1
|
Jech S, Adamchak C, Stokes SC, Wiltse ME, Callen J, VanderRoest J, Kelly EF, Hinckley ELS, Stein HJ, Borch T, Fierer N. Determination of Soil Contamination at the Wildland-Urban Interface after the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado, USA. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:4326-4333. [PMID: 38394340 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c08508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Wildfires at the wildland-urban interface (WUI) are increasingly common. The impacts of such events are likely distinct from those that occur strictly in wildland areas, as we would expect an elevated likelihood of soil contamination due to the combustion of anthropogenic materials. We evaluated the impacts of a wildfire at the WUI on soil contamination, sampling soils from residential and nonresidential areas located inside and outside the perimeter of the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado, USA. We found that fire-affected residential properties had elevated concentrations of some heavy metals (including Zn, Cu, Cr, and Pb), but the concentrations were still below levels of likely concern, and we observed no corresponding increases in concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The postfire increases in metal concentrations were not generally observed in the nonresidential soils, highlighting the importance of combustion of anthropogenic materials for potential soil contamination from wildfires at the WUI. While soil contamination from the 2021 Marshall Fire was lower than expected, and likely below the threshold of concern for human health, our study highlights some of the challenges that need to be considered when assessing soil contamination after such fires.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sierra Jech
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0216, United States
| | - Clifford Adamchak
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0216, United States
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Sean C Stokes
- Department of Soil & Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1101, United States
| | - Marin E Wiltse
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1872, United States
| | - Jessica Callen
- Department of Soil & Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1101, United States
| | - Jacob VanderRoest
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1872, United States
| | - Eugene F Kelly
- Department of Soil & Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1101, United States
| | - Eve-Lyn S Hinckley
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0216, United States
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Holly J Stein
- AIRIE, Applied Isotope Research for Industry and the Environment, Fort Collins, Colorado 80524-2313, United States
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo NO-0316, Norway
| | - Thomas Borch
- Department of Soil & Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1101, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1872, United States
| | - Noah Fierer
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0216, United States
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Sparks AM, Blanco AS, Wilson DR, Schwilk DW, Johnson DM, Adams HD, Bowman DMJS, Hardman DD, Smith AMS. Fire intensity impacts on physiological performance and mortality in Pinus monticola and Pseudotsuga menziesii saplings: a dose-response analysis. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 43:1365-1382. [PMID: 37073477 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpad051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Fire is a major cause of tree injury and mortality worldwide, yet our current understanding of fire effects is largely based on ocular estimates of stem charring and foliage discoloration, which are error prone and provide little information on underlying tree function. Accurate quantification of physiological performance is a research and forest management need, given that declining performance could help identify mechanisms of-and serve as an early warning sign for-mortality. Many previous efforts have been hampered by the inability to quantify the heat flux that a tree experiences during a fire, given its highly variable nature in space and time. In this study, we used a dose-response approach to elucidate fire impacts by subjecting Pinus monticola var. minima Lemmon and Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco saplings to surface fires of varying intensity doses and measuring short-term post-fire physiological performance in photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll fluorescence. We also evaluated the ability of spectral reflectance indices to quantify change in physiological performance at the individual tree crown and stand scales. Although physiological performance in both P. monticola and P. menziesii declined with increasing fire intensity, P. monticola maintained a greater photosynthetic rate and higher chlorophyll fluorescence at higher doses, for longer after the fire. Pinus