Fire suppression and ecosystem carbon storage
TL;DR: A 35-year controlled burning experiment in Minnesota oak savanna showed that fire frequency had a great impact on ecosystem carbon (C) stores, with most carbon stored in woody biomass.
Abstract: A 35-year controlled burning experiment in Minnesota oak savanna showed that fire frequency had a great impact on ecosystem carbon (C) stores. Specifically, compared to the historical fire regime, fire suppression led to an average of 1.8 Mg·ha−1·yr−1 of C storage, with most carbon stored in woody biomass. Forest floor carbon stores were also significantly impacted by fire frequency, but there were no detectable effects of fire suppression on carbon in soil and fine roots combined, or in woody debris. Total ecosystem C stores averaged ∼110 Mg/ha in stands experiencing presettlement fire frequencies, but ∼220 Mg/ha in stands experiencing fire suppression. If comparable rates of C storage were to occur in other ecosystems in response to the current extent of fire suppression in the United States, fire suppression in the USA might account for 8–20% of missing global carbon.
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TL;DR: The recent literature is reviewed, drawing parallels between fire and herbivores as alternative consumers of vegetation, and pointing to the common questions and some surprisingly different answers that emerge from viewing fire as a globally significant consumer that is analogous to herbivory.
Abstract: It is difficult to find references to fire in general textbooks on ecology, conservation biology or biogeography, in spite of the fact that large parts of the world burn on a regular basis, and that there is a considerable literature on the ecology of fire and its use for managing ecosystems. Fire has been burning ecosystems for hundreds of millions of years, helping to shape global biome distribution and to maintain the structure and function of fire-prone communities. Fire is also a significant evolutionary force, and is one of the first tools that humans used to re-shape their world. Here, we review the recent literature, drawing parallels between fire and herbivores as alternative consumers of vegetation. We point to the common questions, and some surprisingly different answers, that emerge from viewing fire as a globally significant consumer that is analogous to herbivory.
1,942 citations
Cites background from "Fire suppression and ecosystem carb..."
...In these instances, consumer control, rather than resource competition, determines tree cover [ 33 ]....
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TL;DR: Comparison of global 'fire off' simulations with landcover and treecover maps show that vast areas of humid C(4) grasslands and savannas, especially in South America and Africa, have the climate potential to form forests.
Abstract: This paper is the first global study of the extent to which fire determines global vegetation patterns by preventing ecosystems from achieving the potential height, biomass and dominant functional types expected under the ambient climate (climate potential). To determine climate potential, we simulated vegetation without fire using a dynamic global-vegetation model. Model results were tested against fire exclusion studies from different parts of the world. Simulated dominant growth forms and tree cover were compared with satellite-derived land- and tree-cover maps. Simulations were generally consistent with results of fire exclusion studies in southern Africa and elsewhere. Comparison of global 'fire off' simulations with landcover and treecover maps show that vast areas of humid C(4) grasslands and savannas, especially in South America and Africa, have the climate potential to form forests. These are the most frequently burnt ecosystems in the world. Without fire, closed forests would double from 27% to 56% of vegetated grid cells, mostly at the expense of C(4) plants but also of C(3) shrubs and grasses in cooler climates. C(4) grasses began spreading 6-8 Ma, long before human influence on fire regimes. Our results suggest that fire was a major factor in their spread into forested regions, splitting biotas into fire tolerant and intolerant taxa.
1,664 citations
Cites background from "Fire suppression and ecosystem carb..."
...In reality, both sites burnt at intervals of 2–5 yr (San Jose et al., 1998; Tilman et al., 2000)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the importance of land-use history and its legacies in most ecological systems has been recognized as a legitimate and essential subject of environmental science, and recognition of these historical legacies adds explanatory power to our understanding of modern conditions at scales from organisms to the globe and reduces missteps in anticipating or managing for future conditions.
Abstract: Recognition of the importance of land-use history and its legacies in most ecological systems has been a major factor driving the recent focus on human activity as a legitimate and essential subject of environmental science. Ecologists, conservationists, and natural resource policymakers now recognize that the legacies of land-use activities continue to influence ecosystem structure and function for decades or centuries—or even longer—after those activities have ceased. Consequently, recognition of these historical legacies adds explanatory power to our understanding of modern conditions at scales from organisms to the globe and reduces missteps in anticipating or managing for future conditions. As a result, environmental history emerges as an integral part of ecological science and conservation planning. By considering diverse ecological phenomena, ranging from biodiversity and biogeochemical cycles to ecosystem resilience to anthropogenic stress, and by examining terrestrial and aquatic ecosyst...
1,069 citations
TL;DR: A clear negative relationship between precipitation and changes in soil organic carbon and nitrogen content when grasslands were invaded by woody vegetation is found, with drier sites gaining, and wetter sites losing, soilorganic carbon.
