Fire-climate controls on secondary succession in Alaskan black spruce forests
Eric
S.
Kasischke, University of Maryland, ekasisch@umd.edu
(Presenting)
Kirsten
Barrett, U.S. Geological Survey, kbarrett@usgs.gov
Laura
L.
Bourgeau-Chavez, Michigan Tech Research Institute, laura.chavez@mtu.edu
Jill
J.
Johnstone, University of Saskatchewan, jill.johnstone@usask.ca
Elizabeth
E.
Hoy, University of Maryland, elizabeth.hoy@gmail.com
Aditi
Shenoy, University of Alaska, aditi.shenoy@gmail.com
Matthew
Borr, University of Maryland, mborr@umd.edu
The frequency of large fire years in interior Alaska has increased dramatically over the past three decades, culminating in more than 6 million ha of area burned during the 2000s (15 percent of the land surface). Our studies have shown that variations in fire severity (depth of burning) can cause dramatic changes in post fire succession in black spruce forests, the dominant forest type in this region. However, post-fire variations in soil moisture also influence seedling recruitment. We are investigating approaches to use satellite-remote sensing data to: (a) monitor variations in the patterns of fire at landscape scales to determine the sources of variability in burned area; (a) mapdepth of burning in black spruce forests; (c) monitor variations in post-fire soil moisture; and (d) map different trajectories in post-fire succession. In this poster paper, a summary of our findings will be presented based on results from several NASA Terrestrial Ecology projects as well as a USGS Mendenhall Post-doctoral Fellowship.
Presentation Type: Poster
Poster Session: Ecosystems Science
NASA TE Funded Awards Represented:
Kasischke, Eric
Remote Monitoring of Changes in Forest Functional Types after Disturbance from Fire in the North American Boreal Region: Implications for Interpreting the Effects of Satellite-observed Changes in Vegetation Greenness on the Terrestrial Carbon Budget
Kasischke, Eric
Assessing the impacts of fire and insect disturbance on the terrestrial carbon budgets of forested areas in Canada, Alaska, and the Western United States