Vegetation response to restoration treatments in ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir forests of western Montana
Metlen, Kerry L.; Dodson, Erich K.; Fiedler, Carl E. 2006. Research Project Summary: Vegetation response to restoration treatments in ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir forests of western Montana. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://research.fs.usda.gov/feis/fire-studies/metlen-et-al-2006
The study site is located at the University of Montana's Lubrecht Experimental Forest (46°53' N, 113°26' W), Missoula County, Montana, USA. This study is 1 of 13 in a nationwide network of Fire/Fire Surrogate (FFS) studies investigating the interdisciplinary effects of treatments designed to reduce fire hazard and restore the structure and function of fire-adapted forests.
Site Description
The mean yearly temperature at Lubrecht forest is 45 °F, and mean annual precipitation is 22 inches - nearly half falling as snow [7]. The Lubrecht study employed a randomized block design, with 3 blocks and 4 treatments (control, burn-only, thin-only, and thin-burn). Three, 90-acre blocks were delineated in moderately dense ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir forests on gentle to moderate slopes within 2.5 miles proximity. Each block was divided into 4 square treatment units of 22-acres each, with 1 replicate of each treatment in each block. Existing firebreaks predetermined the assignment of 1 burn treatment in 2 blocks; all other treatments were assigned randomly. A 6 × 6 grid of reference points (36 total) at 164-foot intervals was permanently established in each treatment unit. Site characteristics are summarized by block and treatment in the following table:
| Treatment | Block | Elevation (feet) | Aspect (degrees) | Slope (degrees) | Habitat type* [8] | Soil series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control | 1 | 4313 | 125 | 13 | PSME/VACA | Winkler |
| Control | 2 | 4137 | 75 | 5 | PSME/VACA | Tevis-Mitten |
| Control | 3 | 4097 | 59 | 5 | PSME/VACA | Bignell |
| Burn-only | 1 | 4415 | 127 | 10 | PSME/VACA | Winkler |
| Burn-only | 2 | 4215 | 336 | 5 | PSME/VACA | Tevis-Mitten |
| Burn-only | 3 | 4147 | 303 | 5 | PSME/VACA | Bignell |
| Thin-only | 1 | 4270 | 138 | 9 | PSME/VACA | Winkler |
| Thin-only | 2 | 4156 | 3 | 8 | PSME/VACA | Tevis-Mitten |
| Thin-only | 3 | 4127 | 98 | 8 | PSME/VACA | Bignell |
| Thin-burn | 1 | 4457 | 123 | 10 | PSME/SPBE | Winkler |
| Thin-burn | 2 | 4274 | 11 | 8 | PSME/VACA | Tevis-Mitten |
| Thin-burn | 3 | 4084 | 263 | 7 | PSME/VACA | Bignell |
| *PSME=Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca, SPBE=Spiraea betulifolia, VACA=Vaccinium caespitosum | ||||||
This study occurs in the following vegetation classifications:
Ecosystems:
- FRES21 Ponderosa pine
- FRES20 Douglas-fir [3]
Kuchler Plant Associations:
- K011 Western ponderosa forest [5]
SAF Cover Types:
- 237 Interior ponderosa pine
- 212 Western larch
- 210 Interior Douglas-fir [2]
The research stands were primarily ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir in composition, with scattered western larch and lodgepole pine. Measured in basal area, species composition of the pretreatment stands was approximately 60% seral species (primarily ponderosa pine) and 40% shade-tolerant Douglas-fir. These stands regenerated following heavy harvesting in the early 1900s, in which nearly all merchantable-sized trees were removed. Most 2nd-growth trees were ~90 years old, with scattered clumps of regeneration and occasional trees >200 years old. All treatment areas had uneven-aged diameter distributions prior to treatment, with individual tree diameters ranging from 4 inches to 27 inches diameter at breast height (DBH). Typical of ponderosa forests in the region, the study area has been subject to moderate grazing over the last 100 years.
Regeneration of shade-tolerant Douglas-fir was abundant in the understory, while the most abundant undergrowth species included heartleaf arnica, white spirea, common snowberry, pinegrass, and Geyer's sedge.
