https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_other/rmrs_1999_neary_d001.pdf

Fire effects on belowground sustainability: a review and synthesis

This state-of-knowledge review about the effects of fire on soils and water can assist land and fire managers with information on the physical, chemical, and biological effects of fire needed to successfully conduct ecosystem management, and effectively inform others about the role and impacts of wildland fire. Chapter topics include the soil resource, soil physical properties and fire, soil chemistry effects, soil biology responses, the hydrologic cycle and water resources, water quality, aquatic biology, fire effects on wetland and riparian systems, fire effects models, and watershed rehabilitation.

https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr042_4.pdf

Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on soils and water

O ne of the most dramatic changes that has occurred in forests of eastern North America during the twentieth century is the increase in the dominance of red maple (Acer rubrum L.; Lorimer 1984, Abrams 1992). Red maple has become nearly ubiquitous across sites of widely varying light, moisture, and nutrient availability. This distribution is in stark contrast to the limited distribution of red maple reported in pre-European settlement forests, where it occurred mainly in poorly drained areas. Red maple has increased after a wide range of disturbances and as a late successional species in many forest types. It now dominates the understory and mid-canopy of many oak (Quercus), pine (Pinus), and northern hardwood forests; moreover, it will probably continue to increase in dominance in the overstory during the next century, causing widespread replacement of the historically dominant trees of the forests of the eastern United States. Surprisingly, red maple exhibits rather modest levels of leaf physiological responses (e.g., gas exchange and osmotic adjustment) to various environmental conditions and has leaf structural characteristics and nitrogen levels that are not particularly conducive to a robust leaf physi-

The red maple paradox: What explains the widespread expansion of red maple in eastern forests?

▪ Abstract Fire and insects are natural disturbance agents in many forest ecosystems, often interacting to affect succession, nutrient cycling, and forest species composition. We review literature pertaining to effects of fire-insect interactions on ecological succession, use of prescribed fire for insect pest control, and effects of fire on insect diversity from northern and boreal forests in North America. Fire suppression policies implemented in the early 1900s have resulted in profound changes in forest species composition and structure. Associated with these changes was an increased vulnerability of forest stands to damage during outbreaks of defoliating insects. Information about the roles that both fire and insects play in many northern forests is needed to increase our understanding of the ecology of these systems and to develop sound management policies.

/pdf/fire-and-insects-in-northern-and-boreal-forest-ecosystems-of-1vwx340mv8.pdf

Fire and insects in northern and boreal forest ecosystems of North America.

:During the two breeding seasons immediately following the numerous and widespread fires of 1988, I estimated bird community composition in each of 34 burned-forest sites in western Montana and northern Wyoming. I detected an average of 45 species per site and a total of 87 species in the sites combined. A comppilation of these data with bird-count data from more than 200 additional studies conducted across 15 major vegetation cover types in the northern Rocky Mountain region showed that 15 bird species are generally more abundant in early post-fire communities than in any other major cover type occurring in the northern Rockies. One bird species (Black-backed Woodpecker, Picoides arcticus) seems to be nearly restricted in its habitat distribution to standing dead forests created by stand-replacement fires. Bird communities in recently burned forests are different in composition from those that characterize other Rocky Mountain cover types (including early-successional clearcuts) primarily because members of three feeding guilds are especially abundant therein: woodpeckers, flycatchers, and seedeaters. Standing, fire-killed trees provided nest sites for nearly two-thirds of 31 species that were found nesting in the burned sites. Broken-top snags and standing dead aspens were used as nest sites for cavity-nesting species significantly more often than expected on the basis of their relative abundance. Moreover, because nearly all of the broken-top snags that were used were present before the fire, forest conditions prior to a fire (especially the presence of snags) may be important in determining the suitability of a site to cavity-nesting birds after a fire. For bird species that were relatively abundant in or relatively restricted to burned forests, stand-replacement fires may be necessary for long-term maintenance of their populations. Unfortunately, the current fire policy of public land-management agencies does not encourage maintenance of stand-replacement fire regimes, which may be necessary for the creation of conditions needed by the most fire-dependent bird species. In addition, salvage cutting may reduce the suitability of burned-forest habitat for birds by removing the most important element—standing, fire-killed trees–needed for feeding, nesting, or both by the majority of bird species that used burned forests.



