Modeling long-term effects of altered fire regimes following Southern Pine Beetle outbreaks (North Carolina).
Authors: | Weiman Xi, John Waldron, Charles Lafon, David Cairns, Andrew Birt, Maria Tchakerian, Robert Coulson, Kier Klepzig |
Year: | 2009 |
Type: | Scientific Journal |
Station: | Southern Research Station |
Source: | Ecological Restoration 27 1:24-26 |
Abstract
Periodic fires are an important factor shaping the species-rich southern Appalachian forest landscape, and fire regimes in this region have changed significantly over time. The role of fire in maintaining Appalachian forests has been debated and increasingly studied (Delcourt and Delcourt 1998). Experimental studies have shown that pine regeneration increases following prescribed fire (e.g., Vose et al. 1997), and researchers have suggested that reintroducing fire may help to maintain the decreasing natural pine forests (Lafon et al. 2007).