Abstract
Fire is a major disturbance agent in North American forests. Fires injure trees when heat transfer through the bark partially kills the cambium and the compartmentalization process results in a fire scar. Dendrochronologists use these scars in the xylem to reconstruct fire regimes. However, little information exists on the wood anatomy of fire scars. Consequently, this study quantifies changes in xylem (tracheid and ray traits) caused by fire-induced wounding in 2 individuals each of Larix occidentalis, Pseudotsuga menziesii and Pinus ponderosa. Transverse and tangential microsections were cut from samples for light microscopy. Using image analysis, anatomical measurements of cells are being performed three-dimensionally: at 4 heights along the tree axis, within 4 cm from the wound margin and in 5 different rings; 1 control ring and 4 rings after the injury. These results will contribute to understanding the effects of fire on wood formation and improve fire histories in conifers.
Keywords
fire-induced wounding,
heat transfer,
conifers,
Larix occidentalis,
Pseudotsuga menziesii,
Pinus ponderosa
Citation
Arbellay, Estelle; Stoffel, Markus; Sutherland, Elaine K.; Smith, Kevin T.; Falk, Donald A. 2013. Fire-induced wounding elicits changes in the wood anatomy of North American conifers. In: Book of Abstracts: Second American Dendrochronology Conference; 2013 May 13-17; Tucson, AZ. Fire Ecology II/80. Tree-Ring Society. p. 9. Online: https://ameridendro.ltrr.arizona.edu/conferenceDisplay.py/abstractBook?confId=0
