Do high severity burns lead to conversion to new forest types or a shift from forests to shrublands or grasslands? How do wildlife respond to changing habitats? And, finally, what do these changes tell us about how these ecosystems will respond to climate change? We visited the sites of the 2000 Pumpkin Fire and 2003 Aspen Fire, and talked to researchers who have been studying how forests and wildlife respond to high severity burns. View the YouTube video here.
December 16, 2015: Impacts of Thinning and Burning in Spotted Owl Habitat
Presenter: Quentin Hays, Eastern New Mexico University On forested lands throughout the Southwest, Mexican spotted owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) are a driver of management activities, as the current Recovery Plan (USFWS 2012) dictates forest treatment guidelines in designated owl habitat. These guidelines often prove restrictive for forest management and restoration programs, which serve to promote resiliency and …
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Fire and Wildlife Impacts
This paper focuses on the use and effects of wildfire (natural ignition), prescribed fire (purposeful ignition), and restoration treatments (thinning and prescribed fire) on terrestrial fauna in dry coniferous forests primarily in the southwestern U.S. Working Paper 36 by Tzeidle N. Wasserman RELATED CONTENT
September 2015: Immediate post-wildfire effects on bats in the Southwest
Presenters: Erin Saunders Northern Arizona University and U.S. Forest Service, and Carol Chambers, Northern Arizona University Ponderosa pine forests in the southwestern U.S. have increased in density over the last 100 years which has dramatically increased the size and frequency of wildfires. Although wildfires rarely kill animals, they have immediate consequences to bat populations by drastically …
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April 2, 2015: Tamarisk invasion and fire in Southwestern desert ecosystems
Presenter: Gail Drus, St. Francis University Increased wildfire has been observed with the displacement of native cottonwood-willow (Salix and Populus spp.) gallery forests by invasive, non-native tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) in desert riparian zones of North America. Greater post-fire recovery of Tamarix relative to native species suggests a Tamarix fire trajectory where repeated fire excludes native …
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June 11, 2014: People, fire, and insects: Three centuries of disturbance interactions along an ecological gradient of the Pinaleño Mountains, Arizona
Presenter: Kit O’Connor, University of Arizona In the Pinaleño Mountains of Southeast Arizona, a series of high-severity insect outbreaks and fires in recent decades appear to be unprecedented in the historical record. These disturbances raise concerns about forest resilience and long-term sustainability of one of the most ecologically diverse landscapes in the southwest. We used …
February 2014: Fostering resilience in Southwestern ecosystems: A problem solving workshop
Fostering resilience in Southwestern ecosystems: A problem solving workshop Ecosystems and fire regimes are moving into new domains as a consequence of climate change, disturbance, and other causes. Fire professionals and land managers in the region are confronted with new fire regimes, fire effects, and ecosystem recovery trajectories following disturbance. To help fire and ecosystem …
June 19, 2013: Effects of Wildland Fire on Lowland Leopard Frogs and their Habitat at Saguaro National Park
Presenter: Don Swann, Saguaro National Park Don Swann is a biologist at Saguaro National Park, Tucson, Arizona, where he has worked for more than 20 years. He has an MS in Wildlife and Fisheries from University of Arizona. Don’s projects include collaborative research and long-term monitoring of saguaros, desert tortoises, mammals using wildlife cameras, and …
February 19, 2013: Implementing the Mexican spotted owl revised recovery plan: Conducting fire management in owl habitat
Presenters: Bill Block (USFS RMRS) and Shaula Hedwall (USFWS) The Mexican Spotted Owl Recovery Plan, First Revision, was released on December 17, 2012. The Recovery Team used the best available science to delineate actions we think are required to recover and protect the owl. This Recovery Plan presents realistic and attainable goals for recovering the …
May 18, 2011: Fuels Treatment Practices for Mixed Conifer Forests in the Southwest
Presenter: Alexander Evans (Forest Guild) The webinar covered the guide’s definition of mixed conifer, past land use and management activities, fire regimes and historic conditions, and impact of altered fire regimes in mixed conifer forests of the southwest. Since Euro-American settlement, many mixed conifer forests have become more homogeneous and can therefore facilitate larger, higher-severity …
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