Incorporating Spatial Heterogeneity into Fire Restoration Plans

摘要

The goal of this project was to determine the relationship between heterogeneity in fire intensity and understory plant diversity after prescribed fire in Sequoia National Park. This study addressed four objectives: (1) to explore whether individual understory forest species are more likely to occur in spots that burned under high, moderate, or low intensity fire; (3) to identify the factors that explain fine-scale variability in fire intensity; (2) to determine to what extent prescribed fires through heavy, homogeneous fuels can generate the environmental heterogeneity important to maintaining plant diversity; and (4) to compare two management options, early- and late-season prescribed fire, for their impact on environmental heterogeneity and understory plant community composition.