Snag longevity and surface fuel accumulation following post-fire logging in a ponderosa pine dominated forest

Abstract

In a study of post-fire logging effects over an 8year period at Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest, salvage logging was conducted at varying levels of intensity after a 2002 wildfire event. In a designed experiment, harvest prescriptions with snag retention levels ranging from 0% to 100% in 15 experimental units were installed. Observations of standing snags and surface fuels were made 2, 4, 6, and 8years after the fire. Fire-killed snags fell rapidly over time, leading to elevated surface fuel levels in areas where no salvage logging was done. The 1000h and larger surface fuels were strongly related with basal area retention level, with values ranging from 0–60Mgha−1 by year eight. However, when expressed as a percent of standing retained biomass, surface fuel accumulation was not related to treatment. In year 8, surface fuel was 81% of retained bole biomass. The retention of snags after this wildfire event provided snags for wildlife foraging and nesting habitat, however most of these snags were lost within 8years after the fire. White fir snags were more stable than pine and appeared to be used with greater frequency than pine for cavity excavation.