OOS 61 - Fire Exclusion and Mesophication Across Scales in Historically Fire-Dependent Forests

Organizer(s)

• HA

  Heather Alexander

  Associate Professor
  Auburn University
  Auburn, Alabama, United States

Co-Organizer(s)

• 

  Steve Brewer

  Professor
  University of Mississippi
  University, Mississippi, United States
• TM

  Tamara Milton

  Postdoctoral Research Associate
  Auburn University
  Ann Arbor, MI, United States
• CS

  Courtney Siegert

  Associate Professor
  Department of Forestry, College of Forest Resources, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, 39762, MS, United States
• NW

  Nina Wurzburger

  University of Georgia, United States

Background: Pyrophytic, historically open-canopied oak and pine savannas and woodlands across the central and eastern U.S. continue to shift structure and composition to dense, multi-layered, closed-canopy forests of shade-tolerant, fire-sensitive, and/or opportunistic tree species. One possible explanation for this shift is mesophication, a multi-phased process by which fire exclusion encourages the densification of stands by encroaching tree species (i.e., mesophytes), whose traits then create shadier, cooler, and wetter understory conditions and a leaf litter fuel bed that dampens fire, allowing mesophytes to self-perpetuate while hindering regeneration of pyrophytic tree species. For some time, research primarily centered on quantifying compositional shifts, with little empirical evidence supporting other phases of the mesophication process. Yet more recently, there has been research identifying mesophication mechanisms and exploring causes and consequences at multiple scales, from the tree to the landscape, and across biota, from bacteria to mammals. Goals: (1) Bring together researchers at the forefront of this topic to explore the various causes and consequences of mesophication at multiple scales, (2) Gain a more holistic understanding of the vulnerability and resilience of current-day oak and pine forests experiencing mesophication, (3) Encourage research that can better inform restoration and conservation of fire-dependent ecosystems across the central and eastern U.S.

Objectives: (1) Provide a forum for presenting a wide range of studies assessing causes, mechanisms, and consequences of mesophication in fire-dependent forests, (2) Showcase studies investigating mesophication across multiple scales, from soil biota to ecosystem flammability.

Presentations:

• 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM PDT

  Tree traits drive fuel conditions, fire behavior, and mesophication of southeastern U.S. forests
  

  Presenting Author: Heather D. Alexander – Auburn University

  Co-author: Emily Babl-Plauche – Texas Tree Foundation

  Co-author: Steven Cabrera – The Nature Conservancy

  Co-author: Arthur Lamounier Moura – Auburn University

  Co-author: Jennifer K. McDaniel – University of Georgia

  Co-author: Rachel E. Nation – Auburn University

  Co-author: M. Austin Childree – Auburn University

  Co-author: John L. Willis, PhD – Southern Research Station, U.S.D.A. Forest Service

  Co-author: David Scarborough – Auburn University

  Co-author: Courtney Siegert – Department of Forestry, College of Forest Resources, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, 39762, MS
• 1:45 PM – 2:00 PM PDT

  Mesophication: how are the functional conditions of forests changing across the eastern US landscape?
  

  Presenting Author: Margaret Woodbridge – US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Southern Research Station

  Co-author: Christopher Oswalt, PhD – US Forest Service

  Co-author: Tara L. Keyser, PhD – US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Southern Research Station, Asheville, NC, United States
• 2:00 PM – 2:15 PM PDT

  Legume Responses to Fire in Open Oak Woodlands in North-Central Mississippi: Implications for Nitrogen Dynamics
  

  Presenting Author: Maddie Jewess – University of Mississippi

  Co-author: Steve Brewer – University of Mississippi
• 2:15 PM – 2:30 PM PDT

  Exploring the effects of fire return interval on resource-use strategies of pyrophytic and mesophytic species
  

  Presenting Author: Arthur Lamounier Moura – Auburn University

  Co-author: Heather D. Alexander – Auburn University

  Co-author: Michael J. Aspinwall, PhD – Auburn University

  Co-author: Callie J. Schweitzer, PhD – USDA Forest Service

  Co-author: Kevin M. Robertson, Ph.D. – Tall Timbers Research, Inc.

  Co-author: John L. Willis, PhD – Southern Research Station, U.S.D.A. Forest Service
• 2:30 PM – 2:45 PM PDT

  The view from below: A mesophication framework incorporating biogeochemistry, mycorrhizal fungi, and invasive earthworms
  

  Presenting Author: Melanie K. Taylor – USDA Forest Service/ University of Georgia

  Co-author: Nina Wurzburger – University of Georgia

  Co-author: Mac A. Callaham – USDA Forest Service
• 2:45 PM – 3:00 PM PDT

  The role of wildlife in the mesophication process
  

  Presenting Author: Carolina Baruzzi – University of Florida

  Co-author: Moriah Boggess – NC Wildlife Resources Commission

  Co-author: Jacob Dykes – Texas A&M

  Co-author: Marcus Lashley – University of Florida