More info for the terms:
fire interval,
fire regime,
fire-free interval,
mean fire intervalBristlecone fir is concentrated on steep, rocky, fire-resistant sites
[
13]. Bristlecone fir occurs on sites that have experienced fire less
frequently than the surrounding forests [
27]. The presettlement fire
history of the Santa Lucia Mountains is not well known. Data for fires
during the Native American (11,000 years BP-1792 A.D.) and the
Spanish-Mexican (1792-1848) periods are scarce. The Anglo period
(1848-1929) included much indiscriminate burning by prospectors,
hunters, and ranchers. By the late 1800's, tales of huge fires in the
Santa Lucia Mountains were common in newspapers and government reports
[
12]. A probable mean fire interval for lightning fires alone was
estimated for oak woodlands (in which bristlecone fir can occur) as 10
to 30 years. The mean fire interval for mixed evergreen forests (in
which bristlecone fir occurs) was estimated at 30 to 100 years for
lightning fires. Recent fire history (since 1929) gives a mean fire
interval of 215 years for mixed evergreen forests [
9]. Talley and
Griffin [
29] reported a range of 19 to 78 years between fire scars (from
1640 to 1977) on sugar pine in the area where bristlecone fir occurs.
Because of topography, the fire-free interval for bristlecone fir stands
on steep slopes is probably longer than any of these figures.
FIRE REGIMES : Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the
FEIS home page under
"Find FIRE REGIMES".
