Fire behavioral changes as a result of sudden oak death in coastal California forests

Le résumé fourni par la source

Field observations and anecdotal evidence suggest that sudden oak death (SOD), a disease caused by the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, may alter fuel loading in affected forests. Though it is reasonable to assume that a disease resulting in leaf blight, dead branches, and tree mortality would increase forest fuels, little work has been done to support or quantify this important issue. We compared fuel loading in P. ramorum-infested Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco)-tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus (Hook. & Arn.) Manos, Cannon & S.H. Oh) forests of northwestern California to 1) assess whether the continued presence of this pathogen alters surface fuel loading, 2) model potential fire behavior in affected stands, and 3) evaluate potential impacts on firefighting response in infested areas.

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