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Title:
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Fuel loading and vegetation response to mechanical mastication fuels treatments
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Author:
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Kane, Jeffrey
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Abstract:
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Mechanical mastication is a fuels management tool that is increasingly utilized to treat
small trees and shrubs in fire-prone ecosystems throughout the western United States.
This study characterized fuel loading in masticated fuelbeds across ten sites in northern California and southwestern Oregon. In addition, the vegetation response to mechanical mastication and supplemental fuels treatments was investigated at one study site. Total woody fuel loading of masticated fuelbeds significantly differed by site (P < 0.001) ranging between 15.3 and 63.4 Mg ha-1. Over 50% of the woody fuel loading across all sites occurred within the 10-hr timelag class. Additionally, mechanically masticated fuelbeds were distinct compared to existing fuel models, warranting the future development of fuel models specific to masticated fuelbeds. The vegetation response to mechanical mastication treatments varied by treatment type and vegetation measure.
Plant cover did not significantly differ across treatment type (P = 0.062) but non-native forb density (P = 0.010) and diversity (P = 0.002) measures did. Mastication only treatments resulted in the highest non-native forb densities (0.8 stems m-2) while mastication followed by prescribed fire resulted in the highest species richness (11.3 species m-2). |
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Description:
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Thesis (M.S.)--Humboldt State University, Natural Resources: Forestry, 2007 |
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URI:
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http://hdl.handle.net/2148/279
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Date:
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2007-12 |
