This project aims to understand the effects of fire on oak woodland and savanna ecosystems in California, and how this information can advise management decisions to prepare for increasingly common fire events. To elucidate the above, this project will address the following research questions: 1) what is the effect of weather, topography, and 3-dimensional vegetation structure on fire behavior (specifically fire rate of spread, residence time, and maximum burn temperature) in foothill oak woodland vegetation? 2) what is the relationship between fire behavior (fire intensity) and burn severity with respect to overstory oak damage and mortality risk? And 3) what management strategies could be used to mitigate wildfire severity in foothill oak woodlands to sustain both woodland health and public safety? To answer these questions, data will be collected to capture 1) pre-burn stand demography and structure; 2) mid-burn rate of spread, residence time, and maximum temperature to quantify fire behavior; and 3) post-burn burn severity at the individual and stand scale. Understory vegetation structure will also be experimentally manipulated to test the relationship between oak understory condition and fire severity. In the following year, additional burn severity data will be recorded to capture longer term effects on survival and subsequently population health. Pre-burn field data will be related to imaging lidar data collected prior to the burns, to scale from site to landscape fire effects modelling. Results will be synthesized by linking fire behavior variables with weather, topography, and 3-dimensional vegetation structure; 3-dimensional vegetation structure with burn severity; and burn severity with immediate and delayed mortality risk. These mechanistic relationships in oak woodlands have received scant study. By identifying patterns and quantifying associated risks to woodland stands, this will allow us to better anticipate acute and long-term effects of fire on oak populations and better manage fire for woodland health, ecosystem services, and public safety in foothill landscapes. This project will be located in Santa Barbara County, and will include two prescribed burn events scheduled in 2022 and 2023. Both burn sites consist of coastal sage scrub and oak woodland mosaics dominated by blue and coast live oak, with understories ranging from annual grasses to shrubs. This project will address Priority Topic 1 by improving prediction of threats from fire, identify the associated impacts to forest health, and provide insights on post-wildfire recovery; and Priority Topic 2 by evaluating the implications of increased pace and scale of prescribed fire..

No publications at this time

Contact Information:

Kaili Brande (PI)
kailipbrande@bren.ucsb.edu

CAL FIRE Forest Health Research Program
FHResearch@fire.ca.gov