monticola also had complete survival at lower fire intensity doses, whereas P. menziesii had some mortality at all doses, implying higher fire resistance for P. monticola at this life stage. Generally, individual-scale spectral indices were more accurate at quantifying physiological performance than those acquired at the stand-scale. The Photochemical Reflectance Index outperformed other indices at quantifying photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence, highlighting its potential use to quantify crown scale physiological performance. Spectral indices that incorporated near-infrared and shortwave infrared reflectance, such as the Normalized Burn Ratio, were accurate at characterizing stand-scale mortality. The results from this study were included in a conifer cross-comparison using physiology and mortality data from other dose-response studies. The comparison highlights the close evolutionary relationship between fire and species within the Pinus genus, assessed to date, given the high survivorship of Pinus species at lower fire intensities versus other conifers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M Sparks
- Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Alexander S Blanco
- Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | | | - Dylan W Schwilk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Daniel M Johnson
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Henry D Adams
- School of the Environment, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - David M J S Bowman
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia
| | - Douglas D Hardman
- Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Alistair M S Smith
- Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
- Department of Earth and Spatial Sciences, College of Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Dickman LT, Jonko AK, Linn RR, Altintas I, Atchley AL, Bär A, Collins AD, Dupuy J, Gallagher MR, Hiers JK, Hoffman CM, Hood SM, Hurteau MD, Jolly WM, Josephson A, Loudermilk EL, Ma W, Michaletz ST, Nolan RH, O'Brien JJ, Parsons RA, Partelli‐Feltrin R, Pimont F, Resco de Dios V, Restaino J, Robbins ZJ, Sartor KA, Schultz‐Fellenz E, Serbin SP, Sevanto S, Shuman JK, Sieg CH, Skowronski NS, Weise DR, Wright M, Xu C, Yebra M, Younes N. Integrating plant physiology into simulation of fire behavior and effects. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 238:952-970. [PMID: 36694296 PMCID: PMC10952334 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Wildfires are a global crisis, but current fire models fail to capture vegetation response to changing climate. With drought and elevated temperature increasing the importance of vegetation dynamics to fire behavior, and the advent of next generation models capable of capturing increasingly complex physical processes, we provide a renewed focus on representation of woody vegetation in fire models. Currently, the most advanced representations of fire behavior and biophysical fire effects are found in distinct classes of fine-scale models and do not capture variation in live fuel (i.e. living plant) properties. We demonstrate that plant water and carbon dynamics, which influence combustion and heat transfer into the plant and often dictate plant survival, provide the mechanistic linkage between fire behavior and effects. Our conceptual framework linking remotely sensed estimates of plant water and carbon to fine-scale models of fire behavior and effects could be a critical first step toward improving the fidelity of the coarse scale models that are now relied upon for global fire forecasting. This process-based approach will be essential to capturing the influence of physiological responses to drought and warming on live fuel conditions, strengthening the science needed to guide fire managers in an uncertain future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L. Turin Dickman
- Earth & Environmental Sciences DivisionLos Alamos National LaboratoryLos AlamosNM87545USA
| | - Alexandra K. Jonko
- Earth & Environmental Sciences DivisionLos Alamos National LaboratoryLos AlamosNM87545USA
| | - Rodman R. Linn
- Earth & Environmental Sciences DivisionLos Alamos National LaboratoryLos AlamosNM87545USA
| | - Ilkay Altintas
- San Diego Supercomputer Center and Halicioglu Data Science InstituteUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
| | - Adam L. Atchley
- Earth & Environmental Sciences DivisionLos Alamos National LaboratoryLos AlamosNM87545USA
| | - Andreas Bär
- Department of BotanyUniversity of Innsbruck6020InnsbruckAustria
| | - Adam D. Collins
- Earth & Environmental Sciences DivisionLos Alamos National LaboratoryLos AlamosNM87545USA
| | - Jean‐Luc Dupuy
- Ecologie des Forêts Méditerranéennes (URFM)INRAe84914AvignonFrance
| | | | | | - Chad M. Hoffman
- Department of Forest and Rangeland StewardshipColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCO80523USA
| | - Sharon M. Hood
- Rocky Mountain Research StationUSDA Forest ServiceMissoulaMT59801USA
| | | | - W. Matt Jolly
- Rocky Mountain Research StationUSDA Forest ServiceMissoulaMT59801USA
| | - Alexander Josephson
