TY - THES T1 - Fire History and Fire Climate Relationships in Upper Elevation Forests of the Southwestern United States T2 - School of Natural Resources Y1 - 2007 A1 - Margolis, Ellis Quinn KW - AMO KW - climate KW - dendrochronology KW - dendroclimatology KW - ENSO KW - environment KW - fire KW - fire history KW - forest KW - madrean sky islands KW - mogollon plateau KW - mountain KW - PDO KW - southwest KW - teleconnection KW - tree ring KW - upper elevation KW - Watershed Management AB -

Fire history and fire-climate relationships of upper elevation forests of the southwestern United States are imperative for informing management decisions in the face of increased crown fire occurrence and climate change. I used dendroecological techniques to reconstruct fires and stand-replacing fire patch size in Madrean Sky Islands and Mogollon Plateau. Reconstructed patch size (1685-1904) was compared with contemporary patch size (1996-2004). Reconstructed fires at three sites had stand-replacing patches totaling > 500 ha. No historical stand-replacing fire patches were evident in the mixed conifer/aspen forests of the Sky Islands. Maximum stand-replacing fire patch size of modern fires (1129 ha) was greater than that reconstructed from aspen (286 ha) and spruce-fir (521 ha). Updated spruce-fir patches may be evidence of larger (>2000ha) stand-replacing fire patches.

To provide climatological context for fire history I used correlation and regionalization analyses to document spatial and temporal variability in climate regions, and El-Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO) teleconnections using 273 tree-ring chronologies (1732-1979). Four regions were determined by common variability in annual ring width. The component time score series replicate spatial variability in 20th century droughts (e.g., 1950’s) and pluvials (e.g., 1910’s). Two regions were significantly correlated with instrumental SOI and AMO, and three with PDO. Sub-regions within the southwestern U.S. varied geographically between the instrumental (1900-1979) and the pre-instrumental periods (1732-1899). Mapped correlations between ENSO, PDO and AMO, and tree-ring indices illustrate detailed sub-regional variability in teleconnections.

I analyzed climate teleconnections, and fire-climate relationships of historical upper elevation fires from 16 sites in 8 mountain ranges. I tested for links between Palmer Drought Severity Index and tree-ring reconstructed ENSO, PDO and AMO phases (1905-1978 and 1700-1904). Upper elevation fires (115 fires, 84 fire years, 1623-1904) were compared with climate indices. ENSO, PDO, and AMO affected regional PDSI, but AMO and PDO teleconnections changed between periods. Fire occurrence was significantly related to inter-annual variability in PDSI, precipitation, ENSO, and phase combinations of ENSO and PDO, but not AMO (1700-1904). Reduced upper elevation fire (1785-1840) was coincident with a cool AMO phase.

JF - School of Natural Resources PB - University of Arizona CY - Tucson VL - Ph.D UR - http://ezproxy.library.arizona.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1375523671&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=43922&RQT=309&VName=PQD. N1 -

Please contact the Laboratory of Tree Ring Research for a copy of this dissertation. The file is too large to be uploaded at this time.

ER - TY - THES T1 - Stand Replacing Fire History and Aspen Ecology in the Upper Rio Grande Basin T2 - Department of Renewable Natural Resources Y1 - 2003 A1 - Margolis, Ellis Quinn KW - aspen KW - basin KW - colorado KW - conifer KW - dendrochronology KW - dendroecology KW - Ecology KW - fire KW - fire history KW - new mexico KW - rio grande KW - spruce fir KW - stand replacing KW - tree ring AB -

Dendroecological techniques were applied to reconstruct stand-replacing fire history in mixed conifer and spruce-fir forests in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Stand-replacing fire dates with annual accuracy and precision were determined using four lines of evidence for each of twelve sites within a 75,000 square kilometer area. The four lines of evidence were: (1) aspen inner-ring dates, (2) conifer death dates, (3) tree-ring width changes, or other morphological indicators of injury, and (4) fire scars. The annual precision of dating allowed the identification of significant synchrony of stand replacing fires among the 12 sites and regional surface fire events previously reconstructed from the large network of fire scar collections in the Southwest. Nearly all of these synchronous stand-replacing and surface fire years coincided with extreme droughts. This suggests that stand-replacing fire activity occurred primarily when drought conditions allowed fires to ignite and spread within these high elevation forests and/or for the spread of surface fires between lower and upper elevations. Fifty percent of reconstructed stand-replacing fires pre-dated large-scale Euro-American settlement in this region. This may suggest that land use practices (such as logging and mining) were not as important in promoting stand-replacing fires in these study sites, as compared with other areas in Colorado.