Composicion de las comunidades de aves luego del reemplazo de rodales a cause de incendios forestales en bosques de coniferas de las montanas Rocosas del norte



Resumen: Durante las dos ultimas temporadas de cria immediatamente despues de los numerosos y extensos incendios de 1988, estime la composicion de la comunidad de aves en cada uno de los sitios de bosques incendiados, en el oeste de Montana y el norte de Wyoming. Detecte un promedio de 45 especies por sitio y un total de 87 especies en todos los sitios combinados. Una recopilacion de estos datos con otros de conteo de aves a partir de mas de 200 sitios adicionales, conducido a lo largo de 15 tipos principales de cobertura de vegetacion en las montanas Rocosas del norte mostro que 15 especies de aves eran en general mas abundantes en las comunidades tempranas posteriores al incendio, que en cualquier otro tipo principal de cobertura presente en las Rocosas del norte. Una especie de ave (el pajaro carpintero de espalda negra, Picoides arcticus) parece estar restringida en su distribucion a los arboles muertos en pie, que quedan a causa del reemplazo de rodales a partir de los incendios. Las comunidades de aves en los bosques recientemente incendiados, son diferentes en composicion de aquellos que caracterizan otros tipos de cobertura de las montanas Rocosas (incluyendo la tala durante la sucesion temprana) principalmente porque los miembros de tres gremios alimenticios son especialmente abundantes en ellos: los pajaros carpinteros que se alimentan de las abundantes larvas de los escarabajos, los insectivoros y los comedores de semillas. Los arboles muertos en pie que quedaron despues de los incendios proveen de sitios para el anidamiento de casi dos tercios de las 31 especies que se encontraron anidando en sitios incendiados. Las cavidades abiertas en los troncos a cusa de la rotura de ramas y los alamos muertos que quedaron en pie, fueron usados como sitios para anidamiento por especies que anidan en cavidades mas frecuentemente que lo esperado en funcion de su frecuencia relativa. Mas aun, dado que la casi totalidad de las cavidades de los troncos que fueron utilizadas estaban presentes antes del incendio, las condiciones anteriores al incendio (especialmente la presencia de tocones) podrian ser importantes en la determinacion de la adaptabilidad de un sitio despues de un incendio para las aves que anidan en cavidades. Para las especies que fueron relativamente abundantes o estuvieron relativamente restrictas a los bosques incendiados, el reemplazo de rodales a partir de incendios podria ser necesario para el mantenimiento a largo plazo de sus poblaciones. Desafortunadamente, la presente estrategia sobre incendios a cargo de las agencias de manejo de las tierras publicas no promueve el mantenimiento de los regimenes de incendios para el reemplazo de rodales, los que serian necesarios para la creacion de las condiciones requeridas por la mayoria de las especies que dependen de los incendios. En forma adicional, una tala de recuperacion podria reducir la adaptabilidad de los habitats de bosques incendiados para las aves al remover los elementos mas importantes, arboles muertos en pie a causa de los incendios, necesarios para la alimentacion y/o el anidamiento de la mayoria de las especies de aves que hacen uso de los bosques incendiados.

/pdf/composition-of-bird-communities-following-stand-replacement-2774qpbx48.pdf

Composition of bird communities following stand-replacement fires in northern Rocky Mountain (U.S.A.) conifer forests

Seasonal food selection and digestibility by tame white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were studied in the white pine (Pinus strobus)–Canada hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and lowland conifer types, areas representative of important deer habitat in the northeastern United States. Deer selected highly digestible late spring, summer, and autumn diets. Winter and early spring food were less digestible. Forbs and newly grown leaves of hardwood plants were the most commonly selected late spring and summer foods; mushrooms and hardwood leaves were selected during autumn. Winter foods consisted largely of green and dry leaves of conifers and hardwoods gleaned from the snow surface. Early growth of grasses and sedges and dried red maple (Acer rubrum) leaves were selected as soon as the snow left the ground in early spring. Lignaceous woody twigs, fems, and trailing-arbutus (Epigaea repens) also were consumed during this period, reducing the overall digestibility of the diet.

https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/pubs/jrnl/1982/ne_1982_crawford_001.pdf

Seasonal food selection and digestibility by tame white-tailed deer in central Maine