- Earth & Environmental Sciences DivisionLos Alamos National LaboratoryLos AlamosNM87545USA
| | | | - Wu Ma
- Earth & Environmental Sciences DivisionLos Alamos National LaboratoryLos AlamosNM87545USA
| | - Sean T. Michaletz
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research CentreThe University of British ColumbiaVancouverBCV6T 1Z4Canada
| | - Rachael H. Nolan
- Hawkesbury Institute for the EnvironmentWestern Sydney UniversityPenrithNSW2753Australia
- NSW Bushfire Risk Management Research HubWollongongNSW2522Australia
| | | | | | - Raquel Partelli‐Feltrin
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research CentreThe University of British ColumbiaVancouverBCV6T 1Z4Canada
| | - François Pimont
- Ecologie des Forêts Méditerranéennes (URFM)INRAe84914AvignonFrance
| | - Víctor Resco de Dios
- School of Life Sciences and EngineeringSouthwest University of Science and TechnologyMianyang621010China
- Department of Crop and Forest Sciences and JRU CTFC‐AGROTECNIOUniversitat de LleidaLleida25198Spain
| | - Joseph Restaino
- Fire and Resource Assessment ProgramCalifornia Department of Forestry and Fire ProtectionSouth Lake TahoeCA96155USA
| | - Zachary J. Robbins
- Earth & Environmental Sciences DivisionLos Alamos National LaboratoryLos AlamosNM87545USA
| | - Karla A. Sartor
- Environmental Protection and Compliance DivisionLos Alamos National LaboratoryLos AlamosNM87545USA
| | - Emily Schultz‐Fellenz
- Earth & Environmental Sciences DivisionLos Alamos National LaboratoryLos AlamosNM87545USA
| | - Shawn P. Serbin
- Environmental and Climate Sciences DepartmentBrookhaven National LaboratoryUptonNY11973USA
| | - Sanna Sevanto
- Earth & Environmental Sciences DivisionLos Alamos National LaboratoryLos AlamosNM87545USA
| | - Jacquelyn K. Shuman
- Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory, Terrestrial Sciences SectionNational Center for Atmospheric ResearchBoulderCO80305USA
| | - Carolyn H. Sieg
- Rocky Mountain Research StationUSDA Forest ServiceFlagstaffAZ86001USA
| | | | - David R. Weise
- Pacific Southwest Research StationUSDA Forest ServiceRiversideCA92507USA
| | - Molly Wright
- Cibola National ForestUSDA Forest ServiceAlbuquerqueNM87113USA
| | - Chonggang Xu
- Earth & Environmental Sciences DivisionLos Alamos National LaboratoryLos AlamosNM87545USA
| | - Marta Yebra
- Fenner School of Environment and SocietyAustralian National UniversityCanberraACT2601Australia
- School of EngineeringAustralian National UniversityCanberraACT2601Australia
| | - Nicolas Younes
- Fenner School of Environment and SocietyAustralian National UniversityCanberraACT2601Australia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Roos CI, Guiterman CH, Margolis EQ, Swetnam TW, Laluk NC, Thompson KF, Toya C, Farris CA, Fulé PZ, Iniguez JM, Kaib JM, O'Connor CD, Whitehair L. Indigenous fire management and cross-scale fire-climate relationships in the Southwest United States from 1500 to 1900 CE. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabq3221. [PMID: 36475806 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq3221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Prior research suggests that Indigenous fire management buffers climate influences on wildfires, but it is unclear whether these benefits accrue across geographic scales. We use a network of 4824 fire-scarred trees in Southwest United States dry forests to analyze up to 400 years of fire-climate relationships at local, landscape, and regional scales for traditional territories of three different Indigenous cultures. Comparison of fire-year and prior climate conditions for periods of intensive cultural use and less-intensive use indicates that Indigenous fire management weakened fire-climate relationships at local and landscape scales. This effect did not scale up across the entire region because land use was spatially and temporally heterogeneous at that scale. Restoring or emulating Indigenous fire practices could buffer climate impacts at local scales but would need to be repeatedly implemented at broad scales for broader regional benefits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher I Roos
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Christopher H Guiterman
- CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Ellis Q Margolis
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, New Mexico Landscapes Field Station, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - Thomas W Swetnam
- Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Nicholas C Laluk
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Kerry F Thompson
- Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Chris Toya
- Natural Resources Department, Pueblo of Jemez, Jemez, NM, USA
| | - Calvin A Farris
- National Park Service Regions 8, 9, 10, and 12, PO Box 1713, Klamath Falls, OR, USA
| | - Peter Z Fulé
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Jose M Iniguez
- Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - J Mark Kaib
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | | | - Lionel Whitehair
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| |
Collapse
|