Fort Valley Experimental Forest G. A. Pearson Natural Area forest restoration site: tree overstory, herbaceous understory, fuels, and repeat photographs database

This project, which was funded by the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP), measured the 20+ year post-fire response of vegetation and fuels on a restoration experiment in a ponderosa pine-bunchgrass ecosystem on the Fort Valley Experimental Forest (FVEF) G.A. Pearson Natural Area (GAPNA) near Flagstaff, AZ. In 1992, this replicated experiment was established within an old-growth ponderosa pine forest to evaluate the long-term ecosystem responses of an untreated control and two restoration treatments, which were thinning from below and thinning from below plus prescribed burning. Specifically, we quantified changes in key response variables related to post-fire fuels and plant succession in southwestern ponderosa pine, such as pre- and post-settlement tree structure, understory herbaceous cover and diversity, and surface fuels. We examined the interaction of prescribed fire and drought on tree growth and mortality, herbaceous abundance and diversity over this 28-year period. This data publication includes measurements from 1992-2019 of tree overstory species, tree diameter and tree condition class, herbaceous cover and standing crop by species, forest fuels (Brown transects) for litter plus 1-hour, 10-hour, 100-hour, and 1000 hour fuels. Lastly, this publication also includes high resolution images of the FVEF GAPNA for all pre- and post-burn plots taken in 1992 and 1995-2019.
In 1992, this replicated experiment was established to evaluate the long-term ecosystem responses of an untreated control and two restoration treatments: 1) thinning from below and 2) thinning from below with prescribed burning. In 2015, we received a Joint Fire Science grant to quantify changes in key response variables related to post-fire fuels and plant succession in southwestern ponderosa pine, such as pre- and post-settlement tree structure, understory herbaceous cover and diversity, and surface fuels.
These data were published on 08/31/2021. Minor metadata updates were made on 05/15/2024.