Displaying 1 - 10 of 197
Background
Effective forest fuel reduction treatments reduce hazardous fuel conditions, wildfire behavior and severity. It has been suggested and partially quantitatively analyzed that these treatments may also reduce future wildfire emissions, but this potential is…
Reduced fire frequency is recognized as a main cause of piñon–juniper (Pinus–Juniperus L.) expansion in western North American sagebrush steppe and grasslands. Piñon–juniper woodland control using prescribed fire and mechanical treatments have increased the past three decades with the…
Giant sequoias are the most massive individual trees on earth, and among the longest-lived. They also have a limited distribution, covering ~10,000 ha across ~70 distinct groves. Severe wildfires in 2020 and 2021 impacted 82% of the range, killing…
This study investigates the key drivers influencing prescribed fire effects across 16 sites in northern and central California, with particular emphasis on how operational decisions by fire practitioners shape burn outcomes. Data from the California Prescribed Fire Monitoring Program revealed…
Restoring fire in fire-adapted ecosystems is necessary to curtail woody plant expansion, enhance biodiversity, and reduce wildfire risks, yet prescribed fire is promoted less by federal agencies…
Increasing wildfire area burned has left millions of hectares in the western United States (US) in need of reforestation. Recent federal legislation allows for increased investments in tree planting to address the backlog of planting needs in previously…
We examined vegetation diversity, structure, and composition on and off fuel breaks established during a 2013 wildfire in California chaparral shrublands. Vegetation was sampled 8 years following the fire to identify any persistent changes in structure or…
United States wilderness areas face increasing challenges from altered fire regimes and climate change, and land managers face ever more complex decisions about fire use. While federal policies permit various fire management strategies in wilderness,…
Since the late 1800s, the US government has largely removed Indigenous fire stewardship practices from the landscape by implementing a top-down fire suppression system that criminalized traditional fire practices and denaturalized the role of fire in forested…
Restoring a low-intensity, frequent-fire regime in fire-prone forests offers a promising natural climate solution. Management interventions that include prescribed fire and/or mechanical treatments have effectively reduced fire hazards in the Western United States, yet concerns remain regarding…