Abstract: The invasion of woody vegetation into deserts, grasslands and savannas is generally thought to lead to an increase in the amount of carbon stored in those ecosystems. For this reason, shrub and forest expansion (for example, into grasslands) is also suggested to be a substantial, if uncertain, component of the terrestrial carbon sink1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14. Here we investigate woody plant invasion along a precipitation gradient (200 to 1,100 mm yr-1) by comparing carbon and nitrogen budgets and soil δ13C profiles between six pairs of adjacent grasslands, in which one of each pair was invaded by woody species 30 to 100 years ago. We found a clear negative relationship between precipitation and changes in soil organic carbon and nitrogen content when grasslands were invaded by woody vegetation, with drier sites gaining, and wetter sites losing, soil organic carbon. Losses of soil organic carbon at the wetter sites were substantial enough to offset increases in plant biomass carbon, suggesting that current land-based assessments may overestimate carbon sinks. Assessments relying on carbon stored from woody plant invasions to balance emissions may therefore be incorrect.
952 citations
Cites background from "Fire suppression and ecosystem carb..."
...Many biotic and abiotic factors determine SOC storag...
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TL;DR: In insect communities, insect species richness increased as plant species richness and plant functional group richness increased, and both factors may explain how the loss of plant diversity influences higher trophic levels.
Abstract: We experimentally separated the effects of two components of plant diversity—plant species richness and plant functional group richness—on insect communities. Plant species richness and plant functional group richness had contrasting effects on insect abundances, a result we attributed to three factors. First, lower insect abundances at higher plant functional group richness were explained by a sampling effect, which was caused by the increasing likelihood that one low‐quality group, C4 grasses, would be present and reduce average insect abundances by 25%. Second, plant biomass, which was positively related to plant functional group richness, had a strong, positive effect on insect abundances. Third, a positive effect of plant species richness on insect abundances may have been caused by greater availability of alternate plant resources or greater vegetational structure. In addition, a greater diversity of insect species, whose individual abundances were often unaffected by changes in plant spec...
479 citations
Cites background from "Fire suppression and ecosystem carb..."
...At Cedar Creek, for instance, the diversity of prairies and savannas is determined to a great extent by the diversity of forbs....
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...Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322-5210...
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...In addition, in a review of the history of fire at Cedar Creek, Tilman et al. (2000) found evidence for annual to biennial burn frequency....
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References
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TL;DR: The spatial distribution of the terrestrial carbon dioxide uptake is estimated by means of the observed spatial patterns of the greatly increased atmospheric carbon dioxide data set available from 1988 onward, together with two atmospheric transport models, two estimates of the sea-air flux, and an estimate of the spatial distributed of fossil carbon dioxide emissions.
Abstract: Atmospheric carbon dioxide increased at a rate of 2.8 petagrams of carbon per year (Pg C year 21 ) during 1988 to 1992 (1 Pg 5 10 15 grams). Given estimates of fossil carbon dioxide emissions, and net oceanic uptake, this implies a global terrestrial uptake of 1.0 to 2.2 Pg C year 21 . The spatial distribution of the terrestrial carbon dioxide uptake is estimated by means of the observed spatial patterns of the greatly increased atmospheric carbon dioxide data set available from 1988 onward, together with two atmospheric transport models, two estimates of the sea-air flux, and an estimate of the spatial distribution of fossil carbon dioxide emissions. North America is the best constrained continent, with a mean uptake of 1.7 6 0.5 Pg C year 21 , mostly south of 51 degrees north. Eurasia—North Africa is relatively weakly constrained, with a mean uptake of 0.1 6 0.6 Pg C year 21 . The rest of the world’s land surface is poorly constrained, with a mean source of 0.2 6 0.9 Pg C year 21 .
814 citations
"Fire suppression and ecosystem carb..." refers background in this paper
...1) may be contributing to the apparently high current rate of C storage in North American ecosystems (e.g., Birdsey et al. 1993, Turner et al. 1995, Fan et al. 1998)....
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...Thus, accumulation of woody biomass caused by fire suppression in the United States may help explain the apparent functioning of North America as a carbon sink (Birdsey et al. 1993, Fan et al. 1998)....