Vegetation was sampled on modified Whittaker plots randomly located at 10 of the 36 reference points in each unit. Each 66 foot x 164 foot (0.25-acre) Whittaker plot was subdivided into ten, 33-foot × 33-foot (0.025-acre) subplots with two 3.3 foot × 3.3 foot (0.00025-acre) quadrats in opposite corners of each subplot. We identified all understory species on each 0.25-acre plot and sampled DBH of all trees >4 inches DBH. Saplings (trees >4.5 feet tall but <4.0 inches DBH) were tallied in five randomly selected 0.025-acre subplots within each plot. Twelve of the twenty quadrats (0.00025-acre) in each plot were randomly selected to sample understory richness and cover. All sampling locations were permanently marked with metal stakes to ensure accurate plot relocation in future sampling years.
Plant Phenology
Burns conducted in the spring coincide well with typical low-elevation prescribed underburning in western Montana. When the 1st broadcast burn was implemented in early May, buds were swelling in the overstory trees and the understory vegetation was just beginning to "greenup." The last burn (conducted in late June) was outside the normal spring burning season with significant "greenup," new conifer foliage extensively elongated, and many species in full flower.
Restoration treatments were designed to initiate the long-term process of moving stand density, structure, and species composition toward historical conditions, and to reduce the potential for stand-replacing fire. The objective of burning in the thin-burn treatment was to reduce the unnaturally high surface fuel loads resulting from the thinning operation while causing minimal overstory mortality. The objective of the burn-only treatment was to reduce the amount and continuity of canopy fuels and inflict significant tree mortality, especially in small and medium size classes. While pretreatment surface fuel loads were relatively modest, abundant canopy fuels precluded accomplishing long-term fuel reduction and stand structure objectives with a single burn. Burn prescriptions (see table below) were designed to balance concerns for safety, control, and fire behavior with the desire to restore historical structure and function to the forest.
| General burn prescription parameters. | |
|---|---|
| Air temperature | 55-80 °F |
| Relative humidity (RH) | 20-45% |
| Midflame wind speed | 0-8 mph |
| Maximum gusts | 12 mph |
| 1-Hr fuel moisture | 6-12% |
| 10-Hr fuel moisture | 8-18% |
| 100-Hr fuel moisture | 12-20% |
| 1000-Hr fuel moisture | 50-100% |
| Duff moisture | 40-80% |
The restoration cutting prescription set an average target reserve basal area of 48 feet²/acre. Target stand structures were uneven-aged, with a long-term goal of one-half to two-thirds of the basal area in trees >20 inches DBH. Target species composition over the long-term is >90% basal area composition of ponderosa pine.
Units receiving cutting treatments were leave-tree marked. Low thinning removed most pole-sized trees (ladder fuels), improvement cutting removed most shade-tolerant Douglas-fir from the mid- and upper canopy, and selection cutting reduced overall stand density enough to induce regeneration of shade-intolerant ponderosa pine. A cut-to-length system was used to cut and limb trees on site, leaving nonmerchantable materials in place as a buffer between logging equipment and the soil. Merchantable timber was transported from the stand to a landing area using rubber-tired forwarders. This harvest system, coupled with winter logging, resulted in no significant soil compaction or exposed mineral soil [4].
Prescribed burning was initiated in all burn units using strip headfires to control fire intensity. Firing was slow in the thin-burn units to minimize overstory damage, but was increased in the burn-only units to induce tree mortality. Variation in weather conditions among burn days and in the volume and spatial distribution of fuels within each 22-acre unit led to variation in fire behavior among and within the 6 burn units:
| Treatment | Burn-only | Thin-burn | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Wind speed (mph) | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 2-5 | 4-8 | 3-6 | |
| Relative humidity range (%) | 35-46 | 26-48 | 20-41 | 28-42 | 27-45 | 20-29 | |
| Temperature range (°F) | 48-53 | 67-85 | 67-83 | 53-56 | 57-64 | 64-80 | |
| Flame length (feet) | Nonslash | 1-4 | 0.5-2 | 0.5-2 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0.5-1 |
| Slash | NA | NA | NA | 3-9 | 2-9 | 2-8 | |
| Flame depth (feet) | Nonslash | 2-6 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-2 |
| Slash | NA | NA | NA | 4-10 | 3-10 | 4-10 | |
| Fine fuels* consumed (%) | 56 | 58 | 40 | 71 | 66 | 71 | |
| Fine fuels* consumed (tons/acre) | 1.3 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 6.5 | 6.7 | 9.9 | |
| Duff (Oe, Oa) consumed (%) | 17.4 | 13.3 | 2 | 14.2 | 10.4 | 14.4 | |
| *Fine fuels diameter <3 inches | |||||||
Fire Season/Severity Classification
All 6 burns (3 in thinned units; 3 in unthinned units) were implemented in the spring of 2002 and were generally of low to moderate severity. Each 22-acre burn was completed in a single day. Silvicultural cuttings ("thinnings") were conducted in the winter of 2000/2001 over snow-covered soil. The following table contains treatment dates and burn severity (measured as degree of ground char).
