Opis: Ecology of Wildfire Residuals in Boreal Forests - Lisa Buse, Ajith Perera

Large and intense wildfires are integral to the globally important boreal forest biome. While much is known about boreal wildfires, the focus on forest remnants that either escape or survive these intense fires is a recent phenomenon: academics now study ecological processes of wildfire residuals, forest policymakers use their patterns to design harvest strategies, forest managers consider their economic value, and conservationists recognize their intrinsic ecological importance. Ecology of Wildfire Residuals in Boreal Forests is the first book to explore ecological patterns and processes of what does not burn within boreal wildfires. Following a brief introduction to the boreal forest biome, it discusses the processes that form wildfire residuals; how they are studied, with various approaches and methods; the types, extent, and ecological functions of wildfire residuals; and their role in forest management applications, all in the context of ecological scale. This book is a reference for researchers and graduate students studying boreal forest ecology, as well as for policymakers and forest managers. It adopts a non-reductionist perspective that will be of interest to scientists from conservation science, forest ecology, forest management, and timber production. It brings together fire behaviour, ecological scale, vegetation ecology, and conservation biology to provide a cross disciplinary, multi-scale, and an integrative discussion of forest fire residuals. It captures the state of knowledge with a meta-analysis of research trends during the past few decades, with a comprehensive review of the literature, a compilation of key references, and a list of key topics relevant to the study of boreal wildfire residuals. It identifies the major gaps and uncertainties in the present body of knowledge, including a critique of study techniques and reporting practices to date, and proposes a set of terms and definitions and a list of research questions and priorities. It includes the authors' observations and research experience from boreal Canada, and information extracted from interactions with North American and European ecologists, forest managers, and conservationists.Acknowledgments xi About the companion website xiii 1 Introduction 1 The boreal forest biome 2 Geographical distribution 4 Distinguishing features 6 Boreal wildfires 9 Major characteristics 9 Ecological significance 11 Goals and scope of the book 12 References 14 2 Formation of wildfire residuals 18 Factors that affect the formation of residuals 19 Boreal forest communities 20 Boreal wildfires 31 Residual formation and distribution 40 Spatial heterogeneity in fire behavior 41 Process of residual formation 44 Summary 59 References 61 3 Types of wildfire residuals and their extent 65 Types of wildfire residuals 66 A post-wildfire scene 66 Past descriptions of wildfire residuals 71 Abundance and extent of wildfire residuals 79 Snag residuals 80 Live tree residuals 81 Residual patches 84 Changes in residuals after wildfires 88 Snag residuals 88 Live tree residuals 89 Residual patches 92 Toward improved definitions and assessment 93 Reasons for improvement 93 Definitions of wildfire residuals 95 Improved study approaches 103 Summary 107 References 113 4 Ecological roles of wildfire residuals 119 Ecological processes involving snag residuals 121 Invasion by beetles 121 Colonization by woodpeckers 132 Occupation by other bird species 140 Forest regeneration 142 Roles of the residual patches 148 Providing temporary shelter 149 Supplementing the recovery 151 Creating heterogeneity 161 Ecological significance 161 Wildfire residuals and the carbon cycle 162 Wildfire residuals and nutrient and hydrological cycles 165 Summary 168 References 173 5 Role of wildfire residuals in forest management applications 184 Restoring wildfire residuals 185 Ecological expectations 186 Considerations for application 187 Challenges and uncertainties 190 Emulating wildfire disturbance 191 Background 191 Emulating wildfire residuals by forest harvest 193 Expectations and uncertainties 197 Salvage logging 202 Background 202 Ecological consequences 204 Practical considerations 212 Uncertainties 217 Summary 220 References 222 6 Ecology of boreal wildfire residuals -- a summary and synthesis 227 Wildfire residuals and their occurrence 227 Residual vegetation types 228 Spatial patterns of residuals 231 Ecological roles of wildfire residuals 235 Snag residuals 235 Residual patches 236 A conceptual view 237 Knowledge uncertainties 239 Management applications and wildfire residuals 240 Salvage logging 240 Emulating wildfire disturbances 240 Restoring wildfire residuals 242 Suppressing fire 243 Research needs on wildfire residuals 243 Advancing research methods 243 Expanding research topics 244 Conclusion 245 Index 247

Szczegóły: Ecology of Wildfire Residuals in Boreal Forests - Lisa Buse, Ajith Perera

Tytuł: Ecology of Wildfire Residuals in Boreal Forests
Autor: Lisa Buse, Ajith Perera
Producent: Blackwell Science
ISBN: 9781444336535
Rok produkcji: 2014
Ilość stron: 272
Oprawa: Twarda
Waga: 0.61 kg

Recenzje: Ecology of Wildfire Residuals in Boreal Forests - Lisa Buse, Ajith Perera