Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Fire severity and seedling establishment in Pinus halepensis woodlands, eastern Iberian Peninsula

  • Published:
Plant Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Given the observed heterogeneity in fire severity produced within wildfires, we asked to what extent this heterogeneity might affect post-fire regeneration. For this purpose, we studied the post-fire dynamics of Pinus halepensis (Aleppo pine) in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. Sampling was stratified on the basis of fire severity. We defined three fire severity classes based on the degree of consumption of the pine canopy. The results suggested that there is no clear relationship between seedling density and fire severity; however, mortality was lower and growth (height, shoot biomass and root biomass) was higher in the high severity class. These results can be explained by soil processes: Sites in the high fire severity class may have sustained higher fire intensities, resulting in higher soil organic matter mineralisation and higher ash deposition, and thus in higher post-fire soil fertility. This higher fertility would produce faster growth in pine seedlings. Independent of the severity class, seedling mortality was higher in quadrats (50 × 50 cm) with higher cover of the perennial grass Brachypodium retusum (Poaceae), suggesting a possible competitive effect. For all plots in all 3 severity classes, spatial analysis suggests an aggregate seedlings pattern, but with independence from the position of the adult (source) trees.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arianoutsou M. and Ne'eman G. 2000. Post-fire regeneration of natural Pinus halepensis forests in the East Mediterranean basin.In: Ne'eman G. and Trabaud L. (eds), Ecology, Biogeography and Management of Pinus halepensis and P. brutia Forest Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. 269–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkin L. and Hobbs R.J. 1995. Measurements and effects of fire heterogeneity in south-west Australia wheatbelt vegetation.Landscape fires '93. In: Proceedings of an Australian bushfire conference. CALM Science. Western Australia Dept. of Conservation and Land Management, pp. 67–76.

  • Bellingham P.J. and Sparrow A.D. 2000. Resprouting as a life history strategy in woody plant communities. Oikos 89: 409–416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Binkley D. 1986. Forest Nutrition Management. John Wiley & Sons, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradley A.F., Noste N.V. and Fischer W.C. 1992. Fire ecology of forests and woodlands in Utah. General Technical Report INT-287. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Ogden, UT, USA, 128 pp.

  • Brown J.K. and DeByle N.V. 1987. Fire damage, mortality, and suckering in Aspen. Can. J. For. Res. 17: 1100–1109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Byram G.M. 1959. Combustion of forest fuels. In: Davis K.P. (ed.), Forest Fires: Control and Use. McGaw-Hill, pp. 61–89.

  • Chappell C.B. and Agee J.K. 1996. Fire severity and tree seedling establishment in Abies magnifica forests, Southern Cascades, Oregon. Ecol. Applications 6: 628–640.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daskalakou E.N. and Thanos C.A. 1996. Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) postfire regeneration: the role of canopy and soil seed banks. Int. J. Wildland Fire 6: 59–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daskalakou E.N. and Thanos C.A. 1997. Post-fire establishment and survival of Aleppo pine seedlings. In: Balabanis P., Eftichidis G. and Fantechi R. (eds), Forest Fire Risk and Management.European Commission, Brussels, pp. 357–368.

