Forests in the US northern Rockies have been resilient to fire – even large and severe fires (ie. 1988 Yellowstone Fires)
Total area burned and high burn severity is increasing, as is average level of burn severity
Large fires are still heterogenous, but as area burned is increasing, so is the proportion and total burned as stand replacing fire. Also, patterns of stand replacing fires are becoming more and more homogenous over time.
In subalpine/mid-montane forests, post fire tree establishment declines sharply with drought severity and burn patch size; is the lower right quadrant a glimpse into the future?
At lower treeline, warm and dry areas nearest to ecotone may be converting to non-forest post-fire
Past fires limit likelihood, size, and severity of a subsequent high-severity fire; however, effects wear off by 10-15 years and can be overridden by extreme fire weather
When short-interval severe reburns occur, post-fire tree regeneration and carbon recovery slows
This media record is part of a series:
Crown of the Continent Forum 2021
The Crown Managers Partnership partnered with the Northern Rockies Fire Science Network and others to bring you the 2021 Fire in the Crown of the Continent Forum, which was held virtually from March 22nd to March 26th.
The Crown Managers Partnership is a multi-jurisdictional partnership among federal, state, provincial, tribal, and first nation agency managers and universities in Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia. Annual forums facilitate networking opportunities, build collaboration, and deepen understanding of common issues in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.
View the Forum Report (in the Files block) with summaries from presentations and special sessions (published November 2021).
Media Record Details
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Cataloging Information
Fire Intensity / Burn Severity
Fire Return Intervals