A spatially explicit model of litter accumulation in fire maintained longleaf pine forest ecosystems of the Southeastern USA

Nuria Sanchez-Lopez; Andrew T. Hudak; Luigi Boschetti; Carlos A. Silva; Benjamin C. Bright; E Louise. Loudermilk

doi:10.14195/978-989-26-2298-9_209

Treesearch

A spatially explicit model of litter accumulation in fire maintained longleaf pine forest ecosystems of the Southeastern USA

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Nuria Sanchez-Lopez, Andrew T. Hudak, Luigi Boschetti, Carlos A. Silva, Benjamin C. Bright, E Louise. Loudermilk

Year:

2022

Type:

Book Chapter

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14195/978-989-26-2298-9_209

Source:

In: Viegas, D. X.; Ribeiro, L. M., eds. Advances in Forest Fire Research 2022: Chapter 5 - Risk Reduction. Coimbra, Portugal: Universidade de Coimbra. p. 1383-1389.

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Abstract

The continuity and depth of the surface litter and duff layers are major drivers of fire spread and fuel consumption. Nevertheless, its spatially explicit quantification over relatively large areas remains unresolved: local fuel heterogeneity introduces large uncertainties in estimates derived from field-based models and sparse data samples. Besides that, the sensitivity of remote sensors to surface litter loads is limited, particularly under canopy cover. In fire-maintained pine forests of the Southeastern US, surface fuel accumulation and its distribution over the forest floor are mainly driven by vegetation productivity, decomposition, and years since fire (YSF). Traditional ecological and stand-level models provide a means to equilibrate between opposing rates of deposition and decomposition as a function of YSF at the landscape level but don’t account for spatial heterogeneity.

Keywords

litter production, litter accumulation, years since fire, tree crown, ALS

Citation

Sanchez-Lopez, Nuria; Hudak, Andrew T.; Boschetti, Luigi; Silva, Carlos A.; Bright, Benjamin C.; Loudermilk, E Louise. 2022. A spatially explicit model of litter accumulation in fire maintained longleaf pine forest ecosystems of the Southeastern USA. In: Viegas, D. X.; Ribeiro, L. M., eds. Advances in Forest Fire Research 2022: Chapter 5 - Risk Reduction. Coimbra, Portugal: Universidade de Coimbra. p. 1383-1389.