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Abstract
The role of fire in shaping the composition and structure of
Quercus (oak)-dominated communities in the deciduous forests of eastern North America is becoming clearer but fire regimes are less well known. I analyzed the fire-scar patterns in 14 oak cross sections from a mixed-oak stand in Vinton County, southeastern Ohio, to determine the frequency and seasonality of fire. This oak stand was even-aged and originated in the mid-1850s, so the fire history is representative of the period after Euro-American settlement. The tree rings were crossdated, calendar year of the fire sears was assigned, and season of burning noted. The fire-scar dates are Weibull-distributed, and the median probability interval is 3.6 years. The 95% and 5% Weibull probability exceedance intervals were 0.4 and 12.1. Spatially extensive (major) fires occurred every 7.5 years, and the 95% and 5% exceedance intervals for these fires were 0.9 and 24.3. The fires probably were ignited by people. Fire scars indicated that most fires (69%) occurred during the dormant season or in the spring (25%) and were rare (6%) during the summer (May 1 to July 30). These patterns are not significantly different from dates of observed wildfires in Vinton County. Seasonal climate has no apparent relationship to fire occurrence.
Citation
Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy. 1997. History of fire in a southern Ohio second-growth mixed-oak forest. In: Pallardy, Stephen G.; Cecich, Robert A.; Garrett, H. Gene; Johnson, Paul S., eds. Proceedings of the 11th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-188. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station: 172-183
