Publications
The USGS fire science mission is to produce and deliver the best available scientific information, tools, and products to support land and emergency management by individuals and organizations at all levels. Below are USGS publications associated with our fire science portfolio.
Filter Total Items: 333
Drivers and mechanisms of tree mortality in moist tropical forests Drivers and mechanisms of tree mortality in moist tropical forests
Tree mortality rates appear to be increasing in moist tropical forests (MTFs) with significant carbon cycle consequences. Here, we review the state of knowledge regarding MTF tree mortality, create a conceptual framework with testable hypotheses regarding the drivers, mechanisms and interactions that may underlie increasing MTF mortality rates, and identify the next steps for improved
Authors
Nate G. McDowell, Craig D. Allen, Kristina Anderson‐Teixeira, Paulo M. Brando, Roel Brienen, Jeff Chambers, Brad Christoffersen, Stuart J. Davies, Chris Doughty, Alvaro Duque, Fernando Espirito-Santo, Rosie A. Fisher, Clarissa G. Fontes, David Galbraith, Devin Goodsman, Charlotte Grossiord, Henrik Hartmann, Jennifer Holm, Daniel J. Johnson, Abd. Rahman Kassim, Michael Keller, Charles Koven, Lara Kueppers, Tomo’omi Kumagai, Yadvinder Malhi, Sean M. McMahon, Maurizio Mencuccini, Patrick Meir, Paul R. Moorcroft, Helene C. Muller-Landau, Oliver L. Phillips, Thomas M. Powell, Carlos A. Sierra, John Sperry, Jeff Warren, Chonggang Xu, Xiangtao Xu
Climate change and future wildfire in the western USA: An ecological approach to nonstationarity Climate change and future wildfire in the western USA: An ecological approach to nonstationarity
We developed ecologically based climate‐fire projections for the western United States. Using a finer ecological classification and fire‐relevant climate predictors, we created statistical models linking climate and wildfire area burned for ecosections, which are geographic delineations based on biophysical variables. The results indicate a gradient from purely fuel‐limited (antecedent...
Authors
Jeremy S. Littell, Donald McKenzie, Ho Yi Wan, Samuel A. Cushman
Quantifying variance across spatial scales as part of fire regime classifications Quantifying variance across spatial scales as part of fire regime classifications
The emergence of large‐scale fire classifications and products informed by remote sensing data has enabled opportunities to include variability or heterogeneity as part of modern fire regime classifications. Currently, basic fire metrics such as mean fire return intervals are calculated without considering spatial variance in a management context. Fire return intervals are also only...
Authors
Scholtz Rheinhardt, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, Sherry A. Leis, Joshua J. Picotte, Dirac Twidwell
Influence of landscape structure, topography, and forest type on spatial variation in historical fire regimes, central Oregon, USA Influence of landscape structure, topography, and forest type on spatial variation in historical fire regimes, central Oregon, USA
Context In the interior Northwest, debate over restoring mixed-conifer forests after a century of fire exclusion is hampered by poor understanding of the pattern and causes of spatial variation in historical fire regimes. Objectives To identify the roles of topography, landscape structure, and forest type in driving spatial variation in historical fire regimes in mixed-conifer forests of
Authors
Andrew Merschel, Emily K. Heyerdahl, Thomas A. Spies, Rachel A. Loehman
High latitude Southern Hemisphere fire history during the mid-late Holocene (750- 6000 yr BP) High latitude Southern Hemisphere fire history during the mid-late Holocene (750- 6000 yr BP)
We determined the specific biomass burning biomarker levoglucosan in an ice core from the TALos Dome Ice CorE drilling project (TALDICE) during the mid- to late Holocene (6000–750 BP). The levoglucosan record is characterized by a long-term increase with higher rates starting at ∼ 4000 BP and peaks between 2500 and 1500 BP. The anomalous increase in levoglucosan centered at ∼ 2000 BP...
