Quantifying the effect of pre-fire fuels on charcoal formation and carbon storage in a mixed-conifer forest, Sierra Nevada, California
April 30, 2014 @ 01:20 pm
to 01:45 pm
Morgan Wiechmann, Penn State
104 Forest Resources Building
Fire suppression and recent increases in temperature and prolonged drought have resulted in increased frequency and severity of wildfires in the western United States. Carbon (C) emissions from wildfires can be substantial and are of growing concern in the context of climate change. Forest thinning and prescribed burning reduce high-severity fire risk, but also cause direct C removal. However, during each fire event not all combusted biomass is emitted to the atmosphere. A fraction of the burning vegetation and soil organic matter is converted into charcoal, a stable C form. The objective of my research was to quantify charcoal carbon resulting from prescribed burning as a function of pre-fire fuel load and fuel type.