Water Relations in Sierra Nevada Mixed Conifer: Wildfire Effects and Species Distinctions

Abstract

An investigation of wildfire effects on water relations of Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi Grev. & Balf.) along with species comparisons of the water relations of unburned specimens of this pine to those of unburned white fir (Abies concolor var. lowiana [Gord.] Lemm.) were conducted in a mixed conifer stand located in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Xylem water potentials were significantly lower in burned than in the unburned Jeffrey pine as measured in predawn, midday, and evening periods distributed over more than two postfire growing seasons, while soil water potentials were lower in burned than in unburned stand portions during the drier parts of the growing season, but the reverse proved true during the wetter part. Diurnal fluctuation in bole diameter, a measure of stored water recharge capacity, was largely unaffected by wildfire, however. Xylem water potentials were consistently lower in unburned white fir than in unburned Jeffrey pine and DBH fluctuation was often lower in the fir than in the pine as well, but soil water potentials associated with unburned subject trees did not differ significantly between the two species. Demonstrated here are ecophysiological alterations that occur in Sierra Nevada mixed conifer due to wildfire and shifting species composition.

KEYWORDS:

• wildland fire
• xylem water potential
• tree water storage
• soil water potential
• moisture stress
• Pinus jeffreyi
• Abies concolor

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are indebted to J. Chacon, G. Fernandez, W. Frederick, C. McCarthy, R. Ray, T. Rochelle, R. Salas, and J. Spurlock for their assistance.

FUNDING

Support for this research was provided by the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Program, and the USDA Forest Service.