Fire-Climate Interactions in the Selway- Bitterroot Wilderness Area
نویسندگان
چکیده
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-5. 2000 In: Cole, David N.; McCool, Stephen F.; Borrie, William T.; O’Loughlin, Jennifer, comps. 2000. Wilderness science in a time of change conference— Volume 5: Wilderness ecosystems, threats, and management; 1999 May 23– 27; Missoula, MT. Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-5. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. Kurt F. Kipfmueller is Graduate Research Associate and Thomas W. Swetnam is Associate Professor of Dendrochronology at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 U.S.A. Abstract—Tree-ring reconstructed summer drought was examined in relation to the occurrence of 15 fires in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area (SBW). The ten largest fire years between 1880 and 1995 were selected from historical fire atlas data; five additional fire years were selected from a fire history completed in a subalpine forest within the SBW. Results of the analysis indicate summers during the fire year were significantly (p<0.001) drier than average conditions. The summer preceding the fire year tended to be drier than average, but results were not statistically significant (p>0.05). A significant (p<0.05) wet year occurred four years prior to fire occurrence in the SBW. Further research which examines fire-climate interactions differentiated by forest type may provide an improved understanding of the dynamics between fire and climate.
منابع مشابه
Development of Input Data Layers for the FARSITE Fire Growth Model for the Selway - Bitterroot Wilderness Complex , USA
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