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Author(s):
Sharon M. Hood, Barbara J. Bentz, Kara Gibson, Kevin C. Ryan, Gregg DeNitto
Year Published:

Cataloging Information

Hot Topic(s):
Topic(s):
Fire Ecology
Fire & Bark Beetles
Fire & Wildlife
Invertebrates
Mountain pine beetles
Fuels
Fuel Descriptions
Post-fire Management
Ecosystem(s):
Montane wet mixed-conifer forest, Montane dry mixed-conifer forest

NRFSN number: 11126
FRAMES RCS number: 7318
Record updated:

Douglas-fir has life history traits that greatly enhance resistance to injury from fire, thereby increasing post-fire survival rates. Tools for predicting the probability of tree mortality following fire are important components of both pre-fire planning and post-fire management efforts. Using data from mixed-severity wildfire in Montana and Wyoming, Hood and Bentz (2007) developed models for predicting the probability of Douglas-fir mortality and Douglas-fir bark beetle attack based on fire injury and stand characteristics. This guide is based on information in Hood and Bentz (2007) and is intended for use in development of post-fire management and prescribed burn plans. Included are descriptions of both models and variables that significantly influence post-fire Douglas-fir mortality and bark beetle attack. A supplemental field guide provides photographs of a range of levels for each fire-related injury and descriptions for measuring each characteristic in the field. Also provided are discussions on how to interpret Douglas-fir mortality and bark beetle attack models for use in management decision-making regarding wild and prescribed fires in the Northern Rocky Mountains.

Citation

Hood, Sharon; Bentz, Barbara; Gibson, Ken; Ryan, Kevin; DeNitto, Gregg. 2007. Assessing post-fire Douglas-fir mortality and Douglas-fir beetle attacks in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-199. Fort Collins, CO: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 31 p.