fire history of post oaks in Illinois reads like page from the history of California oak woodlands:

Old-Growth Tree Stumps Tell the Story of Fire in the Upper Midwest

The new study, in the journal Castanea, confirms that the people who lived in Illinois before European settlers arrived [Native Americans] were in the habit of setting fires in the region nearly every year, with fires in the Hamilton County woodland occurring at least every two or three years, McClain said. This repeated burning actually stabilized the prairies and open woodlands that dominated the region until the late 19th century, when the fire-suppression efforts of the new settlers allowed different plant species to take over, the researchers said.

The study was conducted by William McClain, a botanist with the Illinois State Museum along with researchers John Ebinger and Greg Spyreas, of the Illinois Natural History Survey at the University of Illinois. They also report:

“For hundreds, maybe thousands of years, this was a stable post oak woodland,” Spyreas said. “And then you have a gap of a couple of decades where there were no fires and suddenly the whole system is completely different. It’s amazing how, from Kansas to Ohio, these ecosystems completely depend on fire to be stable.”

See the full report here.

To all you Californian’s concerned about the oaks, this study is highly relevant.

Eucalyptus decline linked to fire suppression

Eucalyptus decline (photo from http://www.mycustompublishing.com.au/e-news/images/redgum.jpg)

Earlier this year I was contacted by Vic Jurskis, a scientist with Forests NSW (Australia), alerting me to the work he has been doing on fire suppression and eucalyptus decline. He shared with me several of his scientific papers that document the pre-settlement burning of eucalyptus forests by the aboriginal people, and the critical effects that fire suppression is now having on those forests. (Reprints of these papers are available. Contact me about obtaining a reprint.)

In his most recent paper Jurskis writes -

“Exclusion of fire and/or grazing has contributed to shrub or sapling encroachment, weed invasion, loss of herbal diversity and tree decline compounded by pests, parasites and diseases. The ancient trees that were established before European settlement are especially vulnerable because they have become weaker competitors for water and nutrients, whilst they are more vulnerable to fires because they typically have exposed dry wood that is easily ignited and burns readily.”

(from Jurskis, V. 2009. River red gum and white cypress forests in south-western New South Wales, Australia: Ecological history and implications for conservation of grassy woodlands. Forest Ecology and Management 258: 2593–2601.)

In another paper Jurskis states –

Sudden Oak Death researchers acknowledge fire suppression link to disease

There is an exciting new video out titled – “The Teakettle Experiment: Fire and Forest Health” released by The Video Project.  A summary of the film states:

“The film documents the Teakettle Experiment, a ten-year collaboration of forest managers and scientists from diverse disciplines that investigated the effects of prescribed fire and forest thinning on restoring forest health.

A century of fire suppression has significantly changed many western forests, leaving them overcrowded and susceptible to disease, pests, and catastrophic crown fires that endanger lives and property.”

Here is the trailer (YouTube):

Besides describing the science behind the use of fire and fire mimicry practices in restoring forests, there is something else remarkable about this film.

Mimicking fire in western US forests

There is an important book on fire mimicry that was written several years ago that I just came across.  The authors are Stephen Arno and Carl Fiedler, both well-known experts in forest management, and book is titled “Mimicking Nature’s Fire: Restoring Fire-prone Forests in the West” (2005) Island Press.

From the Introduction –

“After decades of studying western forests, the authors recognized that the magnificent old-growth trees that survived and depended on periodic fires disappear when deprived of this essential disturbance process. When forests of these venerable trees are managed using traditional timber harvesting methods, the features that made them famous ultimately disappear. When these forests are protected in ‘natural areas’ that fail to restore the historical role of fire – as in the majority of parks, wilderness, and primitive areas – the big old fire-resistant trees gradually die and are replaced by thickets of small trees. Our experience revealed that long-lived trees and other important features of fire-prone forests can be restored through management that mimics the effects of historical fires. Although research studies and practical examples indicate how to restore forests and reduce potential damage from wildfires, insects, and disease, they get little play in the media. However, it is these topics – scientific findings and real-world management examples – that we bring together in this book.” (my bold – lk)

Also from the Introduction –

“When people learn that more than one hundred million acres of fire-prone western (US) forests harbor deteriorating conditions outside of the historical range of variability, they are struck by the staggering extent of this problem. Given the difficulties of applying restoration, some may judge the situation hopeless. However, our experience suggests that any strategically located restoration treatments can produce noticeable benefits in reducing wildfire hazard to homes and communities and return important features of historical forests.”

Leave it to the experts to explain in abundant detail the critical reasons for implementation of fire mimicry practices to restore our oaks in California.

Carbon storage augmentation in fire-managed forests

Big Sur fire 2008 (photo by Lee Klinger)

Science Daily reports on a recent study on the carbon storage in fire-managed forests published by a former colleague of mine at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Christine Wiedinmyer, with whom I collaborated on a field study of oak forests in eastern Texas back in 1998, is the lead author on the study that examines the use of prescribed fires in the management of western US forests.

Christine states “It appears that prescribed burns can be an important piece of a climate change strategy”, adding “If we reintroduce fires into our ecosystems, we may be able to protect larger trees and significantly reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere by major wildfires.” This is another bit of evidence that backs the fire mimicry approach in forest management. One word of caution, this study relies in part on mathematical models are not accurate representations of nature.

The Science Daily report “Prescribed burns may help reduce US carbon footprint” can be found here.

Interview with SustainableWorld’s Channel

SustainableWorld’s Channel did a recent interview with me at La Casa de Maria (Santa Barbara, CA) about oak health, native people, and fire mimicry and has posted a portion of the interview on YouTube. Here is the video:

What is fire mimicry?

People often ask me why the oaks and other trees in California need to be tended. Oaks have been growing in California for many thousands of years, so why would they need our help now?

The answer is clear. The great oak woodlands and savannas of California are not the result of mother nature doing what she does best. The iconic oaks are largely the product of thousands of years of tending by Native Americans. It is well documented that the native people here managed the oaks with fire, keeping the ecosystem in an early successional state that is optimal for oaks. Acorns from the oaks were a primary food source for the native people of California.

Tending the land with fire in Big Sur (photo by Lee Klinger)

Ancient redwoods in decline

A week or so ago a large redwood tree growing near my home here in Big Sur lost its top. The wind blew hard and broke off the upper part of the redwood as shown in Photo 1. In many places around Big Sur ancient redwood trees have lost their tops during the winter storms. Some of these tops are more than three feet in diameter and you don’t want to be around when they come crashing to the ground.

Photo 1 (photo by Lee Klinger)

I realize, of course, that it is not unusual for large trees to succumb to high winds, but what does seem unusual is that in some groves nearly half of the ancient trees have lost their tops within the past 20 years or so. By all appearances these redwoods have grown healthily together in these groves for three, four, five centuries or more, so why are they suddenly losing their tops?

The answer is not too hard to figure out. Yes, there is acid rain falling in Big Sur (see here, here, and here) and that no doubt has some effect on the redwood ecosystem. But recent changes in land practices, most notably fire suppression, are causing dramatic shifts in the successional status of the redwood forests. In the past the native people set fires that revitalized the soil and kept the young redwoods from crowding out the older ones.