Fire history was investigated in 4 curlleaf mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) communities containing scattered, old ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). Dating cross- sections of fire scars from the pines, through counts of annual growth rings, allowed us to develop reasonably complete fire chronologies extending back to the 1700's. Mean fire intervals in these communities ranged from 13 to 22 years until the early 1900's, but lengthened considerably thereafter. Mountain-mahogany stems with well-developed basal scars (not necessarily caused by fire) were cross-sectioned and finely sanded to enhance the often obscure growth rings. Estimated dates of the mountain-mahogany scars were compared to the pine-derived fire history. This evaluation suggests that where conifers of sufficient age are absent, careful interpretation of mountain-mahogany scars can be used to estimate fire history. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.