5.2 Changes in Forest Structure after Fire
The present investigation also includes the analysis of different development stages in forests after having burned, with regard to the diameter and height distribution, the volume, and the number of stems. As a fact different successional stages have their own specific stand structure. Initially, the findings demonstrated significant differences in mean diameter, mean height, basal area, and stand volume, between the gradients north- and south-facing slopes (c.f Tables 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3).
In early successional stages, a high establishment of samplings and sprouts occur-ring in forest stands after wildland fire events, have been documented by several authors (Bell 1980, Fox 1988, Ful´e 1944, 2000, Huag 1997) [8, 41, 47, 49, 145]. Due to the openness of the canopy, light reaches and with this warms the forest floor, enhancing the conditions for species diversity in these areas. As a response to this fact, the understory growth is stimulated and species with the ability to sprout, start to colonize the area (Schneider 2001) [128]. The results of the investigation carried out in the PECH confirm the explained reaction of vegetation.
Comparing the number of individuals on the north-facing slopes and south-facing slopes over time, the tree numbers decreased significantly of about 75% on the north-facing slopes. Thus 4097 trees/ha were counted on the north-north-facing slope of the youngest post-fire cohort and only 1059 trees/ha were registered in the post-fire cohort PECH-898, representing a period of 134 years after forest fire occurrence. Whereas, the tree density on the south-facing slopes was not decreasing significantly over time.
The fact, that many species on the north-facing slopes had the ability to sprout from the root collar, is amongst others, one explanation for the produced results in the PECH (Miller 2000) [97]. Others studies have proved that much of the tree density and a major part of tree establishment occur within three to seven years after forest fire events (Ful´e 1996, 1999) [46, 48]. Plant community composition after forest fire disturbance was attributed to the sprouting ability of dominant species, the resounding ability of subdominant species to increase in number, and to the failure of invasive species to become established (Elliot 1999, McDonald 2003) [35, 94]. In the youngest post-fire cohort identified in the PECH, all oak species sprouted
from the root collar, while the density varied among the species. Early studies on pioneer species in the PECH after the severe forest fires in 1998, were conducted by Jim´enez and Aguirre (1999) [75]. The highest number of individuals registered in their study had Quercus rysophylla with 3,300 individuals/ha, which accounted for 64%
of all the individuals registered. The majority of oak individuals resulted here from sprouts. Furthermore, van Lear and Waldrop (1989) [148] noticed that oaks resprout more frequently than most other hardwood species after burning. Similar sprouting patterns were documented by M¨uller-Using (1994) [102] for the species Q. laceyi and Q. rysophylla in Nuevo Le´on. Moreover, earlier findings confirmed the effects of forest fires on species, colonizing recently burned areas (Langdon 1981, Jim´enez and Aguirre 1999) [89, 75].
Hence, the youngest post-fire stand (PECH-098) was dominated by sprouts of Q. rysophylla, Q. canbyi, andQ. virginiana on the north-facing slope. WhileQ. rys-ophylla showed in general a maximum abundance and dominance in the early succes-sional stages, but especially on the north-facing slopes. On the south-facing slopes in comparison, Q. rysophylla,Q. virginiana and Q. canbyi were the species with the highest dominance. These results were in accordance with Elliot’s findings (1999) [35] in the Nantahala National Forest situated in the southern Appalachians in North Carolina. Elliot (1999) [35] found, that two oak species in the understory and herb layer had increased in density due forest fires. Although fire reduced the abundance of species, it promoted though the growth and recruitment of Quercus species.
The structure of young forest stands in process of succession is in the main de-termined by the structural legacy influenced by pioneer species colonizing a burned area at the first time (Schneider 2001) [128]. As a consequence of multiple influences, structural diversity in young stands is intermediate between that of old or rather mature stands (Schneider 2001) [128]. Typical successional species registered in the PECH are the conifers Pinus teocote and P. pseudostrobus, that appeared on both slopes at the first time 18 years after forest fire disturbance. Remarkable was the ability of basal sprout of a few individuals ofP. pseudostrobus andP. teocote on both slopes sides. Sprouting pines could be identified due to unusual traits, such as the formation of a basal crook, a typical sprouting indicators. This unusual ability was also reported by Rodr´ıguez Trejo (2003) [126] in stands of P. hartwegii under the influence of frequent surface fires in central Mexico.
5.2. Changes in Forest Structure after Fire 119 Another interesting feature was the high variation coefficient in diameter (89.5%) calculated for the north-facing part of the 18 years old post-fire cohort. This is attributed to the numerous individuals of P. teocote with large diameters, surviving the forest fire in 1984. The relatively high residual basal area of P. teocote (19.5 m2/ha) left after the forest fire, may have been too high for many shade intolerant species to become established. No recently seedlings from conifer species were noted at this particular stand age and most of the small individuals had a diameter higher than 10 cm.
The successional transition of intermediate stands to mature stages is marked by the closure of canopy (Stelfox 1995) [135]. The mature stands in the PECH were characterized by a dense growth of relatively even-aged trees and reduced understory development. The early successional structure of oak species has diminished and were replaced by large diameter conifers. These major pine stands have shown the lowest structural diversity and greatest loss of species. This fact was substantiated by the decreasing dominance of the species Q. virginiana and may be explained by the successional model of tolerance. The mentioned model, bases on the fact that pioneer species, due to their shade intolerance, do not invade overgrown sites. Hence in late successional stages, such as represented by(PECH-040), no significant differences were produced regarding the comparison of diameters on north and south-facing slopes.
Similar results were registered by Gallegos and Villavicencio (1997) [53] in even-aged stands of P. oocarpa and Q. resinosa in the state of Guadalajara, Mexico. Likewise, Schmidt (2003) [127] had registered significant differences in tree density between burned and unburned areas in adjacent stands of P. silvestris in Germany.
Finally the transition from major to old stands was gradual, and key changes were the breakup of the canopy, the decreased presence of understory plants, and the emergence of secondary canopies composed of species such as Q. laceyi and Q. poly-morpha. Consequently, the structural diversity of late successional stands was higher than the one in intermediate and major stands within the PECH. Therefore the struc-tural diversity is reflected by the richness of woody species. In comparison to younger stages, old-aged and large canopy trees are more frequent in old forest stands. Thus the diversity of forest species was a consequence of interaction between forest fires and successional processes (Bunnnell 1995) [17]. Confirming findings were produced also in old boreal forest (Schneider 2001) [128]. Though contrary results form
Scandi-navia, produced a simplification of forest structure and pattern as well as a decline in species diversity in long-term traditional forests (Niemela 1999) [104]. Consequently not all forest types follow the structural diversity patterns revealed in the PECH.