PARENT SESSION
Symposium #13: Fire suppression impacts in crown fire ecosystems.
Sponsored by ESA Vegetation Section
Organized by: J. E. Keeley and E. A. Johnson.
Wednesday, August 8, 2001. 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Lecture Hall
Changes in crown fire regime along a regional biophysical gradient.
Davis, Frank1, Borchert, Mark2, 1 2
ABSTRACT- Historical evidence indicates that the fire regimes of chaparral and mixed evergreen forests of the Coast Ranges of central California are dominated by large, infrequent crown fires. Climate and vegetation mosaics vary systematically from south to north across the region from drier, shrub-dominated systems to cooler, moister broadleaf and conifer forests. We investigated the relationships among 20th Century fire history, vegetation pattern, climate and topography along this regional biophysical gradient. Fire size, recurrence, and suppression effectiveness vary systematically along this gradient within large landscape units characterized by distinctive vegetation mosaics.
KEY WORDS: fire regime, chaparral, California