As the climate gets warmer, many forests are feeling the heat. Impacts range from increased forest fire hazards and tree mortality to detrimental beetle outbreaks and alterations to leaf abundance and bloom. Persistent warming can lead to chronic stress on forest trees, resulting in higher sensitivity to fire-induced damage. So, there may be ongoing increases in fire severity (the number of trees killed), even when there is no change in fire intensity (the amount of heat released during a fire). Phil van Mantgem (USGS, Redwood Field Station) presented a webinar on July 31, 2013 describing results of a study that examined this topic by synthesizing existing information from plot-based prescribed fire monitoring databases across the western United States of America. This webinar was hosted by the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center, the Joint Fire Science Program, and the International Association of Wildland Fire.
Aug 6, 2013
Phillip J. van Mantgem
Fire Ecology, Insects & Disease, Fire & Climate