Authors
Dario Battistel, Natalie M. Kehrwald, Piero Zennaro, Giuseppe Pellegrino, Elena Barbaro, Roberta Zangrando, Xanthi X. Pedeli, Cristiano Varin, Andrea Spolaor, Paul T. Vallelonga, Andrea Gambaro, Carlo Barbante
Mean composite fire severity metrics computed with Google Earth Engine offer improved accuracy and expanded mapping potential Mean composite fire severity metrics computed with Google Earth Engine offer improved accuracy and expanded mapping potential
Landsat-based fire severity datasets are an invaluable resource for monitoring and research purposes. These gridded fire severity datasets are generally produced with pre-and post-fire imagery to estimate the degree of fire-induced ecological change. Here, we introduce methods to produce three Landsat-based fire severity metrics using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform: the delta...
Authors
Sean Parks, Lisa M. Holsinger, Morgan Voss, Rachel A. Loehman, Nathaniel P. Robinson
Fire and invasive plants Fire and invasive plants
No abstract available.
Authors
Robert C. Klinger, Matthew L. Brooks, John M. Randall
Long-term effects of fire and harvest on carbon stocks of boreal forests in northeastern China Long-term effects of fire and harvest on carbon stocks of boreal forests in northeastern China
Context Boreal forests represent about one third of forest area and one third of forest carbon stocks on the Earth. Carbon stocks of boreal forests are sensitive to climate change, natural disturbances, and human activities. Aims The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of fire, harvest, and their spatial interactions on boreal forest carbon stocks of northeastern China...
Authors
Chao Huang, Hong S. He, Yu Liang, Zhiwei Wu, Todd Hawbaker, Peng Gong, Zhiliang Zhu
burnr: Fire history analysis and graphics in R burnr: Fire history analysis and graphics in R
We developed a new software package, burnr, for fire history analysis and plotting in the Rstatistical programming environment. It was developed for tree-ring fire-scar analysis, but is broadly applicable to other event analyses (e.g., avalanches, frost rings, or culturally modified trees). Our new package can read, write, and manipulate standard tree-ring fire history FHX files, produce...
Authors
Steven B. Malevich, Christopher H. Guiterman, Ellis Margolis
Wildland–urban interface residents’ relationships with wildfire: Variation within and across communities Wildland–urban interface residents’ relationships with wildfire: Variation within and across communities
Social science offers rich descriptions of relationships between wildland–urban interface residents and wildfire, but syntheses across different contexts might gloss over important differences. We investigate the potential extent of such differences using data collected consistently in sixty-eight Colorado communities and hierarchical modeling. We find substantial variation across...
Authors
James Meldrum, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Patricia A. Champ, Lilia C. Falk, Pamela Wilson, Christopher M. Barth
Remote sensing analysis of vegetation at the San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona and surrounding area Remote sensing analysis of vegetation at the San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona and surrounding area
Mapping of vegetation types is of great importance to the San Carlos Apache Tribe and their management of forestry and fire fuels. Various remote sensing techniques were applied to classify multitemporal Landsat 8 satellite data, vegetation index, and digital elevation model data. A multitiered unsupervised classification generated over 900 classes that were then recoded to one of the 16
Authors
Laura M. Norman, Barry R. Middleton, Natalie R. Wilson
Post-fire redistribution of soil carbon and nitrogen at a grassland-shrubland ecotone Post-fire redistribution of soil carbon and nitrogen at a grassland-shrubland ecotone
The rapid conversion of grasslands into shrublands has been observed in many arid and semiarid regions worldwide. Studies have shown that fire can provide certain forms of reversibility for shrub-grass transition due to resource homogenization and shrub mortality, especially in the early stages of shrub encroachment. Field-level post-fire soil resource redistribution has rarely been...
Authors
Guan Wang, Junran Li, Sujith Ravi, David Dukes, Howell B. Gonzales, Joel B. Sankey