Influence of wildfire severity on geomorphic features and riparian vegetation of forested streams of the Sierra Nevada, California, USA
Breeanne K. Jackson
A B C and S. Mažeika P. Sullivan A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Shiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park, School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43202, USA.
B Present address: Resources Management and Science Division, Yosemite National Park, 5083 Foresta Road, El Portal, CA 95318, USA.
C Corresponding author. Email: breeannekjackson@gmail.com
International Journal of Wildland Fire 29(7) 611-617 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF19114
Submitted: 1 August 2019 Accepted: 7 February 2020 Published: 31 March 2020
Abstract
Fires are a common feature of many landscapes, with numerous and complex ecological consequences. In stream ecosystems, fire can strongly influence fluvial geomorphic characteristics and riparian vegetation, which are structural components of stream–riparian ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity and ecosystem function. However, the effects of fire severity on stream–riparian ecosystems in California’s Sierra Nevada region (USA) are not well described, yet critical for effectively informing fire management and policy. At 12 stream reaches paired by fire severity (one high-severity burned, one low-severity burned), no significant differences were found in riparian plant community cover and composition or stream geomorphic characteristics 2–15 years following wildfire. In addition, minimal changes in riparian vegetation and stream geomorphic properties were observed in the first summer following the extensive and severe Rim Fire. However, an upstream-to-downstream influence of multiple fire occurrences was observed over the previous 81 years within each catchment on stream geomorphic metrics, including sediment size, embeddedness and channel geometry, at our study reaches. The inconsistent effects of wildfire on stream–riparian vegetation and geomorphic characteristics over space and time may be related to time since fire and precipitation.
Additional keywords: channel geometry, fire extent, fire severity, Rim Fire, riparian vegetation, Yosemite.
References
Abatzoglou JT, McEvoy DJ, Redmond KT (2017) The west wide drought tracker: drought monitoring at fine spatial scales. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 98, 1815–1820.| The west wide drought tracker: drought monitoring at fine spatial scales.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Arkle RS, Pilliod DS, Strickler K (2010) Fire, flow and dynamic equilibrium in stream macroinvertebrate communities. Freshwater Biology 55, 299–314.
| Fire, flow and dynamic equilibrium in stream macroinvertebrate communities.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bateman PC (1992) Plutonism in the central part of the Sierra Nevada batholith, California. US Geological Survey Professional Paper 1483. (Reston, VA)
Bêche LA, Stephens SL, Resh VH (2005) Effects of prescribed fire on a Sierra Nevada (California, USA) stream and its riparian zone. Forest Ecology and Management 218, 37–59.
| Effects of prescribed fire on a Sierra Nevada (California, USA) stream and its riparian zone.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Benda L, Dunne T (1997) Stochastic forcing of sediment routing and storage in channel networks. Water Resources Research 33, 2865–2880.
| Stochastic forcing of sediment routing and storage in channel networks.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Benda L, Miller D, Bigelow P, Andras K (2003) Effects of post-wildfire erosion on channel environments, Boise River, Idaho. Forest Ecology and Management 178, 105–119.
| Effects of post-wildfire erosion on channel environments, Boise River, Idaho.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bisson PA, Rieman BE, Luce C, Hessburg PF, Lee DC, Kershner JL, Reeves GH, Gresswell RE (2003) Fire and aquatic ecosystems of the western USA: current knowledge and key questions. Forest Ecology and Management 178, 213–229.
| Fire and aquatic ecosystems of the western USA: current knowledge and key questions.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bixby RJ, Cooper SD, Gresswell RE, Brown LE, Dahm CN, Dwire KA (2015) Fire effects on aquatic ecosystems: an assessment of the current state of science. Freshwater Science 34, 1340–1350.
| Fire effects on aquatic ecosystems: an assessment of the current state of science.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bocharova N, Treu G, Czirjak GA, Krone O, Stefanski V (2013) Correlates between feeding ecology and mercury levels in historical and modern arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus). PLoS One 8, e60879
| Correlates between feeding ecology and mercury levels in historical and modern arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 23671561PubMed |
Boisramé G, Thompson S, Kelly M, Cavalli J, Wilkin M, Stephens S (2017) Vegetation change during 40 years of repeated managed wildfires in the Sierra Nevada, California. Forest Ecology and Management 402, 241–252.
| Vegetation change during 40 years of repeated managed wildfires in the Sierra Nevada, California.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cianfrani CM, Sullivan SMP, Hession WC, Watzin MC (2009) Mixed stream channel morphologies: implications for fish community diversity. Aquatic Conservation 19, 147–156.
| Mixed stream channel morphologies: implications for fish community diversity.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Collins BM, Miller JD, Thode AE, Kelly M, van Wagtendonk JW, Stephens SL (2009) Interactions among wildland fires in a long-established Sierra Nevada fire area. Ecosystems 12, 114–128.
