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Effects of megafire on woody species in the mixed-grass prairie

Matthias W. Sirch·Daniel S. Sullins·Nicholas J. Parker·David A. Haukos·John D. Kraft·Christian A. Hagen·Kent A. Fricke
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Abstract

Lack of fire in contemporary grasslands has contributed to the invasion of woody plants that can survive low-intensity fire upon maturity, but knowledge of the effects of megafires (>40,000 ha) on grassland tree mortality is limited. We used remote sensing and ground surveys to estimate tree canopy cover change and rates of top-kill and mortality of woody species in the mixed-grass prairie following megafire. After megafire, we detected 63% tree canopy cover loss, 17 ± 4% (mean ± SD) of woodland trees were dead, and 56 ± 5% of tree species were top-killed and resprouted. We conclude that further postfire management (e.g., targeted herbicide, mechanical removal) may be required to limit woody encroachment following megafire.

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90° N90° S · 180° W ← longitude → 180° E
Source-reported bounding extent: 36.9983° to 37.4751° latitude; -100.1068° to -99.5399° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Matthias W. Sirch, Daniel S. Sullins, Nicholas J. Parker, David A. Haukos, John D. Kraft, Christian A. Hagen, Kent A. Fricke. 2022. Effects of megafire on woody species in the mixed-grass prairie. https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70256700

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