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This state-of-knowledge review about the effects of fire on flora
and fuels can assist land managers in planning for ecosystem
management and fire management, and in their efforts to inform
others about the ecological role of fire. Chapter 1 presents an
overview and a classification of fire regimes that is used
throughout the report. Chapter 2 summarizes knowledge of fire
effects on individual plants, including susceptibility to mortality
of aerial crowns, stems, and roots; vegetative regeneration;
seedling establishment from on-site and off-site seed sources;
seasonal influences such as carbohydrates and phenological stage;
and factors affecting burn severity. Five chapters describe fire
regime characteristics such as fire severity, fire frequency, and
fire intensity, and postfire plant community responses for
ecosystems throughout the United States and Canada. Typical fuel
compositions, fuel loadings, and fire behavior are described for
many vegetation types. Vegetation types including Forest-Range
Environmental Study (FRES), Kuchler, and Society of American
Foresters (SAF) types are classified as belonging to understory,
mixed, or stand replacement fire severity regime types. The
severity and frequency of fire are described for the
pre-Euro-American settlement period and contrasted with current
fire regimes. Historic fire frequencies ranged from a fire every 1
to 3 years in some grassland and pine types to a fire every 500 to
1,000 years in some coastal forest and northern hardwood types. In
many vegetation types characterized by understory fire regimes, a
considerable shift in fire frequency and fire severity occurred
during the past century. Successional patterns and vegetation
dynamics following disturbance by fire, and in some cases related
grazing and silvicultural treatments, are described for major
vegetation types. Management considerations are discussed,
especially for the application of prescribed fire. A chapter on
global climate change describes the complexity of a changing
climate and possible influences on vegetation, fuels, and fire. The
uncertainty of global climate change and its interactions with
vegetation means expectations for fire management are general and
tentative. Nonetheless, manipulation of wildlands and disturbance
regimes may be necessary to ensure continual presence of some
species. The last chapter takes a broader, more fundamental view of
the ecological principles and shifting fire regimes described in
the other chapters. The influences of fire regimes on biodiversity
and fuel accumulation are discussed. Strategies and approaches for
managing fire in an ecosystem context and sources of technical
knowledge that can assist in the process are described. Research
needs are broadly summarized.
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