| Treatment | Block | Burn date | Harvest date | Area of a given burn severity* (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Low | Moderate | High | ||||
| Burn-only | 1 | 5/15/2002 | NA | 40 | 54 | 4 | 2 |
| Burn-only | 2 | 6/25/2002 | NA | 39 | 35 | 13 | 13 |
| Burn-only | 3 | 6/14/2002 | NA | 31 | 66 | 2 | 1 |
| Thin-only | 1 | NA | 3/01 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Thin-only | 2 | NA | 2/01 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Thin-only | 3 | NA | 2/01 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Thin-and-burn | 1 | 5/1/2002 | 2/01 | 34 | 47 | 16 | 3 |
| Thin-and-burn | 2 | 6/6/2002 | 1/01 | 48 | 37 | 11 | 4 |
| Thin-and-burn | 3 | 5/31/2002 | 2/01 | 15 | 65 | 17 | 3 |
| *Burn severity: None = No duff burned, Low = Partial duff burned, Moderate = Most/all duff burned, High = All duff and much woody fuel burned | |||||||
Our "low," "moderate," and "high" burn severity categories correspond well to Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) severity classifications "lightly," "moderately," and "heavily" burned, respectively. Some of our low-severity areas fell under the BAER "scorch" category, but burn prescriptions were conducted under conditions such that these instances were limited.
Fire Effects on Plant Community
All variables are presented as untransformed values. Statistical tests were conducted on both pretreatment and change (posttreatment-pretreatment) data and P-values <0.05 were considered significant. Sapling density was significantly reduced by all active treatments, with the greatest reduction in the thin-burn treatment [6]. Restoration cutting resulted in significant overstory density reductions and achieved target basal areas to the nearest 0.5 feet ²/acre (averaged across the 22-acre units). Subsequent wind- and burning-related mortality further reduced overstory density and accentuated patchiness, particularly in the thin-burn treatments. Cutting increased proportional basal area composition of seral tree species (from about 60% to 75%). Density of trees and saplings before treatment and in 2003 (1 year after burning/2 years after harvest) are summarized in the following table:
| Density measure | Year | Control | Burn-only | Thin-only | Thin-burn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saplings/acre | Prefire | 805 | 881 | 537 | 425 |
| 2003 | 929 | 530 | 428 | 58 | |
| Trees/acre | Prefire | 163 | 179 | 158 | 143 |
| 2003 | 161 | 166 | 61 | 55 | |
| Basal area (feet ²/acre) | Prefire | 104 | 99 | 89 | 91 |
| 2003 | 103 | 94 | 48 | 42 |
Understory richness increased significantly more in the thin-only and thin-burn treatments than in the burn-only and control. Forb and nonnative species richness increased more in all active treatments, particularly the thin-burn, than in the control. Native species richness increased significantly in the 2 treatments that included cutting. Mean plot-scale (0.25-acre) richness for all species (total), native species, nonnative species, graminoids, forbs, shrubs, and trees are summarized in the following table by treatment and year, with 1 standard error in parentheses. Letters represent significant differences between treatments, within years. See Metlen and Fiedler [6] for methods and details about richness and cover at the smaller spatial scale (0.00025-acre).
