Assessing the effect of pruning and thinning on crown fire hazard in young Atlantic maritime pine forests

Abstract

Management of fuel to minimize crown fire hazard is a key challenge in Atlantic forests, particularly for pine species. However, a better understanding of effectiveness of silvicultural treatments, especially forest pruning, for hazard reduction is required. Here we evaluate pruning and thinning as two essential silvicultural treatments for timber pine forests. Data came from a network of permanent plots of young maritime pine stands in northwestern Spain. Vertical profiles of canopy bulk density were estimated for field data and simulated scenarios of pruning and thinning using individual tree biomass equations. Analyses of variance were conducted to establish the influence of each silvicultural treatment on canopy fuel variables. Results confirm the important role of both pruning and thinning in the mitigation of crown fire hazard, and that the effectiveness of the treatments is related to their intensity. Finally, models to directly estimate the vertical profile of canopy bulk density (CBD) were fitted using the Weibull probability density function and usual stand variables as regressors. The models developed include variables sensitive to pruning and thinning interventions and provide useful information to prevent extreme fire behavior through effective silviculture.

Keywords: Canopy base height; Canopy bulk density; Pinus pinaster; Silviculture; Vertical canopy fuel distribution; Wildfires.