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Vegetation dynamics and the efficacy of prescribed fires in restoring oak-dominated ecosystems in southern Ohio

Petersen, Sheryl M.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1318087928

Abstract Details

2012, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Biology.
Most pryrogenic ecosystems are endangered due to encroachment of fire-sensitive species and loss of fire-tolerant species caused by altered fire regimes, especially fire suppression. Restoration of these degraded systems typically involves the reintroduction of fire via prescribed burning. I evaluated the efficacy of prescribed fire in reducing woody plant encroachment in fire-suppressed oak-dominated ecosystems in the Bluegrass Region of southern Ohio. In the first study, I tested the effects of biennial fire and a fire surrogate (clipping) on woody and herbaceous vegetation abundance in oak barrens. I found that fire and clipping produce similar responses in vegetation, and although these treatments reduce the aerial cover of shrubs, they do not lessen shrub resprouting or promote herbaceous plants. Next, I described the characteristics of oak-dominated forests prior to the reintroduction of fire. My snapshot of seedling layer vegetation in these forests highlights the variation in vegetation and environmental factors over small and large spatial scales. Despite their distinctions in composition, the structural patterns at all the forest stands provide evidence for a general shift in composition from oak (Quercus) to maple (Acer) dominance. Oaks are failing to regenerate and are being replaced by actively recruiting maples. Fires are predicted to reverse this shift by acting as a filter for maples resulting in the promotion oaks. In my final study, I tested this prediction and evaluated the effects of fire season and topkill with and without heating on forest seedling composition and abundance. I found no clear effect of fire season, or heating, and only limited support for the prediction that fires act as a filter for maples. Overall, these results indicate that fire might maintain initial vegetation conditions, but is not effective in reversing encroachment in oak-dominated ecosystems. Despite the limited spatial and temporal scale of my studies, these results are consistent with the general findings in the literature. They underscore the need to test multiple aspects of the fire regime (frequency, intensity, and season) in concert with structural manipulations. They also suggest that we may need to modify our expectation that fire will restore these highly altered systems.
Joseph Koonce, PhD (Advisor)
Roy Ritzman, PhD (Committee Chair)
Robin Snyder, PhD (Committee Member)
David Burke, PhD (Committee Member)
Michael Benard, PhD (Committee Member)
Matthew Dickinson, PhD (Committee Member)
238 p.
Biology; Ecology; Forestry
fire; fire suppression; barrens; forest; oak-dominated; maple; oak; prescribed fire; prescribed burning; resprouting; herbaceous plants; shrubs; woody plants; oak-maple shift; forest structure; Quercus; Acer; seedling; Bluegrass Region; Ohio; clipping

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Petersen, S. M. (2012). Vegetation dynamics and the efficacy of prescribed fires in restoring oak-dominated ecosystems in southern Ohio [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1318087928

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Petersen, Sheryl. Vegetation dynamics and the efficacy of prescribed fires in restoring oak-dominated ecosystems in southern Ohio. 2012. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1318087928.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Petersen, Sheryl. "Vegetation dynamics and the efficacy of prescribed fires in restoring oak-dominated ecosystems in southern Ohio." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1318087928

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1318087928
481
© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.