| Interactions among wildland fires in a long-established Sierra Nevada fire area.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Dettinger MD, Ralph FM, Das T, Neiman PJ, Cayan DR (2011) Atmospheric rivers, floods and the water resources of California. Water 3, 445–478.
| Atmospheric rivers, floods and the water resources of California.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Downes BJ, Marmuta LA, Fairweather PG, Faith DP, Keough MJ, Lake PS, Mapstone BD, Quinn GP (2002) ‘Monitoring ecological impacts: concepts and practice in flowing waters.’ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK)
Dwire KA, Kauffman JB (2003) Fire and riparian ecosystems in landscapes of the western USA. Forest Ecology and Management 178, 61–74.
| Fire and riparian ecosystems in landscapes of the western USA.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Ebel BA, Mirus BB (2014) Disturbance hydrology: challenges and opportunities. Hydrological Processes 28, 5140–5148.
| Disturbance hydrology: challenges and opportunities.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Gresswell RE (1999) Fire and aquatic ecosystems in forested biomes of North America. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 128, 193–221.
| Fire and aquatic ecosystems in forested biomes of North America.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Holm S (1979) A simple sequential rejective multiple test procedure. Scandinavian Journal of Statistics 6, 65–67.
Huber NK, Bateman PC, Wahrhaftig C (1989) Geologic map of Yosemite National Park and vicinity, California. US Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-1874. (Reston, VA)
Jackson BK, Sullivan SMP (2009) Influence of fire severity on riparian vegetation heterogeneity in an Idaho, U.S.A. wilderness. Forest Ecology and Management 259, 24–32.
| Influence of fire severity on riparian vegetation heterogeneity in an Idaho, U.S.A. wilderness.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Johansson ME, Nilsson C (2002) Responses of riparian plants to flooding in free flowing and regulated rivers: an experimental study. Journal of Applied Ecology 39, 971–986.
| Responses of riparian plants to flooding in free flowing and regulated rivers: an experimental study.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Keeler-Wolf T, Moore PE, Reyes ET, Menke JM, Johnson DN, Karavidas DL (2012) Yosemite National Park vegetation classification and mapping project report. National Park Service, Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/YOSE/NRTR – 2012/598. (Fort Collins, Co)
Kobziar LN, McBride JR (2006) Wildfire burn patterns and riparian vegetation response along two Sierra Nevada streams. Forest Ecology and Management 222, 254–265.
| Wildfire burn patterns and riparian vegetation response along two Sierra Nevada streams.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kruskal JB (1964) Nonmetric multidumensional scaling: a numerical method. Psychometrika 29, 115–129.
| Nonmetric multidumensional scaling: a numerical method.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Legleiter CJ, Lawrence RL, Fonstad MA, Marcus WA, Aspinall R (2003) Fluvial response a decade after wildfire in the northern Yellowstone ecosystem: a spatially explicit analysis. Geomorphology 54, 119–136.
| Fluvial response a decade after wildfire in the northern Yellowstone ecosystem: a spatially explicit analysis.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lutz JA, van Wagtendonk JW, Thode AE, Miller JD, Franklin JF (2009) Climate, lightning ignitions, and fire severity in Yosemite National Park, California, USA. International Journal of Wildland Fire 18, 765–774.
| Climate, lightning ignitions, and fire severity in Yosemite National Park, California, USA.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Malison RL, Baxter CV (2010) Effects of wildfire of varying severity on benthic stream insect assemblages and emergence. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 29, 1324–1338.
| Effects of wildfire of varying severity on benthic stream insect assemblages and emergence.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Mayor AG, Bautista S, Llovet J, Bellot J (2007) Post-fire hydrological and erosional responses of a Mediterranean landscape: seven years of catchment-scale dynamics. Catena 71, 68–75.
| Post-fire hydrological and erosional responses of a Mediterranean landscape: seven years of catchment-scale dynamics.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
McCune B, Mefford MJ (1999) PC_ORD: Mulitvariate Analysis of Ecological Data. MjM Software Design, Gleneden Beach, OR.
