Spatiotemporal synchrony of climate and fire occurrence across North American forests (1750-1880)

Ellis Margolis; Andreas Wion; John Abatzoglou; Lori Daniels; Donald Falk; Chris Guiterman; James Johnston; Kurt Kipfmueller; Charles Lafon; Rachel A. Loehman; Maggie Lonergan; Cameron Naficy; Marc-André Parisien; Sean A. Parks; Jeanne Portier; Michael Stambaugh; Ellen Whitman; A. Park Williams; Larissa Yocum

doi:10.1111/geb.13937

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Spatiotemporal synchrony of climate and fire occurrence across North American forests (1750-1880)

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Ellis Margolis, Andreas Wion, John Abatzoglou, Lori Daniels, Donald Falk, Chris Guiterman, James Johnston, Kurt Kipfmueller, Charles Lafon, Rachel A. Loehman, Maggie Lonergan, Cameron Naficy, Marc-André Parisien, Sean A. Parks, Jeanne Portier, Michael Stambaugh, Ellen Whitman, A. Park Williams, Larissa Yocum

Year:

2025

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13937

Source:

Global Ecology and Biogeography. 34: e13937.

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Abstract

Increasing aridity has driven widespread synchronous fire occurrence in recent decades across North America. The lack of historical (pre-1880) fire records limits our ability to understand long-term continental fire-climate dynamics. The goal of this study is to use tree-ring reconstructions to determine the relationships between spatiotemporal patterns in historical climate and widespread fire occurrence in North American forests, and whether they are stable through time. This information will address a major knowledge gap required to inform projections of future fire.

Keywords

climate, fire, fire scar, regionalisation, synchrony, tree ring

Citation

Margolis, Ellis; Wion, Andreas; Abatzoglou, John; Daniels, Lori; Falk, Donald; Guiterman, Chris; Johnston, James; Kipfmueller, Kurt; Lafon, Charles; Loehman, Rachel; Lonergan, Maggie; Naficy, Cameron; Parisien, Marc-André; Parks, Sean; Portier, Jeanne; Stambaugh, Michael; Whitman, Ellen; Williams, A. Park; Yocum, Larissa. 2025: Spatiotemporal synchrony of climate and fire occurrence across North American forests (1750-1880). Global Ecology and Biogeography. 34: e13937.