Thinning and Managed Burning Enhance Forest Resilience in Northeastern California
Understanding and quantifying the resilience of forests to disturbances are increasingly important for forest management. Historical fire suppression, logging, and other land uses have increased densities of shade tolerant trees and fuel buildup in the western United States, which has reduced the resilience of these forests to natural disturbances.
The geography of social vulnerability and wildfire occurrence (1984–2018) in the conterminous USA
Wildfire is increasing in frequency, extent, and severity in many parts of the USA. Considering the unequal burden of natural hazards on socially vulnerable populations, we ask here, how are characteristics of social vulnerability associated with wildfire occurrence nationwide, at different scales and across differing levels of wildland–urban interface development?
Fire severity drives understory community dynamics and the recovery of culturally significant plants
Anthropogenic influences are altering fire regimes worldwide, resulting in an increase in the size and severity of wildfires. Simultaneously, throughout western North America, there is increasing recognition of the important role of Indigenous fire stewardship in shaping historical fire regimes and fire-adapted ecosystems.
Drought triggers and sustains overnight fires in North America
Overnight fires are emerging in North America with previously unknown drivers and implications.
Using mixed-method analytical historical ecology to map land use and land cover change for ecocultural restoration in the Klamath River Basin (Northern California)
Ecocultural restoration involves the reciprocal repair of ecosystems and revitalization of cultural practices to enhance their mutual resilience to natural and anthropogenic disturbances and climate change stressors. Resilient ecocultural systems are adapted to retain structure and function in the face of disturbances that remain within historical ranges of severity.
Multiple social and environmental factors affect wildland fire response of full or less-than-full suppression
Wildland fire incident commanders make wildfire response decisions within an increasingly complex socio-environmental context. Threats to human safety and property, along with public pressures and agency cultures, often lead commanders to emphasize full suppression.
Evaluating driving behavior patterns during wildfire evacuations in wildland-urban interface zones using connected vehicles data
Wildfire risk is increasing all over the world, particularly in the western United States and the communities in wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas are at the greatest risk of fire.
Forest fire management, funding dynamics, and research in the burning frontier: A comprehensive review
We indexed 8,970 scientific publications on forest fires in order to bridge the gap between research and policy discussions on forest fires. Journal articles and conference papers dominated the literature, with an emphasis on environmental science, agricultural and biological sciences, earth and planetary sciences, engineering, and computer science.
Broadcast burning has persistent, but subtle, effects on understory composition and structure: Results of a long-term study in western Cascade forests
Approaches to forest management have changed markedly in the Pacific Northwest in recent decades, yet legacies of past management persist on the landscape. Following clearcut logging, woody residues were typically burned to reduce future fire hazard, create planting spots, facilitate natural recruitment, and retard growth of competing vegetation.