Fire and weather disturbance in terrestrial ecosystem of the eastern Cascades
Agee JK. 1994. Fire and weather disturbance in terrestrial ecosystem of the eastern Cascades. Eastside Forest Ecosystem Health Assessment: Vol. III. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-320. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Portland, OR
"Fire has been an important ecological process in eastside Cascade ecosystems for millennia. Fire regimes ranged from low severity to high severity, and historic fire return intervals ranged from less than a decade to greater than 300 years. Fire history and effects are described for grassland and shrubland ecosystems, and the range of forested communities by plant series: Ponderosa Pine, Douglas-fir/White fir/Grand fir, Lodgepole pine, Western hemlock/Western redcedar, and subalpine fir/Mountain hemlock. The riparian zones within these communities may be more or less impacted by fire. The effects of extreme weather events, including unusual temperature, wind, or moisture have generally had less significant impact than fire. Management practices, including fire suppression, timber harvesting, and livestock grazing, have altered historical fire regimes, in some cases irreversibly. The management issues for the 1990s include both management and research issues, at a grand scale with which we have little experience. Ecosystem and adaptive management principles will have to be applied."
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Agee, James
- Date of Issue
- 1994-02
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
- Units
- CRLA
- Keywords
- Abies grandis (Giant Fir Grand Fir Lowland White Fir Silver Fir White Fir Yellow Fir), Abies lasiocarpa (Balsam Fir Rocky Mountain Fir Subalpine Fir Western Balsam Fir White Balsam), Cascade Mountains, Fire History, Forest Fire, Juniperus occidentalis (western juniper), Pinus contorta (Lodgepole Pine Scrub Pine Shore Pine Tamarack Pine), Pinus ponderosa (Blackjack Pine Bull Pine Pinabete Ponderosa Pine Rock Pine Western Yellow Pine), Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas Fir Douglas Fir Douglas Spruce Douglas-fir Oregon Pine Red Fir), Vascular Plant