JF - Department of Renewable Natural Resources PB - University of Arizona CY - Tucson VL - Master of Science ER - TY - THES T1 - Fire History in Riparian Canyon Pine-Oak Forests and the Intervening Desert Grasslands of the Southwest Borderlands: A Dendroecological, Historical, and Cultural Inquiry T2 - School of Renewable Natural Resources Y1 - 1998 A1 - Kaib, J. Mark KW - apache KW - borderland KW - cultural KW - dendrochronology KW - dendroecological KW - desert grassland KW - ethnoecological KW - fire KW - fire history KW - historical KW - Mexico KW - oak KW - peacetime KW - pine KW - post settlement KW - riparian KW - southwest KW - spanish KW - wartime KW - Watershed Management AB -

Dendroecological, documentary, and ethnoecological evidence were combined to provide an integrated understanding of past natural and cultural fires in the Southwest Borderlands. Fire frequency for the desert grasslands was inferred from synchronous intercanyon fire events. Mean fire intervals range between 4-8 years in canyon pine-oak forests, 4-9 years in the intervening desert grasslands, and 5-9 years in the mixed-conifer forests. Riparian canyon pine-oak forests were important corridors for fire spread between the desert grasslands and higher-elevation forests. The decline of post-settlement (>1870s) fires typical of most forests in U.S., is not evident south of the border in Mexico.

Documentary evidence reveals the Apache had detailed knowledge of fire, that burning practices were controlled and limited, and ecosystem enhancement through intentional burning was not suggested. However, the common exception was burning practiced during wartime periods, principally by the Apache but also by the Spanish, Mexicans, and later Americans. Fire reconstructions indicate that wartime-period fires were significantly more frequent than peacetime periods at several canyon-rancherÍa sites.

JF - School of Renewable Natural Resources PB - University of Arizona CY - Tucson VL - MS ER - TY - THES T1 - Fire Histories of Upper Elevation Forests in the Gila Wilderness, New Mexico via Fire Scar and Stand Age Structure Analyses T2 - School of Renewable Natural Resources Y1 - 1997 A1 - Abolt,Rena Ann Peck KW - dendrochronology KW - fire KW - fire regime KW - fire scar KW - gila wilderness KW - new mexico KW - stand age KW - suppression KW - tree ring KW - upper elevation AB -

 

Fire-scar analysis to identify fire events and stand age structure analysis to identify fire effects on survivorship of trees were used to reconstruct surface and crown fire regimes in upper elevation forests of the Gila Wilderness, NM. Fire regimes varied across forest type, but not necessarily across elevation. Prior to the twentieth century, (from 1706 to 1904), the mean interval for large fires was 8 years. During the twentieth century, (from 1904 to 1995), the mean fire return interval for large fires was 46 years. The virtual end of historically frequent fire regimes due to livestock grazing and fire suppression since the turn of the century has affected successional pathways of forest types across elevations, favoring later successional forest species and structures.

JF - School of Renewable Natural Resources PB - University of Arizona CY - Tucson VL - Master of Science ER - TY - THES T1 - Reconstruction and Interpretation of Historical Patterns of Fire Occurrence in the Organ Mountains, New Mexico T2 - Department of Renewable Natural Resources Y1 - 1996 A1 - Morino, Kiyomi Ann KW - dendrochronology KW - fillmore canyon KW - fire KW - Geography KW - historical KW - new mexico KW - organ mountains KW - reconstruction AB -

The purpose of this research was to reconstruct and interpret the history of fire in the Organ Mountains, New Mexico. I used dendrochronological techniques to date fire scars on 90 trees comprising ten sites within the Fillmore Canyon watershed. Two fire regimes were identified during the pre-settlement period. Fire Regime I, 1650-1805, was characterized by a high fire frequency (ca. once every two years) and a predominance of patchy fires. Fire Regime II, 1805-1874, was characterized by a lower fire frequency (ca. once every 3.5 years) and a predominance of widespread fires. During the post-settlement period fire was virtually non-existent. I hypothesize that Apache use-of-fire influenced patterns during the pre-settlement period, while Euro-American land use activities influenced patterns during the post-settlement period. Fire-precipitation associations suggest that low fuel moisture levels were a pre-condition for widespread fires.

JF - Department of Renewable Natural Resources PB - University of Arizona CY - Tucson VL - Master of Science ER - TY - THES T1 - Fire History of the Gila Wilderness, New Mexico T2 - Department of Renewable Natural Resources Y1 - 1983 A1 - Swetnam, T. KW - crossdate KW - dendrochronology KW - fire KW - fire history KW - fire scar KW - gila national forest KW - gila wilderness KW - new mexico KW - pinus ponderosa KW - ponderosa pine KW - tree ring AB -

A data base of fire occurrence was established for the Gila Wilderness by analyzing fire scars and compiling fire records. Cross sections of 44 fire scarred ponderosa pine trees (Pinus ponderosa Laws.) were collected from three study areas. Crossdating of more than 800 individual fire scars revealed that extensive surface fires were a common occurrence prior to 1900. Mean fire intervals for a 250-year period prior to 1900 were approximately four to eight years and fire intervals ranged from one to 26 years. Intensive grazing and fire suppression efforts after 1900 resulted in a sudden decrease in number of fires recorded by the sample trees.

A 72-year record (1909-1980) of fire occurrence in the Gila National Forest was compiled from Forest Service records. The fire records and fire scar evidence suggest a need for continued emphasis on fuels reduction and greater flexibility in the Prescribed Natural Fire program.

JF - Department of Renewable Natural Resources PB - University of Arizona CY - Tucson VL - Master of Science ER -