| Plot-scale richness | Year | Control | Burn-only | Thin-only | Thin-burn | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Prefire | 36.3 (1.3) | 34.5 (3.9) | 37.3 (2.3) | 36.1 (3.1) | 0.606 |
| 2004 | 57.3 (2.7)a | 59.7 (7.1)ab | 66.2 (4.1)bc | 68.6 (7.7)c | 0.024* | |
| Natives | Prefire | 34.1 (0.6) | 32.9 (3.2) | 34.8 (1.7) | 33.5 (2.0) | 0.632 |
| 2004 | 52.8 (1.8)a | 53.7 (5.2)ab | 59.3 (3.0)b | 58.4 (5.1)b | 0.036* | |
| Exotics | Prefire | 2.2 (0.7) | 1.6 (0.8) | 2.3 (0.7) | 2.6 (1.1) | 0.440 |
| 2004 | 4.4 (0.9)a | 5.9 (2.0)b | 6.9 (1.1)b | 10.2 (2.7)c | 0.040* | |
| Graminoids | Prefire | 6.1 (0.2) | 5.4 (0.4) | 6.8 (0.5) | 6.9 (0.5) | 0.013* |
| 2004 | 12.5 (1.6) | 11.6 (2.1) | 14.0 (1.1) | 14.1 (2.0) | 0.211 | |
| Forbs | Prefire | 20.7 (1.2) | 20.2 (2.6) | 19.5 (1.5) | 18.8 (2.3) | 0.510 |
| 2004 | 33.9 (1.5)a | 38.1 (4.3)b | 39.6 (1.9)b | 43.7 (5.8)c | 0.021* | |
| Shrubs | Prefire | 7.5 (0.6) | 6.8 (1.0) | 8.7 (1.1) | 8.1 (1.1) | 0.060 |
| 2004 | 8.8 (0.9) | 7.9 (0.8) | 10.2 (1.3) | 8.5 (1.5) | 0.162 | |
| Tree seedlings | Prefire | 2.0 (0.1) | 2.1 (0.3) | 2.3 (0.2) | 2.3 (0.4) | 0.635 |
| 2004 | 2.1 (0.0) | 2.2 (0.1) | 2.4 (0.2) | 2.3 (0.3) | 0.920 | |
| *P < 0.05 | ||||||
Richness of graminoids, shrubs, and tree seedlings was unchanged by treatment. However, broad life form groups can disguise the response of individual species. Species that were strongly affected by treatments were identified using indicator species analysis [1] contrasting treatments within years. Burning treatments created microsites suitable for colonization by seed-dispersed species and increased vigor resulting in greater cover of many sprouting perennial species. Similarly, many species responded to cutting by spreading via rhizomes or stolons. The following table displays species with significant indicator values (P<0.05), their generalized individual responses to treatments, and the observed mechanism for response in this study.
| Common name | Latin name | Treatment response | Response mechanism | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burn-only | Thin-only | Thin-Burn | |||
| common yarrow | Achillea millefolium | None | Increase | Increase | Seeds, rhizomes, increased vigor |
| rough bentgrass | Agrostis scabra | None | Increase | Increase | Seeds, increased vigor |
| Holboell's rockcress | Arabis holboellii | None | None | Increase | Seeds |
| kinnikinnick | Arctostaphylos uva-ursi | None | Increase | None | Stolons, increased vigor |
| pinegrass | Calamagrostis rubescens | None | Increase | Increase | Rhizomes, seeds, increased vigor |
| musk thistle | Carduus nutans | None | None | Increase | Seeds |
| Ross' sedge | Carex rossii | None | None | Increase | Seeds, increased vigor |
| fireweed | Chamerion angustifolium | Increase | None | Increase | Seeds |
| Canada thistle | Cirsium arvense | None | None | Increase | Seeds, rhizomes |
| bull thistle | Cirsium vulgare | Increase | Increase | Increase | Seeds, increased vigor |
| miner's-lettuce | Claytonia perfoliata | None | None | Increase | Seeds |
| blue-eyed Mary | Collinsia parviflora | Increase | None | Increase | Seeds, increased vigor |
| quill cryptantha | Cryptantha affinis | None | None | Increase | Seeds |
| houndstongue | Cynoglossum officinale | None | Increase | Increase | Seeds |
| mountain tansymustard | Descurainia incana | None | None | Increase | Seeds |
| shooting star | Dodecatheon pulchellum | Increase | Increase | None | Seeds, increased vigor |
| tall annual willowherb | Epilobium brachycarpum | Increase | Increase | Increase | Seeds |
| glaucus willowherb | Epilobium glaberrimum | None | Increase | Increase | Seeds |
| spreading fleabane | Erigeron divergens | None | None | Increase | Seeds |
| deceptive groundsmoke | Gayophytum decipiens | None | None | Increase | Seeds |
| autumn dwarf gentian | Gentianella amarella | None | Increase | Increase | Seeds |
| rattlesnake plantain | Goodyera oblongifolia | None | Decrease | Decrease | Shade-adapted |
| houndstounge hawkweed | Hieracium cynoglossoides | None | None | Decrease | Burn mortality |
| Rocky Mountain juniper | Juniperus scopulorum | None | None | Decrease | Burn mortality |
| prairie Junegrass | Koeleria macrantha | None | None | Increase | Seeds, increased vigor |
| prickly lettuce | Lactuca serriola | Increase | None | Increase | Seeds |
| western larch seedlings | Larix occidentalis | None | None | Increase | Seeds |
| field cottonrose | Logfia arvensis | Increase | Increase | Increase | Seeds |
| nodding microceris | Microseris nutans | Increase | None | None | Seeds |
| narrowleaf minerslettuce | Montia linearis | None | None | Increase | Seeds |
| Columbia ponderosa pine seedlings | Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa | Decrease | None | Decrease | Burn mortality |
| prostrate knotweed | Polygonum aviculare | None | None | Increase | Seeds |
| selfheal | Prunella vulgaris | None | None | Increase | Seeds |
| Wright's cudweed | Pseudognaphalium canescens | Increase | None | Increase | Seeds |
| Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir seedlings | Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca | Decrease | None | Decrease | Burn mortality |
| sheep sorrel | Rumex acetosella | None | None | Increase | Seeds |
| wormleaf stonecrop | Sedum stenopetalum | None | None | Decrease | Burn mortality |
| prairie goldenrod | Solidago missouriensis | None | Increase | None | Rhizomes, seeds |
| Rocky Mountain goldenrod | Solidago multiradiata | Increase | Increase | Increase | Rhizomes, seeds |
| common dandelion | Taraxacum officinale | None | None | Increase | Seeds |
| yellow salsify | Tragopogon dubius | None | Increase | Increase | Seeds |
| clover | Trifolium spp. | None | None | Increase | Stolons, seeds |
| dwarf huckleberry | Vaccinium caespitosum | None | Increase | None | Rhizomes |
| common mullein | Verbascum thapsus | Increase | Increase | Increase | Seeds |
Coniferous regeneration (<4.5 feet tall) was virtually eliminated from 0.00025-acre quadrats but was still present on 0.25-acre plots. Despite a significant reduction in seedling density at the small scale, regeneration maintained a broad-scale presence similar to that described historically (dispersed and patchy). Western larch regeneration increased significantly in the thin-burn treatment compared to the control, reflecting an adaptation for postfire establishment. Many locally rare, disturbance-adapted understory species also became more abundant after treatment, especially in the thin-burn. While abundance of most species was initially reduced by burning, 2 years after treatment abundance of most species in active treatments was equal or greater than that in the control. The following linked files provide cover and frequencies (by treatment) of all successfully identified species before treatment and in 2004 (2 years after burning and 3 years after harvest):
The thin-burn treatment resulted in conditions most similar to those described historically, with significantly reduced conifer sapling density and increased native understory richness and abundance of individual species. This treatment was also associated with the most negative aspect of restoration--nonnative species invasion [6].
The majority of understory species at this site were resilient to restoration treatments, especially when given several growing seasons to respond. Many native species that were locally rare prior to treatment benefited from active restoration treatments, especially the thin-burn. However, nonnative species responded similarly and may require specific management strategies to limit their establishment and spread following treatments intended to benefit natives.
Further monitoring will be necessary to determine long-term community trends. However, after 3 years of response, restoration treatments show promise for favoring disturbance-adapted native species, particularly locally rare and short-lived species that may have declined in ponderosa pine forests during a century of fire exclusion.
All active treatments successfully reduced some component of hazardous fuels: surface, crown, or both. Surface fuel accumulations were reduced in all size classes by the burn-only treatment. Although thinning increased fuel loads in the litter+1-hour, 10-hour, and 100-hour classes, burning following thinning (thin-burn treatment) reduced fuel loads below pretreatment levels in most classes. Pre- and immediate post-treatment fuel loadings are summarized below by treatment and size class.
| Treatment | Litter+1-hour (Tons/acre) | 10-hour (Tons/acre) | 100-hour (Tons/acre) | 1000-hour (Tons/acre) | Duff depth (inches) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Post | Pre | Post | Pre | Post | Pre | Post | Pre | Post | |
| Control | 2.1 | n.s.* | 0.8 | n.s. | 1 | n.s. | 8.1 | n.s. | 1.3 | n.s. |
| Burn-only | 1 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 6.1 | 2 | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| Thin-only | 0.9 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 1 | 0.8 |
| Thin-burn | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| *n.s. = not sampled | ||||||||||
Crown fire hazard was modeled for all treatments using crowning index. Crowning index is defined as the windspeed needed to maintain a crown fire once fire has reached the main canopy. Lower crowning index values (e.g., <25 miles/hour) represent stand structures with relatively greater hazard, whereas higher values (e.g., >50 miles/hour) represent relatively low hazard. The least hazardous post-treatment conditions were achieved by the thin-burn treatment, though all active treatments reduced crown fire hazard. Thinning alone modestly increased crowning index, but when the thin-only treatment was followed by timber stand improvement (TSI) cutting of most saplings, crowning index increased substantially. However, should wildfire occur, potential mortality from crown scorch is elevated in the thin-only treatment due to increased loads of untreated surface fuels.
