Postfire changes in forest carbon storage over a 300-year chronosequence of Pinus contorta-dominated forests
Kashian D, Romme W, Tinker D, Turner M, Ryan M. 2013. Postfire changes in forest carbon storage over a 300-year chronosequence of Pinus contorta-dominated forests. Ecological Monographs. 83(1)
A warming climate may increase the frequency and severity of stand-replacing wildfires, reducing carbon (C) storage in forest ecosystems. Understanding the variability of postfire C cycling on heterogeneous landscapes is critical for predicting changes in C storage with more frequent disturbance. We measured C pools and fluxes for 77 lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud var. latifolia Engelm.) stands in and around Yellowstone National Park (YNP) along a 300-year chronosequence to examine how quickly forest C pools recover after a stand-replacing fire, their variability through time across a complex landscape, and the role of stand structure in this variability.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Kashian, Daniel; Romme, William; Tinker, Daniel; Turner, Monica; Ryan, Michael
- Units
- YELL
- Keywords
- carbon, net ecosystem carbon balance, net ecosystem production, postfire succession
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Fire and Fuel Dynamics | Fire and Fuel Dynamics