Central Sierra Nevada
Presettlement forest structure and fire regimes in the central Sierra Nevada
Work is being conducted in the Lake Tahoe Basin and Yosemite National Park. Research in Yosemite is funded by the Joint Fire Science Program. The goal of this research is to better understand the spatial and temporal patterns of, and controls on, fire regimes and forest structure at both stand and landscape scales in mixed conifer forests in the central Sierra Nevada. Patterns and controls on fire regimes and their influence on forest structure across landscapes are poorly known. There is increasing evidence that fire regimes within mixed conifer forests vary with slope aspect and elevation and that high severity fires were an integral component of presettlement forests. A variety of approaches are being used to identify presettlement forest structure and fire regimes including stand structural analysis of old-growth stands, stand reconstruction using Comstock mining era stumps, and fossil charcoal in lake sediments.
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