Publications - Forest Fires

Information Forestry Newsletter - December 2010. 2010. Church, S., editor. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Pacific Forestry Centre, Victoria, BC. Information Forestry December 2010. 12 p.

Wed, 15 Dec 2010

Information Forestry is a newsletter of research and development activities at the Pacific Forestry Centre. This newsletter contains information about research in various aspects of forestry, such as silviculture, remote sensing, biological control, and insect and disease management.

Les Brèves du Service canadien des forêts, Centre de foresterie des Laurentides. 2010. Ressources naturelles Canada, Service canadien des forêts, Centre de foresterie des Laurentides, Québec, QC. Les Brèves, no 21. 2 p.

Fri, 09 Apr 2010

Climate change - Coniferous forest soils will release carbon more readily than deciduous forest soils

Climate change - Increase in forest fire activity by the end of the century

Climate change - Predicting the effect of drought on tree growth

Climate change - A simulation points to reduced tree growth

Climate change - Selecting white spruce provenances adapted to new climatic conditions

Climate change - The impact of climate change on forested peatlands

Les Brèves du Service canadien des forêts, Centre de foresterie des Laurentides. 2010. Ressources naturelles Canada, Service canadien des forêts, Centre de foresterie des Laurentides, Québec, QC. Les Brèves, no 23. 2 p.

Tue, 16 Nov 2010

Edible forest mushrooms - Gaining insight into the ecology of the lobster mushroom

Expanding forest modelling perspectives in Quebec

Adapting forest management to climate change

Fires in the eastern boreal forest of North America over the past 7000 years

Genetically improved white spruce plantations produce economic benefits

Is Labrador tea beneficial to black spruce in the Abitibi region?

Les Brèves du Service canadien des forêts, Centre de foresterie des Laurentides. 2010. Ressources naturelles Canada, Service canadien des forêts, Centre de foresterie des Laurentides, Quebec, QC. Les Brèves, No. 20.

Fri, 19 Feb 2010

Direct influence of atmospheric circulation on forest fires

Microfibril angle: a key factor in the mechanical properties of black spruce

Poplar rust in Quebec: Watch out!

Poplars - Preserving the genetic integrity of our native species

Techniques for identifying pathogens in peat

White spruce breeding - Trade-off between wood volume and mechanical properties?

Les Brèves du Service canadien des forêts, Centre de foresterie des Laurentides. 2010. Ressources naturelles Canada, Service canadien des forêts, Centre de foresterie des Laurentides, Quebec, QC. Les Brèves, No. 22. 2 p.

Fri, 09 Apr 2010

A native fungal species may be able to hold the white pine weevil in check

A new method for assessing the incidence of parasitism of hemlock looper eggs

Are ground beetles good indicators of forest management practices in Canada?

First Canadian report of white rot decay in pine

Influence of the Pacific Ocean on fire frequency in the fire triangle area

Rove beetles: indicators of the effect of forest management in mixedwood forests

Photo guide for quantitatively assessing the characteristics of forest fuels in a jack pine–black spruce chronosequence in the Northwest Territories. 2010. Lavoie, N.; Alexander, M.E.; Macdonald, S.E. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre, Edmonton, Alberta. Information Report NOR-X-419. 51 p.

Wed, 11 Aug 2010

Descriptions of fuels and their quantification are used in several aspects of forest management and research. However, collecting site-specific data can be tedious, time-consuming, and expensive. Fuel photo guides, with their pictorial catalogs and accompanying fuel descriptions and quantitative information, represent a quick and easy alternative to objectively assessing the characteristics of forest fuels in a given area. This report augments the existing fuel photo guides of North American forest stands and vegetation types. Summary information and color photographs are presented for a jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) – black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) chronosequence in the south-central part of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Eight stands, initiated after stand-replacing crown fires and ranging in age from 1 to 108 years, were documented. The information presented here includes a description of each site, quantification of fuels by fuel strata, vertical distribution of the ladder and crown fuels, and visual representations of the stands in the form of general profile and stereopair photos.

