Fire severity and changing composition of forest understory plant communities

Abstract

Gradients of fire severity in dry conifer forests can be associated with variation in understory floristic composition. Recent work in dry conifer forests in California, USA, has suggested that more severely burned stands contain more thermophilic taxa (those associated with warmer and drier conditions), and that forest disturbance may therefore accelerate floristic shifts already underway due to climate change. However, it remains unknown how rapidly thermophilic taxa shifts occur following disturbance, how long such shifts are likely to persist, and how different thermophilic post‐disturbance communities are from pre‐disturbance communities. Location: Colorado Front Range, USA.

Citation

Stevens, Jens T.; Miller, Jesse E. D.; Fornwalt, Paula J. 2019. Fire severity and changing composition of forest understory plant communities. Journal of Vegetation Science. 30: 1099-1109.