Abstract

Fire has an important role for regeneration of many boreal forest tree species, and this includes both wildfire and prescribed burning following clear-cutting. Depending on the severity, fire can have a variety of effects on above-and below-ground properties that impact tree seedling establishment. Very little is known about the impacts of ground fire severity on post-fire seedling performance, or how the effects of fire severity interact with those of canopy structure. We conducted a full-factorial experiment that manipulated surface-burn severity (no burn; light, medium, or heavy burn; or scarification) and canopy (closed forest or open clear-cut) to reveal their interactive effects on ecophysiological traits of establishing broadleaf and conifer seedlings in a Swedish boreal forest. Medium and heavy surface burns increased seedling growth, photosynthesis, respiration, and foliar N and P concentrations, and these effects were most apparent in open clear-cuts. Growth rates of all species responded similarly to surface-burn treatments, although photosynthesis, foliar P, and specific leaf area were more responsive to burning treatments for broadleaf species than for conifers. Our study demonstrates that the positive impacts of fire on tree seedling physiology are dependent on a minimum severity threshold and are more effective when combined with clear-cutting.

Keywords

boreal forest; fire severity; fire management; foliar nutrients; photosynthesis; respiration; scarification; tree seedling regeneration

Published in

Canadian Journal of Forest Research
2014, Volume: 44, number: 9, pages: 1032-1041
Publisher: NRC Research Press (Canadian Science Publishing)

SLU Authors

• Bansal, Sheel

  • Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Jochum, Till

  • Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Wardle, David

  • Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Nilsson Hegethorn, Marie-Charlotte

  • Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss


UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2014-0112

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/59784