Potentially limited detectability of short-term changes in boreal fire regimes: a simulation study. 2010. Metsaranta, J.M. International Journal of Wildland Fire 19: 1140-1146.

Tue, 12 Jul 2011

Climate change is expected to increase area burned in the boreal plains ecozone of Canada in the early 21st century (2001-50). I examined the influence of inter-annual variability in area burned and short observed time series on the probability of detecting if an increase has occurred, using a null model of present and future fire regimes. A wide range of fire cycles are consistent with annual area burned in the late 20th century (1959-99). Fire cycles estimated from the reciprocal of the average annual burn fraction over a 50-year period are not very precise, and overestimate the fire cycle if years with large annual area burned have not recently occurred. Under the default assumptions, the probability of detecting a doubling of annual area burned during 2001-50 is 73% if it occurred instantaneously, but only 31% if it occurred gradually. Imprecise estimates and uncertainty in the ability to detect changes in fire cycles poses challenges for implementing aspects of sustainable forest management. Alternate empirical or model-based statistics, such as return periods for annual areas burned of a given magnitude, may be useful for inferring frequencies and magnitudes of large fire years that have not yet been observed.

Pyrogeography: understanding the ecological niche of fire. 2010. Moritz, M.A.; Krawchuk, M.A.; Parisien, M.-A. PAGES news 18(2): 83-85.

Wed, 01 Sep 2010

Relationship between fire, climate oscillations, and drought in British Columbia, Canada, 1920 - 2000. 2010. Meyn, A.; Taylor, S.W.; Flannigan, M.D.; Thonicke, K.; Cramer, W. Global Change Biology 16(3): 977-989.

Thu, 04 Feb 2010

Soil surface CO2 flux increases with successional time in a fire scar chronosequence of Canadian boreal jack pine forest. 2010. Smith, D.R.; Kaduk, J.; Balzter, H.; Wooster, M.J.; Mottram, G.N.; Hartley, G.R.; Lynham, T.J.; Studens, J.A.; Curry, J.; Stocks, B.J. Biogeosciences 7: 1375-1381.

Tue, 28 Sep 2010

Spatial pattern analyses of post-fire residual stands in the black spruce boreal forest of western Quebec. 2010. Madoui, A.; Leduc, A.; Gauthier, S.; Bergeron, Y. International Journal of Wildland Fire 19: 1110-1126.

Fri, 10 Dec 2010

In this study, we characterised the composition and configuration of post-fire residual habitats belonging to two physiographic zones of the black spruce–moss domain in western Quebec. Thirty-three large fires (2000–52 000 ha) were selected and extracted on classified Landsat satellite imagery. The results show that a minimum of 2% and a maximum of 22% of burned areas escaped fire, with an overall average of 10.4%. The many forest patches that partially or entirely escaped fire formed residual habitats (RHs). It was found that although the area of RHs follows a linear relationship with fire size, their proportion appears relatively constant. Spatial analyses showed that the fires could be separated into two groups depending on the physiographic zones (East-Canadian Shield v. West-Clay Belt Lowlands). Fires in the west zone generate less RHs and appear to be associated with more extreme weather conditions. In most cases there was no association with water or wetlands; in some fires the presence of RHs is associated with the proximity of water bodies. The failure to find an association between RHs and wetlands suggests that this type of environment is part of the fuel. Coniferous woodland with moss appears particularly overrepresented within RHs. Our results suggest that the local and regional physiographic conditions strongly influence the creation of RHs; therefore, it is important to consider those differences when applying ecosystem-based management.

Spatial variation of trends in wildfire and summer drought in British Columbia, Canada, 1920-2000. 2010. Meyn, A.; Schmidtlein, S.; Taylor, S.W.; Girardin, M.-P.; Thonicke, K.; Cramer, W. International Journal of Wildland Fire 19: 272-283.