Rumen contents of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) during November and early December of 1966 through 1973 in a mountainous area of southwestern Virginia revealed that acorns made up an average of 76 percent by volume of the deer's diet when acorns were abundant. When a mast failure occurred, deer replaced acorns with large amounts of the leaves of prostrate evergreen plants and shrubs and mushrooms. Proximate analysis of rumen contents revealed that diets containing acorns were higher in nitrogen-free extract and crude fat and lower in mineral content. In mast-free diets both mineral matter and protein increased. Proximate analysis and in vitro tests of composite diets indicated that when mast was present the diets were more digestible and were higher in fat and soluble carbohydrates. A relatively low value of 1.5 kcal/g for estimated digestible energy in mast-free diets suggests that when deer must rely on this type of diet during the winter season, their energy requirement for maintenance may not be met. The addition of oak mast to winter diets increased estimated digestible energy to 3.1 kcal/g, or a level adequate to meet the maintenance energy requirement. A forage inventory in the major forest types indicated that mature stands of pitch pine-bear oak (Pinus rigida-Quercus ilicifolia) produced the greatest quantity of important staple foods for deer during late fall and early winter. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 39(2):330-336 Oak mast predominates in the fall and winter diets of white-tailed deer wherever and whenever it is abundant in the Southeast (Ruff 1938, Pearson 1943, Pearson and Burnett 1940, Harlow 1961, Harlow and Hooper 1971). Acorns are often available to deer for eight months or more (Goodrum 1959). They are high in carbohydrates (King and McClure 1944, Morrison 1957) and provide energy and nutrients during the winter. During years of oak mast scarcity deer must turn to other forages. In this study, data from 1966 through 1973 are used to compare the effects of oak mast abundance and scarcity in late November on food selectivity patterns of deer. Nutritional values of rumen samples and of composite diets reconstructed from rumen analysis were estimated. Important forages available to deer were inventoried in the major forest types of the study area. DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA The Broad Run Wildlife Research Area in Craig County, Virginia, is within the Ridge and Valley Province. The soils are derived from shale, sandstone, and conglomerate bedrock. Thirty-five percent of the approximately 3,035-ha area is composed of the pitch pine-bear oak forest cover type; 33 percent, oak-hickory-yellowpoplar-white pine (Quercus spp.-Carya spp.-Liriodendron tulipifera-P. strobus) type; and 19 percent, mixed oak-pine type (Whelan 1962). Site indexes (the height which upland oaks attain in 50 years [Olson 1959]) range from 35 to 60 with pitch pine-bear oak containing the lowest index. Elevations range from 469 to 689 m above sea level. Slopes range from 0 to 58 percent and face primarily northwest. From 1959 to 1964, approximately 389 ha (12 percent of the study area) were dis330 J. Wildl. Manage. 39(2):1975 This content downloaded from 207.46.13.149 on Mon, 03 Oct 2016 04:08:45 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms DEER FOODS AND OAK MAST AVAILABILITY * Harlow et al. 331 turbed by clearcutting and heavy selection cutting. In 1957, 23 wildlife clearings were established which ranged in size from 0.30 to 1.33 ha. Seneca (1961) estimated 120 deer on the study area, or 1 per 27 ha. Hunter observation and annual kill statistics indicate little change in deer numbers since 1961 (Weekes 1974).

Deer Foods during Years of Oak Mast Abundance and Scarcity

LITTLE is known of the ecology of the Common Raven (Corvus corax) population that inhabits the narrow belt of mountains from north Georgia to northern Pennsylvania. This disjunct group is a remnant of a previously larger, contiguous population (A.O.U. 1957). To our knowledge, only one account of the food habits of this isolated population has been published. Murray (1949) reported the animal remains found below two cliff nests in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Included were the bones of flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans), gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), a Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), a Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), a Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), a Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus), a snake, and remains of grasshoppers. Reports from other regions indicate that Common Ravens rely heavily on carrion (Ratcliffe 1962, White and Cade 1971, Dorn 1972). Some students believe the raven has considerable potential as a predator (Craighead and Craighead 1956: 339; White and Cade 1971; Dorn 1972). That ravens frequent garbage dumps is well-known (Bent 1946: 227-262). Our objectives of the research were to determine the food habits of Common Ravens in Virginia during two critical periods of the yearwinter and the nesting season. Of particular interest were (1) the importance of prey as a food source, (2) possible economic implications of their food habits, and (3) the importance of garbage dumps as a food source. The study was made possible by the discovery of a nocturnal winter raven roost and the relocation of the apparent nonbreeding segment of the roost following the dispersal of the winter roost at the beginning of the nesting season. A concurrent study of nesting habitat made possible a search of 20 active nest sites for castings. The research was conducted in the Ridge and Valley Physiographic Province of Virginia, a region of parallel ridges that rise 1000 to 2000 feet above the intervening valleys. The ridges are covered by oak forests (Braun 1967) while the valleys are interspersed forest and pastures. The numerous cliffs and remote woodlands have provided a refuge for the species at a time when its numbers were being reduced throughout the eastern United States.

Some winter and nesting season foods of the common raven in Virginia

Effects of Fire on Fauna

Deer-forest habitat relationships in north Arkansas.

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