Spatial pattern and persistence of historical fire boundaries in southern interior British Columbia

Recent ecosystem and fire management research aims to quantify, model and understand historical fire disturbances focusing on their frequency, size and distribution. Less attention, however, has been paid to fire boundaries and their location on the landscape. Our study presents a spatial method to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental and ecological statistics 2008-12, Vol.15 (4), p.523-535
Main Authors: Jordan, Geraldine J, Fortin, Marie-Josée, Lertzman, Kenneth P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Boundaries
Boundary
Chemistry and Earth Sciences
Computer Science
Ecology
Forest ecosystems
forest fires
Forest management
Health Sciences
Life Sciences
Low-severity fire
Math. Appl. in Environmental Science
Medicine
Moran's I
Natural disturbance
Physics
Pine trees
Pinus ponderosa
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Spatial analysis
Statistical analysis
Statistics for Engineering
Statistics for Life Sciences
Stein River watershed
Studies
Theoretical Ecology/Statistics
Watersheds
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Summary:Recent ecosystem and fire management research aims to quantify, model and understand historical fire disturbances focusing on their frequency, size and distribution. Less attention, however, has been paid to fire boundaries and their location on the landscape. Our study presents a spatial method to quantify the location, pattern and persistence of historical fire boundaries using tree ring fire scar data in the lower Stein watershed (British Columbia). Data from Pinus ponderosa and Pseudotsuga menziesii collected in 35 one-hectare plots over a 412-hectare study area were analyzed for the period between 1879 and 1947 using local spatial statistics and boundary detection techniques. Results of the analysis using local spatial statistic Moran's I showed significant clustering of boundaries near topographic breaks. To determine and test whether fire boundaries between plots were persistent, we used boundary detection methods and developed a spatially restricted randomization test. The results revealed that out of 86 possible boundary links, 8 were significantly persistent (P < 0.025) while another 8 were significantly rare (P < 0.025). These spatial methods can help determine the historical spatial configuration of persistent boundaries and can be used to maintain natural forest dynamics.
ISSN:1352-8505
1573-3009
DOI:10.1007/s10651-007-0063-7