Research Database
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Effects of season and interval of prescribed burns on pyrogenic carbon in ponderosa pine stands in the southern Blue Mountains, Oregon, USA
Year: 2019
In ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests of the western United States, prescribed burns are used to reduce fuel loads and restore historical fire regimes. The season of and interval between burns can have complex consequences for the ecosystem, including the production of pyrogenic carbon (PyC). PyC plays a crucial role in soil carbon cycling, displaying turnover times that are orders of magnitude longer than unburned organic matter. This work investigated how the season of and interval between prescribed burns affects soil organic matter, including the formation and retention of PyC, in a…
Publication Type: Journal Article
Has Fire Suppression Increased the Amount of Carbon Stored in Western US Forests?
Year: 2008
Active 20th century fire suppression in western US forests, and a resultingincrease in stem density, is thought to account for a significant fraction of the NorthAmerican carbon sink. We compared California forest inventories from the 1930s withinventories from the 1990s to quantify changes in aboveground biomass. Stem density inmid-montane conifer forests increased by 34%, while live aboveground carbon stocksdecreased by 26%. Increased stem density reflected an increase in the number of smalltrees and a net loss of large trees. Large trees contain a disproportionate amount ofcarbon, and the…
Publication Type: Journal Article