| Treatment type | Control | Burn-only | Thin-only | Thin-only with TSI | Thin-burn |
| Pretreatment | 21 | 21 | 28 | 28 | 30 |
| Posttreatment | 21 | 26 | 37 | 54 | 68 |
The Lubrecht FFS study provides evidence that alternative restoration treatments can modify potential fire behavior and differentially impact understory plant communities. Taken collectively, these results suggest that all active treatments promote a more open overstory and diverse understory community ― characteristics commonly associated with historically sustainable conditions. However, a mosaic of treatments (including untreated areas) would likely be needed to increase landscape-scale heterogeneity and improve longer-term sustainability of this ponderosa pine ecosystem.
This Research Project Summary is product #111 of the FFS study funded by the Joint Fire Sciences Program. For more information on the Lubrecht FFS study and links to products generated by this research, visit our website at www.forestry.umt.edu/ffslubrecht.
| Biophysical Setting | Mean Fire Interval (years) | Fire Severity Percent (%) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Code | Fire Regime Group | Low | Mixed | Replacement | All | Low | Mixed | Replacement |
| Series 10452 - Northern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest - Larch | ||||||||
| 10452_10_19 | III-A | 137 | 69 | 202 | 37 | 27 | 54 | 19 |
| Series 10451 - Northern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest - Ponderosa Pine-Douglas-fir | ||||||||
| 10451_10_19 | I-C | 39 | 51 | 148 | 19 | 49 | 38 | 13 |
| Summary | ||||||||
| Minimum | 39 | 51 | 148 | 19 | 27 | 38 | 13 | |
| Maximum | 137 | 69 | 202 | 37 | 49 | 54 | 19 | |
| Mean | 88 | 60 | 175 | 28 | 38 | 46 | 16 | |
| Median | 88 | 60 | 175 | 28 | 38 | 46 | 16 | |
| Percentage of fires in 3 fire severity classes, derived from LANDFIRE succession modeling. Replacement-severity fires cause >75% kill or top-kill of the upper canopy layer; mixed-severity fires cause 26%-75%; low-severity fires cause <26%. | ||||||||
| LANDFIRE. 2020. Biophysical settings models and descriptions, [Online]. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service; U.S. Department of the Interior; U.S. Geological Survey; Arlington, VA: The Nature Conservancy, (Producers). Available: https://www.landfirereview.org/search.php [96496] | ||||||||
Table A1: Species Names
This Research Project Summary contains fire effects and/or fire response information on the following species. For further information, search species names to find FEIS reviews for those species.
| Common name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Trees | |
| Rocky Mountain juniper | Juniperus scopulorum |
| western larch | Larix occidentalis |
| Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine | Pinus contorta var. latifolia |
| Columbia ponderosa pine | Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa |
| quaking aspen | Populus tremuloides |
| Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir | Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca |
| Scouler's willow | Salix scouleriana |
| Shrubs | |
| Rocky Mountain maple | Acer glabrum |
| Saskatoon serviceberry | Amelanchier alnifolia |
| kinnikinnick | Arctostaphylos uva-ursi |
| mountain big sagebrush | Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana |
| snowbrush ceanothus | Ceanothus velutinus |
| prince's-pine | Chimaphila umbellata |
| green rabbitbrush | Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus |
| black hawthorn | Crataegus douglasii |
| oceanspray | Holodiscus discolor |
| common juniper | Juniperus communis |
| creeping barberry | Mahonia repens |
| menziesia | Menziesia ferruginea |
| green-flowered wintergreen | Pyrola chlorantha |
| whiteveined wintergreen | Pyrola picta |
| sidebells wintergreen | Pyrola secunda |
