Large fires, fire effects and the fire-regime concept

Citations Over TimeTop 10% of 2008 papers

Abstract

‘Large’ fires may be declared so because of their absolute or relative area. Huge fires – with areas of more than 106 ha (104 km2) have occurred across a wide spectrum of Australian environments and are known on other continents. Such large fires are rare whereas fires with much smaller areas are common. Large fires are initiated by single or multiple ignitions and become large because of some combination of: rapid rates of spread; long ‘life’; merging, and failure of initial suppression operations. Fires as ecological ‘events’ occur within a ‘regime’ – an historical series. Both events and regimes have effects that may be discerned in terms of water, land, air or organisms. What have been regarded as the components of ‘regimes’ have differed between observers, the main issue being whether or not spatial variables need to be included; ‘area’ involvement is briefly addressed. The current trend toward fire-regime control through fuel treatment, including management (prescribed) burning, and fire suppression may be expected to continue. These trends, among others, can be expected to change fire regimes. What is regarded as ‘large’ among fires may change as the planet becomes increasingly human-dominated.

Related Papers

• → Wildland fire limits subsequent fire occurrence(2015)88 cited
• → Is fire exclusion in mountain big sagebrush communities prudent? Soil nutrient, plant diversity and arthropod response to burning(2014)14 cited
• → Responses of Two Frequently-Burned Wet Pine Savannas to an Extended Period Without Fire1(2007)33 cited
• → A tree-ring record of historical fire activity in a piedmont longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) woodland in North Carolina, USA(2022)1 cited
• → Effects of fuels, weather, and management on fire severity in a southeastern pine savanna(2009)1 cited