Fire History of the Darkwoods: Quantifying the Past to Plan for the Future

This project involves UBC, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and Kalesnikoff Lumber Co. Ltd. It aims to quantify the role of historic low-to-moderate severity fires on the forests of NCC's Darkwoods property in southeastern British Columbia. In summer 2010, I will sample 30 forest stands that vary in elevation and slope aspect that were selected using a geographic information analysis and a stratified random approach. By analyzing samples from fire-scarred trees, I will determine how frequently fires occurred during the past c.300 years, how fire frequency varied in the landscape, and how anthropogenic land use and fire exclusion may have influenced the fire regime. The outcomes of this research have both fundamental and applied value. Improved knowledge of historic fire frequencies can guide NCC's decisions about restoration of forest structures and processes in relation to wildlife habitat and support Kalesnikoff's mission to use scientifically-based, certified sustainable forest management practices.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Lori Daniels

Student:

Gregory Greene

Partner:

Nature Conservancy Canada

Discipline:

Geography / Geology / Earth science

Sector:

Forestry

University:

University of British Columbia