Postfire changes in forest carbon storage over a 300-year chronosequence of Pinus contorta-dominated forests

Daniel M. Kashian; William H. Romme; Daniel B. Tinker; Monica G. Turner; Michael G. Ryan

Treesearch

Postfire changes in forest carbon storage over a 300-year chronosequence of Pinus contorta-dominated forests

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Daniel M. Kashian, William H. Romme, Daniel B. Tinker, Monica G. Turner, Michael G. Ryan

Year:

2013

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Source:

Ecological Monographs. 83(1): 49-66.

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Abstract

A warming climate may increase the frequency and severity of stand-replacing wildfires, reducing carbon (C) storage in forest ecosystems. Understanding the variability of postfire C cycling on heterogeneous landscapes is critical for predicting changes in C storage with more frequent disturbance. We measured C pools and fluxes for 77 lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud var. latifolia Engelm.) stands in and around Yellowstone National Park (YNP) along a 300-year chronosequence to examine how quickly forest C pools recover after a stand-replacing fire, their variability through time across a complex landscape, and the role of stand structure in this variability.

Keywords

carbon, chronosequence, lodgepole pine, net ecosystem carbon balance, net ecosystem production, Pinus contorta var latifolia, postfire succession, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA

Citation

Kashian, Daniel M.; Romme, William H.; Tinker, Daniel B.; Turner, Monica G.; Ryan, Michael G. 2013. Postfire changes in forest carbon storage over a 300-year chronosequence of Pinus contorta-dominated forests. Ecological Monographs. 83(1): 49-66.