| wax current | Ribes cereum |
| gooseberry currant | Ribes montigenum |
| Woods' rose | Rosa woodsii |
| thimbleberry | Rubus parviflorus |
| russet buffaloberry | Shepherdia canadensis |
| white spirea | Spiraea betulifolia |
| common snowberry | Symphoricarpos albus |
| dwarf huckleberry | Vaccinium caespitosum |
| big huckleberry | Vaccinium membranaceum |
| Graminoids | |
| western needlegrass | Achnatherum occidentale |
| Richardson needlegrass | Achnatherum richardsonii |
| rough bentgrass | Agrostis scabra |
| dense silkybent | Apera interrupta |
| nodding brome | Bromus anomalus |
| cheatgrass | Bromus tectorum |
| purple pinegrass | Calamagrostis purpurascens |
| pinegrass | Calamagrostis rubescens |
| northwestern sedge | Carex concinnoides |
| Geyer's sedge | Carex geyeri |
| smallwinged sedge | Carex microptera |
| Nebraska sedge | Carex nebrascensis |
| chamisso sedge | Carex pachystachya |
| Ross' sedge | Carex rossii |
| California oatgrass | Danthonia californica |
| timber oatgrass | Danthonia intermedia |
| onespike danthonia | Danthonia unispicata |
| slender hairgrass | Deschampsia elongata |
| squirreltail | Elymus elymoides |
| blue wildrye | Elymus glaucus |
| Altai fescue | Festuca altaica |
| Idaho fescue | Festuca idahoensis |
| western fescue | Festuca occidentalis |
| foxtail barley | Hordeum jubatum |
| mountain rush | Juncus arcticus subsp. littoralis |
| prairie Junegrass | Koeleria macrantha |
| field woodrush | Luzula campestris |
| timothy | Phleum pratense |
| Canada bluegrass | Poa compressa |
| Wheeler bluegrass | Poa nervosa |
| fowl bluegrass | Poa palustris |
| Kentucky bluegrass | Poa pratensis |
| Sandberg bluegrass | Poa secunda |
| bluebunch wheatgrass | Pseudoroegneria spicata |
| tall trisetum | Trisetum canescens |
| spike trisetum | Trisetum spicatum |
| sixweeks grass | Vulpia octoflora |
| Forbs | |
| common yarrow | Achillea millefolium |
| pale agoseris | Agoseris glauca |
| annual agoseris | Agoseris heterophylla |
| onion | Allium spp. |
| Menzies' fiddleneck | Amsinckia menziesii |
| pearly everlasting | Anaphalis margaritacea |
| Pacific anemone | Anemone multifida |
| pearly pussytoes | Antennaria anaphaloides |
| raceme pussytoes | Antennaria racemosa |
| pussytoes | Antennaria spp. |
| spreading dogbane | Apocynum androsaemifolium |
| Holboell's rockcress | Arabis holboellii |
| rockcress | Arabis spp. |
| ballhead sandwort | Arenaria congesta |
| thymeleaf sandwort | Arenaria serpyllifolia |
| foothill arnica | Arnica fulgens |
| arnica | Arnica spp. |
| Canadian milkvetch | Astragalus canadensis |
| timber milkvetch | Astragalus miser |
| arrowleaf balsamroot | Balsamorhiza sagittata |
| Mariposa lily | Calochortus spp. |
| small camas | Camassia quamash |
| bluebell bellflower | Campanula rotundifolia |
| musk thistle | Carduus nutans |
| spotted knapweed | Centaurea maculosa |
| big chickweed | Cerastium fontanum |
| nodding chickweed | Cerastium nutans |
| fireweed | Chamerion angustifolium |
| lambsquarters | Chenopodium album |
| blight goosefoot | Chenopodium capitatum |
| narrowleaf goosefoot | Chenopodium leptophyllum |
| sulphur Indian paintbrush | Castilleja sulphurea |
| Canada thistle | Cirsium arvense |
| bull thistle | Cirsium vulgare |
| miner's-lettuce | Claytonia perfoliata |
| blue virgin's bower | Clematis occidentalis |
| blue-eyed Mary | Collinsia parviflora |
| tiny trumpet | Collomia linearis |
| Canadian horseweed | Conyza canadensis |
| quill cryptantha | Cryptantha affinis |
| houndstongue | Cynoglossum officinale |
| mountain lady-slipper | Cypripedium montanum |
| mountain tansymustard | Descurainia incana |
| roughfruit fairybells | Disporum trachycarpum |
| shooting star | Dodecatheon pulchellum |
| tall annual willowherb | Epilobium brachycarpum |
| glaucus willowherb | Epilobium glaberrimum |
