Longleaf Pine Seedlings Are Extremely Resilient to the Combined Effects of Experimental Fire and Drought

Wilson, Luke A.; Spencer, Robert N.; Aubrey, Doug P.; O’Brien, Joseph J.; Smith, Alistair M. S.; Thomas, Ream W.; Johnson, Daniel M.

doi:10.3390/fire5050128

Longleaf Pine Seedlings Are Extremely Resilient to the Combined Effects of Experimental Fire and Drought

Journal Article · Sat Aug 27 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Fire

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/fire5050128· OSTI ID:1884341

Wilson, Luke A.; Spencer, Robert N.; Aubrey, Doug P.; O’Brien, Joseph J.; ; Thomas, Ream W.;

The longleaf pine ecosystem is dependent on frequent fire. Climate change is expected to influence moisture availability and it is unclear how drought conditions may interact with prescribed fire to influence management objectives associated with maintaining longleaf pine ecosystems. This study aimed to understand the impacts of drought, fire intensity and their interaction on P. palustris grass-stage seedlings. We used droughted and well-watered P. palustris seedlings burned at two different fire intensity levels at an indoor combustion facility. Needle fuel moisture content of burned seedlings was not different between droughted and well-watered groups. Mortality and resprouting only occurred at fire intensity levels exceeding 3.5 MJ m−2 in combination with drought that resulted in predawn water potentials more negative than −1.7 MPa. Our observations of minimal mortality after exposing P. palustris seedlings to a range of fire intensities in a burn lab contrast the higher mortality observed in field studies for the species. Compared to seedlings and saplings of Western US Pinus species, this study demonstrates that P. palustris is considerably more resistant to the combined effects of high surface fire intensity and drought.

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Research Organization:: Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)

Grant/Contract Number:: EM0004391

OSTI ID:: 1884341

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2422475

Journal Information:: Fire, Journal Name: Fire Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 5; ISSN 2571-6255

Publisher:: MDPI AGCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: Switzerland

Language:: English

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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Pinus palustris
grass stage
prescribed fire
recovery
transpiration
water potential

Longleaf Pine Seedlings Are Extremely Resilient to the Combined Effects of Experimental Fire and Drought

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References (32)

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