Sula study revisited: 20-year post-fire regeneration in the southern Bitterroot Valley, Montana.

Author

Luke Alan Rymniak, The University Of MontanaFollow

Year of Award

2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Forestry

Department or School/College

W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation

Committee Chair

Dr. Beth Dodson

Committee Co-chair

Dr. Peter Kolb

Commitee Members

Dr. Solomon Dobrowski

Keywords

Wildland fire, forest management, forestry, vegetation regeneration

Subject Categories

Environmental Health and Protection | Forest Management | Natural Resources and Conservation | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Other Forestry and Forest Sciences

Abstract

In the summer of 2000, a number of large fires burned in the southern Bitterroot Valley near Sula, Montana. Research was conducted in 2001 and 2003 in the fire-affected areas of the French Basin and Larid Creek areas in order to investigate the effects of environmental variables, fire severity, and post-fire management on vegetation regeneration. In 2020 these areas were remeasured to understand trends over time by evaluating the impact of these same factors 20 years post fire. The results showed that the effects of environmental variables, fire severity, and post-fire management on vegetation regeneration were varied. The most influential environmental variable to affect vegetation regeneration for understory species and overstory species was aspect. Fire severity was influential, with differences in overstory and understory severity impacting the distribution, presence, and percent cover of vegetation species. The most influential post-fire management activity was seedling planting. Results suggest that study areas that were affected by high severity fire are unlikely to return to pre-fire conditions without tree planting or other management activities. Further research should be conducted on the survival rate of planted seedlings in managed areas over time. Comparisons should also be made between natural seedling regeneration and planted seedling viability in burned areas over time. More research should be conducted on fire severity’s long-term effects on understory vegetation as these ecosystems return to a form of equilibrium over time.

Recommended Citation

Rymniak, Luke Alan, "Sula study revisited: 20-year post-fire regeneration in the southern Bitterroot Valley, Montana." (2021). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 11779.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/11779