Undergraduate Honors Thesis

 

THE IMPACTS OF SOIL PROPERTIES ON MIXED CONIFER SEEDLING RECRUITMENT IN THE POST-FIRE ENVIRONMENT OF EASTERN OREGON Public Deposited

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https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/9z903025j
Abstract
  • Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of fires, especially in the Western United States, making it pertinent that tree regeneration rates and causes are understood. The goal of this research is to assess the impacts of post-fire environments on seedling regeneration in dry conifer forest of eastern Oregon’s Blue Mountain Ecoregion. Specifically, I seek to determine whether soil properties determine successful seedling recruitment. In the summer of 2016, sixty-eight soil samples from across four different fires in the Blue Mountain Ecoregion were collected to analyze for total carbon, total nitrogen, and pH. The soil variables were compared with additional independent variables of fire severity and slope aspect. Over 16 to 20 years after the fire, north-facing sites and low burn severity sites had more seedlings than south-facing and high burn severity sites. Significant differences were found between seedling counts and soil properties, though older seedlings were found more often in soils with lower pH. These findings will be useful to forest managers who seek to determine the microsite conditions that promote natural post-fire conifer regeneration.
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  • 2017-01-01
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  • 2019-12-02
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