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Cataloging Information
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Topic(s):
Fire Effects
Ecological - First Order
Fire Intensity / Burn Severity
Fire Regime
Ecological - First Order
Fire Intensity / Burn Severity
Fire Regime
Ecosystem(s):
Montane wet mixed-conifer forest, Montane dry mixed-conifer forest
NRFSN number:
11476
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FRAMES RCS number:
12222
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We examined the effects of three early season (spring) prescribed fires on burn severity patterns of summer wildfires that occurred 1-3 years post-treatment in a mixed conifer forest in central Idaho. Wildfire and prescribed fire burn severities were estimated as the difference in normalized burn ratio (dNBR) using Landsat imagery. We used GIS derived vegetation, topography, and treatment variables to generate models predicting the wildfire burn severity of 1286-5500 30-m pixels within and around treated areas. We found that wildfire severity was significantly lower in treated areas than in untreated areas and significantly lower than the potential wildfire severity of the treated areas had treatments not been implemented.
Citation
Arkle, Robert S.; Pilliod, David S.; Welty, Justin L. 2012. Pattern and process of prescribed fires influence effectiveness at reducing wildfire severity in dry coniferous forests. Forest Ecology and Management. 276(1): 174-184.