Abstract
AbstractWe characterized historical fire regimes in Pinus palustris (longleaf pine) forests of southern Mississippi with regard to global and regional coupled climate systems (e.g., El Niño–Southern Oscillation) and past human activity. The composite fire chronology spanned 1756–2013 with 132 individual scars representing 89 separate fire events. The mean fire interval was 2.9 yr, and mean intervals were significantly different between identified time periods (e.g., settlement period vs. management period). Evidence of biannual fire activity (up to three fires occurring within a 12‐ to 15‐month period) was found coeval with a peak in livestock grazing and logging from the 1850s through the 1880s. Connections were also found between historical fire and Pacific climate variability (e.g., El Niño–Southern Oscillation and Pacific Decadal Oscillation; P < 0.05), yet the fire–climate linkage was likely at least partially masked by substantial human land use activities over the past several centuries. Coupled climate and human land use activity controlled the historical fire regime over the past ca. 240 yr. Although the many fire adaptions of P. palustris yield limitations in tree‐ring‐based fire history studies (e.g., thick bark), we highlight the efficacy of considering the height at which fire scars are analyzed along the bole as a way to glean a more accurate depiction of historical fire occurrence, especially in ecosystems characterized by a frequent, low‐severity fire regime. This study suggests growing‐season fire prescribed at a 2‐ to 3‐yr interval would be the first step toward simulating historical landscape conditions and fire activity, should that be the goal by land managers.
Highlights
The historical range of Pinus palustris Mill. in the southeast United States covered approximately 37 million ha (Frost 2006), but only approximately 1.3 million ha remain (Oswalt et al 2012)
The Gulf Coast region is understudied in terms of dendrochronology relative to other subregions of the southeast United States, and this research represents a first step in understanding the interactions between climate, land use, and fire that have shaped the P. palustris landscape in southern Mississippi
The P. palustris ecosystem has developed under a frequent fire regime; this species is characterized by a number of fire adaptations, including rapid height growth, long needles that shield the apical meristem during grass stage, and thick bark
Summary
The historical range of Pinus palustris Mill. in the southeast United States covered approximately 37 million ha (Frost 2006), but only approximately 1.3 million ha remain (Oswalt et al 2012). In the southeast United States covered approximately 37 million ha (Frost 2006), but only approximately 1.3 million ha remain (Oswalt et al 2012). palustris forests across the southeast United States. The relationship between wildfire regimes and climatic factors on global and regional scales has been documented through many studies (e.g., Swetnam and Betancourt 1990, 1998, Kitz berger et al 2001, 2007, Heyerdahl et al 2002, Schoennagel et al 2005, Taylor and Beaty 2005). The relationship between global ocean–atmosphere oscillations is more apparent in the western United States Fire–climate relationships were reported for Virginia (Lafon et al 2005, Aldrich et al 2010, 2014, Flatley et al 2011), West Virginia (Lynch and Hessl 2010), Tennessee (Flatley et al 2011, 2013), Florida (e.g., Brenner 1991, Jones et al 1999, Harrison and Meindl 2001, Prestemon et al 2002, Beckage and Platt 2003, Beckage et al 2003, Goodrick and Hanley 2009, Slocum et al 2010), Arkansas (Guyette et al 2006), and Louisiana (Stambaugh et al 2011)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