Tue, 18 May 2010

Owing to large climatic and orographic variation, British Columbia covers a variety of ecosystems extending from temperate rainforests on the Pacific coast to boreal forests in the north-east. The aim of this study is to investigate the spatial variation of trends in wildfire activity and their relationship to summer drought for the entire province of British Columbia. Time series of annual wildfire extent and occurrence, summer self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index and summer Aridity Index were derived from spatially explicit data. Sixteen landscape regions according to the provincial Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification system served as spatial reference. The regional series for 1920–2000 were subjected to trend analysis. Correlations between area burned and summer drought were assessed and tested for significance. The observed decrease in wildfire activity is significantly related to wetter summers with the strength of the relationship considerably varying between British Columbia’s landscapes. Our results suggest that aggregated statistics for large regions with complex topography and climate can hide the spatial variation in direction and strength of changes and may accordingly obscure the relationship between fire and drought. Based on high-spatial-resolution data, our study is the first to provide a differentiated picture for British Columbia.

Surface fire spread potential in trembling aspen during summer in the boreal forest region of Canada. 2010. Alexander, M.E. Forestry Chronicle 86(2): 200-212.

Fri, 09 Apr 2010

In Canada, the importance of seasonality in forest fire danger rating associated with phenological changes in deciduous tree leaves and lesser ground vegetation has historically been taken into account by dividing the fire season into three distinct periods (i.e., spring, summer, and fall). During the mid-1980s, the developers of the Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction (FBP) System did not envision that the M-2 Boreal Mixedwood ? Green fuel type with 100% hardwood composition would eventually be explicitly interpreted by field users and other researchers to represent a trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) fuel type in the summer following green-up or flushing of the overstory canopy and understory vegetation. Interest in what has become to be known as the D-2 FBP System fuel type to represent leafed-out trembling aspen stands during the summer fire season has steadily increased since. Formal recognition of such a fuel type may very well constitute an example of overextending the original basis and heuristics associated with the rate of fire spread model for the M-2 FBP System fuel type. Thus, the assumptions underlying a D-2 fuel type are explicitly restated here for the benefit of fire managers and researchers alike. Furthermore, an interim guideline is presented with respect to the threshold condition in fuel dryness necessary for surface fire spread in the D-2 fuel type to occur based on existing empirical observations garnered from experimental fires, prescribed burns and wildfires. This criterion was deduced from existing information and knowledge, and is expressed in terms of the Buildup Index (BUI) component of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System. The rationale for the descriptive name assigned to the D-2 fuel type and the corresponding fuel strata characteristics are given. Improvements in the present basis of the D-2 fuel type could be realized from monitoring selected wildfires and operational prescribed fires and/or by carrying out an experimental burning study.

The effects of surficial deposit-drainage combinations on spatial variations of fire cycles in the boreal forest of eastern Canada. 2010. Mansuy, N.; Gauthier, S.; Robitaille, A.; Bergeron, Y. International Journal of Wildland Fire 19: 1083-1098.

Fri, 10 Dec 2010

Spatial variations in the fire cycle of a large territory (190 000 km²) located in the boreal forest of eastern Canada were assessed using random sampling points. Our main objective was to determine if regions characterised by a large proportion of dry surficial deposit–drainage (SDD) burn more frequently than regions with a smaller proportion. Through a regionalisation of the landscape units, we analysed the effects of SDD on spatial variations of the fire cycle. A discriminant analysis involving the SDD and other physical variables (precipitation, temperature, aridity index, water bodies, elevation and slope) made it possible to identify a combination of variables characterising each region. A considerable variation in fire cycle was observed among the different SDD types (from 144 to 425 years) and between regions (from 90 to 715 years). Through the discriminant analysis, this study suggests that a combination of possible climatic top-down (precipitation R²=0.727, aridity index R²=0.663 and temperature R²=0.574) and bottom-up factors (xeric undifferentiated till R²=0.819 and humid undifferentiated till R²=0.691) could explain this variation at the regional scale. Implications of those results for forest protection against fire and regional development are briefly discussed.