  • Debski I., Burslem D.F.R.P. and Lamb D. 2000.Ecological processes maintaining differential tree species distributions in an Australian subtropical rain forest: implications for models of species coexistence. J. Trop. Ecol. 16: 387–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eshel A., Henig-Sever N. and Ne'eman G. 2000. Spatial variation of seedling distribution in an east Mediterranean pine woodland at the beginning of post-fire succession. Plant Ecol. 148: 175– 182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez-Tejedor J.A., Estrela M.J. and Millán M.M. 1999. A mesoscale model application to fire weather winds. Int. J. Wildland Fire 9: 255–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haase P. 1995. Spatial pattern analysis in ecology based on Ripley's K-function: Introduction and methods of edge correction.J. Veg. Sci. 6: 575–582.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hartfort R.A. and Frandsen W.H. 1992. When it's hot, it's hot. or maybe it's not! (Surface flaming may not portend extensive soil heating). Int. J. Wildland Fire 2: 139–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herranz J.M., Martínez-Sánchez J.J., Marin A. and Ferrandis P. 1997. Postfire regeneration of Pinus halepensis Miller in a semi-arid area in Albacete province (Southeastern Spain). Écoscience 4: 86–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hubbell S.P. 1979. Tree dispersion, abundance, and diversity in a tropical dry forest. Science 203: 1299–1309.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leone V., Borghetti M. and Saracino A. 2000. Ecology of post-fire recovery in Pinus halepensis in southern Italy. In: Trabaud L. (ed.), Life and Environment in the Mediterranean. Wit Press, Southampton, pp. 129–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mando A., Brussaard L. and Stroosnijder L. 1999. Termite and mulch mediated rehabilitation of vegetation on crusted soil in West Africa. Res. Ecol. 7: 33–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller C. and Urban D.L. 2000. Connectivity of forest fuels and surface fire regimes. Landscape Ecol. 15: 145–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moravec J. 1990. Regeneration of N.W. Africa Pinus halepensis forests following fire. Vegetatio. 87: 29–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan P. and Neuenschwander L.F. 1988. Seed-bank contributions to regeneration of shrub species after clear-cutting and burning. Can. J. Bot. 66: 169–172.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan R.P.C. 1986. Soil Erosion and Conservation. Logman Scientific & Technical, Essex.

  • Ne'eman G. 1997. Regeneration of natural pine forest – review of work done after the 1989 fire in Mount Carmel, Israel. Int. J.Wildland Fire 7: 295–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ne'eman G., Lahav H. and Izhaki I. 1992. Spatial pattern of seedlings 1 year after fire in a Mediterranean pine forest. Oecologia 91: 365–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ojima D.S., Schimel D.S., Parton W.J. and Owensby C.E. 1994.Long-and short-term effects of fire on nitrogen cycling in tallgrass prairie. Biogeochemistry 24: 67–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okuda T., Kachi N., Yap S.K. and Manokaran N. 1997. Tree distribution pattern and fate of juveniles in a lowland tropical rain forest – implications for regeneration and maintenance of species diversity. Plant Ecol. 131: 155–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pausas J.G. 2001. Resprouting vs seeding – a Mediterranean perspective.Oikos 94: 193–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pausas J.G. 2002. La recurrencia de incendios en el monte mediterráneo.In: Vallejo R. (ed.), Avances en el estudio de la gestión del monte mediterráneo. CEAM.

  • Pausas J.G. and Vallejo V.R. 1999. The role of fire in European Mediterranean ecosystems. In: Chuvieco E. (ed.), Remote Sensing of Large Wildfires in the European Mediterranean Basin.Springer-Verlag, pp. 3–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pausas J.G., Carbó E., Caturla R.N., Gil J.M. and Vallejo V.R. 1999. Post-fire regeneration patterns in the eastern Iberian Peninsula.Acta Oecol. 20: 499–508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pausas J.G., Gimeno T. and Vallejo R. 2002. Fire severity and pine regeneration in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. In: Viegas X.D. (ed.), Forest Fires Research Conference 2002. Millpress.

  • Peñarrocha D., Estrela M.J., Pastor F. and Millán M. 1999. Precipitación intensa en el Sur del Golfo de Valencia – Distribución espacial y relación con la circulación sinóptica, período 1971–95. I Congreso de la Asociación Española de Climatología, Barcelona.

  • Peñarrocha D., Estrela M.J. and Millán M. 2002. Classification of daily rainfall patterns in a Mediterranean area with extreme intensity levels: the Valencia Region. Inter. J. Clim. 22: 677–695.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pérez Cuevas A. (ed.) 1994. Atlas climàtic de la Comunitat Valenciana (1961–1990). Generalitat Valenciana, Conselleria d'Obres Públiques, Urbanisme i Transport.

