Dendrochronology and fire scars: Reconstructing the past to understand the future Michael C. Stambaugh Research Assistant Professor Department of Forestry, University of Missouri
Seminar outline Introduction to dendrochronology Overview of fire history Implications of study results And see this ring here, Jimmy?... That s another time when the old fellow miraculously survived some big forest fire.
Tree rings Tree rings are the woody growth increments of trunks and branches Most trees in climates with well defined seasons grow one ring per year The annual ring consists of the early (spring) wood and the late (summer) wood False and missing rings occur in some species
Introduction Andrew E. Douglass (1867-1962)
Introduction The Principle of Crossdating
Douglass, A.E. 1929. The secret of the southwest solved by talkative tree rings. National Geographic Magazine 56(6):736-770.
Introduction Subfields of Dendrochronology Dendroarchaeology: Dating of archaeological objects / dwellings. Dendroclimatology: Developing a record of past climate. Dendrogeomorphology: Dating land movements such as landslides in the past. Dendrohydrology: Creating a record of past water availability and flooding. Dendroglaciology: Dating past movements of glaciers. Dendrovolcanology: Dating the past eruptions of volcanoes. Dendrochemistry: Using tree rings as a monitor of the chemical makeup of the soil. Dendroecology: Recording ecological processes such as tree-line movement, insect outbreaks, or movement of invasive tree species. Dendropyrochronology: Dating the past occurrence of forest fires. Dendroentomology: The use of tree rings to reconstruct past population levels of insects.
Introduction International Tree Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/treering.html
Introduction Exactly precise dating Sub-annual information spanning Centuries to millennia Proven robust methods Multiple applications Wood anatomy, physiology, ecology Spatial & time series analysis Eye for time Growth direction 1404 1403 1402 Severe freeze Mild freeze Signal detection & processing North American Drought Atlas; Cook et al. 2004
Current Research Fire regimes Fire effects Fire Ecology Paleoclimate Forests Climate reconstruction Drought variability Past climate changes Growth response / trends Stand dynamics
Fire scars: Why is this information important? Historically a pervasive disturbance agent Species decline / ecosystem change Prescribed fire / restoration Carbon cycle Paleoclimate Ponderosa pine Wyoming Red Pine, Michigan
Fire regimes: how do we do it? Fire scars formation dating Post Oak Ponderosa Pine
Fire scar = evidence of fire occurring in a portion of the study area. Criteria: 1 km 2 area (~250 acres) 20-50 trees 100+ scars / 3 centuries Small to large trees Young and old trees
.. 1871 Unknown age (dead tree) Crossdating (how we date fire scars).......... 1782
A M F J D Shortleaf Pine N O M J J A S A M F J D Longleaf Pine N O M J J A S
Fire History Sites Data archive: IMPD, NOAA
OK WY IN MO NM LA KY NE MN MT IN TN OK
Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)
Fire History Data Lost Creek All MFI = 16.6 yrs Pre-1850 = 26.4 yrs Frost and Stambaugh, unpublished data
Paleofire Data Stambaugh et al. 2008 Devils Tower NM, Wyoming: Ponderosa Pine
Loess Hills, MO
Wichita Mtns. National Wildlife Refuge, OK
Fire History Data 1712-2006 (294 years) Pre-1901 MFI = 4.4 yrs Wichita Mountains, Oklahoma
Huron Mountains, UP Michigan = fire free match PR & APR
Kisatchie Hills, Louisiana: Longleaf Pine Stambaugh et al., In press
How can fire history records help us understand the future?
Characterizing Fire Regimes Frequency Severity Seasonality Size Fuels Austin, Texas 2011
Fire and Climate Fire Frequency AD 1650-1850 V. 8.1 Guyette et al. 2012
Environmental History Forest changes Human influences Fire scars on Giant Redwood, Sierra Nevada Mtns. CA
Prescribed Fire Use Oak woodlands Restoration Fuels management
Effects of prescribed burning on wood quality of oak
for more information
Acknowledgements Thanks to the many organizations who have supported fire history research: Missouri Department of Conservation The National Park Service Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service Joint Fire Science Program Southern Station, USDA Forest Service University of Missouri, Department of Forestry Oklahoma Department of Fish and Game MTRL