Use of artificial landscapes to isolate controls on burn probability. 2010. Parisien, M.-A.; Miller, C.; Ager, A.A.; Finney, M.A. Landscape Ecology 25(1): 79-93.

Tue, 02 Feb 2010

Techniques for modeling burn probability (BP) combine the stochastic components of fire regimes (ignitions and weather) with sophisticated fire growth algorithms to produce high-resolution spatial estimates of the relative likelihood of burning. Despite the numerous investigations of fire patterns from either observed or simulated sources, the specific influence of environmental factors on BP patterns is not well understood. This study examined the relative effects of ignitions, fuels, and weather on mean BP and spatial patterns in BP (i.e., BP variability) using highly simplified artificial landscapes and wildfire simulation methods. Our results showed that a limited set of inputs yielded a wide range of responses in the mean and spatial patterning of BP. The input factors contributed unequally to mean BP and to BP variability: so-called top-down controls (weather) primarily influenced mean BP, whereas bottom-up influences (ignitions and fuels) were mainly responsible for the spatial patterns of BP. However, confounding effects and interactions among factors suggest that fully separating top-down and bottom-up controls may be impossible. Furthermore, interactions among input variables produced unanticipated but explainable BP patterns, hinting at complex topological dependencies among the main determinants of fire spread and the resulting BP. The results will improve our understanding of the spatial ecology of fire regimes and help in the interpretation of patterns of fire likelihood on real landscapes as part of future wildfire risk assessments.

Variation in local weather explains differences in fire regimes within a Québec south-eastern boreal forest landscape. 2010. Drobyshev, I.; Flannigan, M.D.; Bergeron, Y.; Girardin, M.-P.; Suran, B. International Journal of Wildland Fire 19: 1073-1082.

Fri, 10 Dec 2010

Variation in natural disturbance regime within a landscape is important for species population dynamics, because it controls spatial arrangement of sites providing regeneration and survival opportunities. In this study, we examine the differences in fire regime and evaluate possible sources of its variation between the surrounding mainland and the islands of Lake Duparquet (44.5 km²), a typical boreal lake in north-western Quebec, Canada. Dendrochronological reconstructions suggest that fires were frequent and of variable intensity on the islands, whereas fires were less frequent on the adjacent mainland, but were usually large and intense. Islands were significantly drier and warmer than the mainland, and maximum values of Fire Weather Index were significantly higher on the islands during both the early part of the fire season (May–June) and the whole fire season (May–September). The lightning density within the lake perimeter was significantly higher than in the surrounding mainland (0.63 v. 0.48 year^-1 km^-2 respectively). This pattern was a result of the differences in lightning density during the first half of the lightning season. The study suggests that more fire-prone local weather and higher frequency of lightning strikes could cause a higher frequency of low-intensity fires on the islands, compared with the mainland

Wildfire risk inferred from tree rings in the Central Laurentians of boreal Quebec, Canada. 2010. Girardin, M.-P. Dendrochronologia 28: 187-206.

Thu, 03 Jun 2010

Wildfires in boreal ecosystems: past, present and some emerging trends. 2010. Girardin, M.-P.; Ali, A.A.; Hély, C. International Journal of Wildland Fire 19: 991-995.

Fri, 10 Dec 2010

With the emergence of a new forest management paradigm based on the emulation of natural disturbance regimes, interest in fire-related studies has increased in the boreal forest management community. A key issue in this regard is the improvement of our understanding of the variability in past disturbances and its linkages with climate and ecosystems. The surge in research activity has further been exacerbated by the increasing awareness of climate change, which has already exposed boreal forests to greater fire risk in recent decades. It is anticipated that further warming and drying will further enhance fire frequency and area burned in many boreal forests. Better predictions of future fire activity will contribute to better long-term forest planning in managed boreal forests. The 12 papers presented in this special issue exemplify this increased research activity by bringing together studies from diverse disciplines and presenting the latest advances regarding methodological approaches for reconstruction and modelling of past, present and future fire activity. Here we aim to summarise, evaluate and set into context some of the new insights arising from these studies and also to discuss some considerations to be taken into account in future research activities.