| cutleaf daisy | Erigeron compositus |
| spreading fleabane | Erigeron divergens |
| streamside fleabane | Erigeron glabellus |
| shaggy fleabane | Erigeron pumilus |
| prairie fleabane | Erigeron strigosus |
| threenerve fleabane | Erigeron subtrinervis |
| yellow avalanche-lily | Erythronium grandiflorum |
| western showy aster | Eurybia conspicua |
| subalpine aster | Eurybia merita |
| woodland strawberry | Fragaria vesca |
| Virginia strawberry | Fragaria virginiana |
| yellow fritillary | Fritillaria pudica |
| common gaillardia | Gaillardia aristata |
| stickywilly | Galium aparine |
| northern bedstraw | Galium boreale |
| deceptive groundsmoke | Gayophytum decipiens |
| autumn dwarf gentian | Gentianella amarella |
| sticky purple geranium | Geranium viscosissimum |
| old man's whiskers | Geum triflorum |
| rattlesnake plantain | Goodyera oblongifolia |
| curlycup gumweed | Grindelia squarrosa |
| hairy false goldenaster | Heterotheca villosa |
| roundleaf alumroot | Heuchera cylindrica |
| white hawkweed | Hieracium albiflorum |
| Canadian hawkweed | Hieracium canadense |
| houndstongue hawkweed | Hieracium cynoglossoides |
| narrowleaf hawkweed | Hieracium umbellatum |
| prickly lettuce | Lactuca serriola |
| blue lettuce | Lactuca tatarica |
| northern linanthus | Linanthus septentrionalis |
| twinflower | Linnaea borealis |
| western stoneseed | Lithospermum ruderale |
| field cottonrose | Logfia arvensis |
| nineleaf biscuitroot | Lomatium triternatum |
| silvery lupine | Lupinus argenteus |
| small tarweed | Madia exigua |
| false Solomon's-seal | Maianthemum racemosum |
| narrowleaf cowwheat | Melampyrum lineare |
| Alaska oniongrass | Melica subulata |
| yellow sweetclover | Melilotus officinalis |
| wild mint | Mentha arvensis |
| nodding microceris | Microseris nutans |
| narrowleaf minerslettuce | Montia linearis |
| strict forget-me-not | Myosotis stricta |
| thinleaved owl's clover | Orthocarpus tenuifolius |
| sweetcicely | Osmorhiza berteroi |
| woolly groundsel | Packera cana |
| coiled lousewort | Pedicularis contorta |
| Alberta beardtongue | Penstemon albertinus |
| penstemon | Penstemon spp. |
| silverleaf phacelia | Phacelia hastata |
| slender phlox | Phlox gracilis |
| slender-spire orchid | Piperia unalascensis |
| common plantain | Plantago major |
| prostrate knotweed | Polygonum aviculare |
| Douglas' knotweed | Polygonum douglasii |
| sticky cinquefoil | Potentilla glandulosa |
| slender cinquefoil | Potentilla gracilis |
| sulphur cinquefoil | Potentilla recta |
| selfheal | Prunella vulgaris |
| Wright's cudweed | Pseudognaphalium canescens |
| woodland pinedrop | Pterospora andromedea |
| sharpleaf buttercup | Ranunculus acriformis |
| sheep sorrel | Rumex acetosella |
| curly dock | Rumex crispus |
| wormleaf stonecrop | Sedum stenopetalum |
| lambstongue ragwort | Senecio integerrimus |
| tall ragwort | Senecio serra |
| Menzies' campion | Silene menziesii |
| Oregon silene | Silene oregana |
| prairie goldenrod | Solidago missouriensis |
| Rocky Mountain goldenrod | Solidago multiradiata |
| hooded ladies-tresses | Spiranthes romanzoffiana |
| longstalk starwort | Stellaria longipes |
| western aster | Symphyotrichum ascendens |
| common dandelion | Taraxacum officinale |
| western meadow-rue | Thalictrum occidentale |
| arrow thelypody | Thelypodium sagittatum |
| field pennycress | Thlaspi arvense |
| yellow salsify | Tragopogon dubius |
| clover | Trifolium spp. |
| largeflower triteleia | Triteleia grandiflora |
| stinging nettle | Urtica dioica |
| woods valerian | Valeriana dioica |
| common mullein | Verbascum thapsus |
| thymeleaf speedwell | Veronica serpyllifolia |
| hookspur violet | Viola adunca |
| meadow deathcamas | Zigadenus venenosus |
| Ferns | |
| brittle bladderfern | Cystopteris fragilis |
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