Managing Post-Fire, Climate-Induced Vegetation Transitions

Warmer, drier and longer fire seasons in the Northwest have led to larger and more frequent wildfires. These changes in fire activity, combined with warmer and drier post-fire conditions, have in turn led to growing concern that in some areas of the Northwest, particularly in forests and shrublands east of the Cascade Range, existing plant communities may face difficulty regrowing and persisting following fire. Some of these communities may ultimately transition to different vegetation types - for example, from forests or shrublands to grasslands - impacting the ecological, economic and cultural services provided by these ecosystems. In this webinar, Northwest CASC supported researchers will present a review of current knowledge and practice around the emerging climate impact of post-fire vegetation transitions in the Northwest. This synthesis is the result of a working group process that convened natural resource managers and scientists from Northwest Tribes, universities, the non-profit and private sectors, and federal, state and local governments to collaboratively review what is currently known (and unknown) about managing climate-driven, post-fire vegetation transitions in the Northwest.