Establishment of a Long-Term Fire Salvage Study in an Interior Ponderosa Pine Forest

Abstract

An experiment designed to evaluate the treatment effects of salvaging merchantable fire-killed trees on surface fuels and regeneration was established after a wildfire in northeastern California. The study was then monitored for 10 years. Surface fuel accumulations were rapid, corresponding with a high rate of snag decay and subsequent breakage or windthrow. Pine snags retained exhibited the fastest rates of breakage and transition to surface fuels, while white fir and incense-cedar were much more stable for the duration of this study. Natural regeneration observed following salvage was scarce and did not appear to be related to treatment. Similarly, artificial regeneration, although highly variable between treatment units, both in terms of growth and survival, was not related to salvage treatment.