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Book•
01 Jan 1982
TL;DR: Cronon as mentioned in this paper presents a history with fire in its eye, with illustrations by William Cronon, including: Nature's FireThe Fire from Asia, Fire from Europe, Great BarbecueThe Heroic AgeA Continental ExperimentThe Cold War on FireFields of FireEpilogue: The Forbidden Flame
Abstract: List of IllustrationsForeword by William CrononPreface to the 1997 Paperback EditionPreface to the Original Edition: History with Fire in its eyeAbbreviationsPrologue: The Smoke of TImeNature's FireThe Fire from AsiaThe Fire from EuropeThe Great BarbecueThe Heroic AgeA Continental ExperimentThe Cold War on FireFields of FireEpilogue: The Forbidden FlameBibliographic AbbreviationsNotesBibliographic EssayIndex
723 citations
TL;DR: The Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM-CFS2) is a framework for the dynamic accounting of carbon pools and fluxes in Canada's forest ecosystems and the forest product sector as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM–CFS2) is a framework for the dynamic accounting of carbon pools and fluxes in Canada’s forest ecosystems and the forest product sector. The model structure, assumptions, and supporting databases are described. The model has been applied to estimate net ecosystem carbon fluxes for Canada’s 404 Mha forest area for the period 1920–1989. Changes in disturbance regimes have affected the forest age class structure and increased the average forest age during the period 1920–1979. The resulting changes in dead organic matter and biomass carbon during this period were estimated with the model. In the last decade of the analysis, large increases in disturbances, primarily fire and insect damage, have resulted in a reduction in ecosystem carbon storage. The estimates of biomass pool sizes obtained are consistent with those of other studies, while dead organic matter carbon pool estimates remain somewhat uncertain. Sensitivity analysis of several sources of u...
679 citations
"Fire suppression and ecosystem carb..." refers background or methods in this paper
...For instance, Kurz and Apps (1999) found that a marked increase in fire during the 1980s caused a reduction in C storage in Canadian forests....
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...This work was supported by National Science Foundation Grant 9411972 and by the Andrew Mellon Foundation....
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...Other work shows that fire suppression can cause soil C to increase (Liski et al. 1998, Slaughter et al. 1998, Kurz and Apps 1999)....
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01 Jan 1991
TL;DR: The history of fire, emissions to the atmosphere from biomass burning, transport and photochemistry in the smoke plumes, environmental impacts, and environmental impacts are discussed in this paper.
Abstract: This chapter contains sections titled: The History of Fire, Emissions to the Atmosphere from Biomass Burning, Transport and Photochemistry in the Smoke Plumes, Environmental Impacts
607 citations
"Fire suppression and ecosystem carb..." refers background in this paper
...…1900s fire frequency has increased in parts of the world, especially the tropics, because of the use of fire as a landclearing mechanism (e.g., Sanford et al. 1985, Andreae 1991, Goldammer 1991), and has decreased in other regions, such as the United States, because of active fire suppression (Fig....
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...2680 Key words: carbon storage; fire suppression; missing carbon; oak savanna....
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...Fire suppression could both decrease the rate of release of CO2 caused by burning and increase C storage in woody biomass, soils, and other compartments in savannas, woodlands, and grasslands being invaded by trees....
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...Sensitivity of terrestrial carbon storage to CO2-induced climate change: comparison of four scenarios based on general circulation models....
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...Atmospheric CO2 is currently accumulating at ;3.2 3 1015 g C/yr (Schimel 1995)....
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TL;DR: The similarity in the mag- nitude of the biologically driven flux and the harvest-related flux indicates the importance of employing an age-class-based inventory, and of including effects associated with forest harvest and harvest residue, when modeling national carbon budgets in the temperate zone.
Abstract: The potential need for national-level comparisons of greenhouse gas emis- sions, and the desirability of understanding terrestrial sources and sinks of carbon, has prompted interest in quantifying national forest carbon budgets. In this study, we link a forest inventory database, a set of stand-level carbon budgets, and information on harvest levels in order to estimate the current pools and flux of carbon in forests of the conterminous United States. The forest inventory specifies the region, forest type, age class, productivity class, management intensity, and ownership of all timberland. The stand-level carbon bud- gets are based on growth and yield tables, in combination with additional information on carbon in soils, the forest floor, woody debris, and the understory. Total carbon in forests of the conterminous U.S. is estimated at 36.7 Pg, with half of that in the soil compartment. Tree carbon represents 33% of the total, followed by woody debris (10%), the forest floor (6%), and the understory (1%). The carbon uptake associated with net annual growth is 331 Tg, however, much of that is balanced by harvest-related mortality (266 Tg) and decomposition of woody debris. The forest land base at the national level is accumulating 79 Tg/yr, with the largest carbon gain in the Northeast region. The similarity in the mag- nitude of the biologically driven flux and the harvest-related flux indicates the importance of employing an age-class-based inventory, and of including effects associated with forest harvest and harvest residue, when modeling national carbon budgets in the temperate zone.
502 citations
"Fire suppression and ecosystem carb..." refers background in this paper
...1) may be contributing to the apparently high current rate of C storage in North American ecosystems (e.g., Birdsey et al. 1993, Turner et al. 1995, Fan et al. 1998)....
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