Wildland fire and its management--a look towards the future. 2010. Hirsch, K. Pages 183-211 in Peter A. Thomas and Rob McAlpine, authors. Fire in the Forest. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre, Edmonton, Alberta. Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, USA.

Mon, 04 Jul 2011

Wildland fire behavior case studies and the 1938 Honey fire controversy. 2010. Alexander, M.E.; Taylor, S.W. Fire Management Today 70(1): 15-25.

Thu, 11 Mar 2010

Wildland urban interface fire behaviour and fire modelling in live fuels. 2010. Weise, D.R.; Wotton, B.M. International Journal of Wildland Fire 19: 149 - 152.

Wed, 05 May 2010

Will climate change drive 21st century burn rates in Canadian boreal forest outside of its natural variability: collating global climate model experiments with sedimentary charcoal data. 2010. Bergeron, Y.; Cyr, D.; Girardin, M.-P.; Carcaillet, C. International Journal of Wildland Fire 19: 1127-1139.

Fri, 10 Dec 2010

Natural ecosystems have developed within ranges of conditions that can serve as references for setting conservation targets or assessing the current ecological integrity of managed ecosystems. Because of their climate determinism, forest fires are likely to have consequences that could exacerbate biophysical and socioeconomical vulnerabilities in the context of climate change. We evaluated future trends in fire activity under climate change in the eastern Canadian boreal forest and investigated whether these changes were included in the variability observed during the last 7000 years from sedimentary charcoal records from three lakes. Prediction of future annual area burned was made using simulated Monthly Drought Code data collected from an ensemble of 19 global climate model experiments. The increase in burn rate that is predicted for the end of the 21st century (0.45% year^-1 with 95% confidence interval (0.32, 0.59) falls well within the long-term past variability (0.37 to 0.90% year ^-1). Although our results suggest that the predicted change in burn rates per se will not move this ecosystem to new conditions, the effects of increasing fire incidence cumulated with current rates of clear-cutting or other low-retention types of harvesting, which still prevail in this region, remain preoccupying.

250 years recorded fire history/250 ans d’historique des feu de forêt. 2009. Krezek, C. C.; Lynham, T.J., editors. Natural Resources Canada, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Thu, 08 Apr 2010

Pamphlet replaces Two and a half centuries of recoreded forest fire history published July, 1979 and Deux siècles et demi de feux de forêts enregistrés, May 2000

A comparison of hourly fine fuel moisture code calculations within Canada. 2009. Anderson, K.R. Pages 3A.4--3A.10 in 8th Symposium on Fire and Forest Meteorology, October 13-15, 2009, Kalispell, Montana, USA. American Meteorological Society, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Mon, 05 Oct 2009

A Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach to joint simulation of regional areas burned annually in Canadian forest fires. 2009. Magnussen, S. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 66(2): 173-180.

Thu, 14 May 2009

A simulation of regional and national forest carbon balance in Canada requires, due to regional correlations, a joint simulation of areas burned (BA) in regional fires. Regional correlations of BA are largely determined by concurrent years of relatively large (LF) and small fires (SF). A binary Markov Chain Monte Carlo procedure (MCMC) is constructed for forecasting regional LF(SF) status on an annual basis. For each forecast year the regional BA-value is obtained by a random draw from region-specific empirical quantile functions for LF and SF years. In the MCMC the conditional likelihood of a regional allocation of nLF* LF-years is maximized; whereby nLF* is drawn from a distribution fitted to LF(SF) classified data of area burned in 29 Canadian forest fire regions between 1959 and 1999. Regional allocation is governed by region-specific autologistic functions. MCMC results confirmed regional and national means and variances while regional correlations were generally somewhat lower than in the data.