Fuel analysis and potential fire behavior in mixed conifer woodlands of the Great Basin, Nevada, USA

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

CHEEK, J.W.

DendroLab, Dep. of Geography, MS 154, Univ. of Nevada, Reno, Etats-Unis

BIONDI, F.

DendroLab, Dep. of Geography, MS 154, Univ. of Nevada, Reno, Etats-Unis

SIBOLD, J.S.

Dep. of Anthropology, Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, Etats-Unis

TAUSCH, R.

Rocky Mountain Research Station, United States Forest Service, Nevada, Reno, Etats-Unis

Description :
To determine expected wildfire behavior at these semiarid mountain sites, the AA. analyzed fuel conditions at Mount Irish and the Clover Mountains, in southeastern Nevada. Current fuels were quantified by herbaceous and shrub vegetation cover, down dead woody debris, litter and duff bulk density, canopy bulk density (CBD), and biomass. To reconstruct canopy fuels at each site, all woody stems on twelve 0.1 ha plots were mapped, measured, and cored. Increment cores were processed using dendrochronological methods; establishment dates and reconstructed tree diameter at breast height (DBH) were then used as input for simulation models. Canopy fuels and potential fire behavior over time were modeled using the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) and its Fire and Fuels Extension. The results indicate that patterns and processes of fuel accumulation and potential fire behavior are not spatially or temporally homogenous in these mixed-conifer woodlands.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Physical geography, issn : 0272-3646, 2012, vol. 33, n°. 3, p. 205-228, nombre de pages : 24, Références bibliographiques : 4 p.

Date :
2012

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, Abingdon, Taylor and Francis

Langue :
Anglais