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Wildland fire is a key ecosystem process that shapes the landscape of Western United States. Changes in fire regimes can therefore have profound impact on ecosystem functions and services, including carbon cycling, habitat conditions, and biodiversity. This study examined fire regime changes in the Northern Rocky Mountain region using a landscape succession model (LANDSUMv4). The objective is to report a new method to develop fire regime condition class (FRCC) maps by comparing historical reference conditions of fire regimes – simulated using historical fire record and the LANDSUMv4 model – with current fire regimes developed using 27 years remote sensing fire product and LANDSUMv4. Results of this study indicate...
Stands of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) rank among the most biologically diverse plant communities across the intermountain region of western North America. Marked declines of aspen have occurred in recent decades, likely due to a combination of effects from changes in fire regimes, herbivory, climate (e.g. drought), and interspecific competition with conifer species. However, it is poorly understood how the effects of these factors are manifested at a landscape scale over decadal time periods. Analysis of field data combined with topographic information collected across the 500,000 ha Owyhee Plateau in southwestern Idaho revealed that aspen in the area occur in three different biophysical settings; First,...
The dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) MC2 was run over the conterminous USA at 30 arc sec (~800 m) to simulate the impacts of nine climate futures generated by 3GCMs (CSIRO, MIROC and CGCM3) using 3 emission scenarios (A2, A1B and B1) in the context of the LandCarbon national carbon sequestration assessment. It first simulated potential vegetation dynamics from coast to coast assuming no human impacts and naturally occurring wildfires. A moderate effect of increased atmospheric CO2 on water use efficiency and growth enhanced carbon sequestration but did not greatly influence woody encroachment. The wildfires maintained prairie-forest ecotones in the Great Plains. With simulated fire suppression, the number...