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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 16(1)

Fluctuations in fuel moisture across restoration treatments in semi-arid ponderosa pine forests of northern Arizona, USA

Shawn Michael Faiella A and John Duff Bailey B C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Forestry, Box 15018, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA.

B Department of Forest Resources, 280 Peavy Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.

C Corresponding author. Email: john.bailey@oregonstate.edu

International Journal of Wildland Fire 16(1) 119-127 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF06018
Published: 20 February 2007

Abstract

Fuel moisture is an important variable in estimating fire behaviour and wildfire hazard. We measured three replicates each of thin-and-burn, burn-only, and control treatments in semi-arid ponderosa pine forests of northern Arizona, USA to quantify temporal changes and treatment effects on live foliar and dead fuel moisture content. Overstorey structure and canopy bulk density were reduced 40–75% in the thin-and-burn treatment v. the burn-only and control treatments. Fluctuations in foliar moisture content varied temporally and across study areas. In 2003, a significant treatment effect was found for two study sites for 1-year-old foliage, but no significant treatment effect was found for new foliage. In 2004, a significant treatment effect was found across all three study sites for both 1-year-old and new foliage. However, no clear pattern existed regarding a specific treatment and its effect on moisture content of old or new foliage. No conclusive evidence was found for a significant treatment effect on the moisture content of fuel particles in the size classes of 0–6, 6–25, and 25–100-mm diameter. Proposals regarding amplified fire behaviour as a consequence of reduced fuel moisture contents in treated v. untreated forest stands in semi-arid ponderosa pine forests of northern Arizona therefore appear to be unwarranted.

Additional keywords: American south-west, dead fuel moisture, fire behaviour, foliar moisture content, forest structure.


Acknowledgements

This project was funded by the Joint Fire Science program and the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, through agreement 03-JV-11221615-290. Field and laboratory assistance was provided by C. Bickford, W. Chancellor, K. Gleason, C. Seck, S. Stoker, M. Trenam, and B. Zebrowski. A. Sanchez-Meador provided assistance with data analysis and R. Speer provided the study area map.


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