Miller JD, Safford HD, Crimmins M, Thode AE (2009) Quantitative evidence of increasing forest fire severity in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascade Mountains, California and Nevada, USA. Ecosystems 12, 16–32.
| Quantitative evidence of increasing forest fire severity in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascade Mountains, California and Nevada, USA.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Montgomery DR, Buffington JM (1997) Channel-reach morphology in mountain drainage basins. Geological Society of America Bulletin 109, 596–611.
| Channel-reach morphology in mountain drainage basins.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Pettit NE, Naiman RJ (2007a) Fire in the riparian zone: characteristics and ecological consequences. Ecosystems 10, 673–687.
| Fire in the riparian zone: characteristics and ecological consequences.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Pettit NE, Naiman RJ (2007b) Postfire response of flood-regenerating riparian vetation in a semi-arid landscape. Ecology 88, 2094–2104.
| Postfire response of flood-regenerating riparian vetation in a semi-arid landscape.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 17824440PubMed |
Poff NL (1992) Why disturbances can be predictable: a prespective on the definition of disturbance in streams. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 11, 86–92.
| Why disturbances can be predictable: a prespective on the definition of disturbance in streams.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Rice S, Stoffel M, Turowski JM, Wolf A (2012) Disturbance regimes at the interface of geomorphology and ecology. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 37, 1678–1682.
| Disturbance regimes at the interface of geomorphology and ecology.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Rosgen DL (1996) ‘Applied river morphology.’ (Wildland Hydrology: Pagosa Springs, CO)
Rothman HK (2007) ‘Blazing heritage: a history of wildland fire in the National Park Service.’ (Oxford University Press: New York)
Rowse LM, Rodewald AD, Sullivan SMP (2014) Pathways and consequences of contaminant flux to Acadian flycatchers (Empidonax virescens) in urbanizing landscapes of Ohio, USA. The Science of the Total Environment 485–486, 461–467.
| Pathways and consequences of contaminant flux to Acadian flycatchers (Empidonax virescens) in urbanizing landscapes of Ohio, USA.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 24742556PubMed |
Sala M, Soler M, Pradas M (1994) Temporal and spatial variations in runoff and erosion in burnt soils. In ‘The second international conference on forest fire research, 21–24 November 1994, Coimbra, Portugal’. (Ed. D. Xavier Viegas) pp. 1123–1134. (Comissão de Coordenação da Região Centro: Coimbra, Portugal)
Scott DF, Vanwyk DB (1990) The effects of wildfire on soil wettability and hydrological behavior of an afforested catchment. Journal of Hydrology 121, 239–256.
| The effects of wildfire on soil wettability and hydrological behavior of an afforested catchment.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Shakesby RA (2011) Post-wildfire soil erosion in the Mediterranean: review and future research directions. Earth-Science Reviews 105, 71–100.
| Post-wildfire soil erosion in the Mediterranean: review and future research directions.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Shakesby RA, Doerr SH (2006) Wildfire as a hydrological and geomorphological agent. Earth-Science Reviews 74, 269–307.
| Wildfire as a hydrological and geomorphological agent.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Stanford JA, Lorang MS, Hauer FR (2005) The shifting habitat mosaic of river ecosystems. SIL Proceedings 29, 123–136.
| The shifting habitat mosaic of river ecosystems.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Stewart-Oaten A, Murdoch WW, Parker KR (1986) Environmental-impact assessment – psuedoreplication in time. Ecology 67, 929–940.
| Environmental-impact assessment – psuedoreplication in time.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Strahler AN (1957) Quantitative analysis of watershed geomorphology. Eos 38, 913–920.
Sullivan SMP, Watzin MC (2008) Relating stream physical habitat condition and concordance of biotic productivity across multiple taxa. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 65, 2667–2677.
| Relating stream physical habitat condition and concordance of biotic productivity across multiple taxa.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Swanson FJ (1981) Fire and geomorphic processes. USDA Forest Service, General Technical Report WO-26. (Washington, DC)
Van de Water K, North M (2010) Fire history of coniferous riparian forests in the Sierra Nevada. Forest Ecology and Management 260, 384–395.
| Fire history of coniferous riparian forests in the Sierra Nevada.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Verkaik I, Rieradevall M, Cooper SD, Melack JM, Dudley TL, Prat N (2013) Fire as a disturbance in mediterranean climate streams. Hydrobiologia 719, 353–382.
| Fire as a disturbance in mediterranean climate streams.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Wagenbrenner JW, Robichaud PR (2014) Post-fire bedload sediment delivery across spatial scaled in the interior western United States. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 39, 865–876.
| Post-fire bedload sediment delivery across spatial scaled in the interior western United States.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Westerling AL, Hidalgo HG, Craven DR, Swetnam TW (2006) Warming and earlier spring increase Western U.S. forest wildfire activity. Science 313, 940–943.
| Warming and earlier spring increase Western U.S. forest wildfire activity.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 16825536PubMed |
Western Regional Climate Center 2018 Cooperative climatological data summaries. (Reno, NV) Available at https://wrcc.dri.edu/Climate/west_coop_summaries.php [Accessed January 2018]
Wolman MG (1954) A method of sampling coarse river-bed material. Transactions of the American Geophysical Union 35, 951–956.
| A method of sampling coarse river-bed material.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Wondzell SM, King JG (2003) Postfire erosional processes in the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain regions. Forest Ecology and Management 178, 75–87.
| Postfire erosional processes in the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain regions.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