  • Piñol J., Terradas J. and Lloret F. 1998. Climate warming, wildfire hazard, and wildfire occurrence in coastal eastern Spain. Clim.Change 38: 345–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raison R.J., Khanna P.K. and Woods P.V. 1985. Mechanisms of element transfer to the atmosphere during vegetation fires. Can.J. For. Res. 15: 132–140.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ripley B.D. 1979. Test of 'randomness' for spatial point patterns.J. R. Statist. Soc. B 41: 368–374.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ripley B.D. 1981. Spatial Statistics. J. Wiley, NY.

    Google Scholar 

  • Romanyà J., Casals P. and Vallejo R. 2001. Short-term effects of fire on soil nitrogen availability in Mediterranean grasslands and shrublands growing in old fields. For. Ecol. Manage. 147: 39–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan K.C. and Noste N.V. 1985. Evaluating prescribed fires. In: Lotan J.E., Kilgore B.M., Fischer W.C. and Mutch R.W. (eds), Proceedings–symposium and workshop on wilderness fire (1983 November 15–18; Missoula, MT), Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-182. USDA, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT, USA, pp. 230–238.

  • Saracino A. 1997. Seed dispersal and changing seed characteristics in a Pinus halepensis forest after fire. Plant Ecol. 130: 13–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serrasolsas I. and Vallejo V. 1999. Soil fertility after fire and clearcutting.In: Rodà F., Retana J., Gracia C.A. and Bellot J. (eds), Ecology of Mediterranean Evergreen Oak Forest. Springer, Berlin, pp. 315–328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Takaoka S. and Sasa K. 1996. Landform effects on fire behavior and post-fire regeneration in the mixed forests of northern Japan.Ecol. Res. 11: 339–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thanos C.A., Daskalakou E.N. and Nikolaidou S. 1996. Early post-fire regeneration of a Pinus halepensis forests on Mountain Párnis, Greece. J. Veg. Sci. 7: 273–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trabaud L. 2000. Post-fire regeneration of Pinus halepensis forests in the West Mediterranean. In: Ne'eman G. and Trabaud L. (eds), Ecology, Biogeography and Management of Pinus halepensis and P. brutia Forest Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. 257–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trabaud L., Grossman J. and Walters T. 1985a. Recovery of burnt Pinus halepensis Mill. forests. I. Understorey and litter phytomass development after wildfire. For. Ecol. Manage. 12: 269– 277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trabaud L., Michels C. and Grosman J. 1985b. Recovery of burnt Pinus halepensis Mill. forests. II. Pine reconstitution after wild-fire. For. Ecol. Manage. 13: 167–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner M.G., Hargrove W.W., Gardner R.H. and Romme W.H. 1994. Effects of fire on landscape heterogeneity in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. J. Veg. Sci. 5: 731–742.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsitsoni T. 1997. Conditions determining natural regeneration after wildfires in the Pinus halepensis (Miller, 1768) forests of Kassandra Peninsula (North Greece). For.Ecol. Manage. 92: 199–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Wagner C.E. 1983. Fire behaviour in northern conifer forests and shrublands. In: Wein R.W. and MacLean D.A. (eds), The Role of Fire in Northern Circumpolar Ecosystems. John Wiley & Sons, NY, USA, pp. 65–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valdecantos A. 2001. Aplicación de fertilizantes orgánicos e inorgánicos en la repoblación de zonas forestales degradadad de la Comunidad Valenciana. PhD Dissertation, Universitat d' Alacant, Alacant, Spain.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Estudios Ambientales del Mediterráneo (CEAM), C. Charles Darwin 14, Parc Tecnològic, Paterna, 46980, Spain

    J.G. Pausas, N. Ouadah, A. Ferran, T. Gimeno & R. Vallejo

Authors
  1. J.G. Pausas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. N. Ouadah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. Ferran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. T. Gimeno
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. R. Vallejo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J.G. Pausas.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pausas, J., Ouadah, N., Ferran, A. et al. Fire severity and seedling establishment in Pinus halepensis woodlands, eastern Iberian Peninsula. Plant Ecology 169, 205–213 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026019528443

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026019528443

Search

Navigation