William Flatley | University of Central Arkansas (original) (raw)

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Papers by William Flatley

Research paper thumbnail of Examining the Effects of Agricultural Aid on Forests in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Causal Analysis Based on Remotely Sensed Data of Sierra Leone

Research paper thumbnail of Forest Restoration as a Strategy to Mitigate Climate Impacts on Wildfire, Vegetation, and Water in Semi-arid Forests

Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, Oct 1, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Fire regimes of the southern Appalachian Mountains: Temporal and spatial variability and implications for vegetation dynamics

Research paper thumbnail of Adaptation Strategies and Approaches for Managing Fire in a Changing Climate

Research paper thumbnail of Dynamic Fire Regimes and Forest Conditions Across Three Centuries in a Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas, USA

Annals of the American Association of Geographers

Research paper thumbnail of Successive Land Surveys as Indicators of Vegetation Change in an Agricultural Landscape

A series of anthropogenic disturbance conditions have altered the vegetation of the southern Appa... more A series of anthropogenic disturbance conditions have altered the vegetation of the southern Appalachians during the past 200-years. The objective of this research was to identify the nature and timing of these vegetation changes in order to better understand the underlying causes. A total of 304 land surveys were collected for a small agricultural watershed from early settlement in 1787 through to the present day. Witness corners recorded tree species, shrubs, stumps, snags and non-vegetative markers. Types of witness corners were tallied and tested for shifts in frequency across time periods. Tree species were also classified by silvical characteristics including sprouting capability, shade tolerance, and seed type and these groupings were tested for shifts in frequency across time periods. Landform bias of the witness corners was tested using references contained in the surveys. Results showed significant shifts in white oak (Quercus alba L.), chestnut (Castanea dentate Marsh. Bo...

Research paper thumbnail of Two centuries of vegetation change in an agricultural watershed in southwestern Virginia, USA 1

The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Are historical fire regimes compatible with future climate? Implications for forest restoration

Research paper thumbnail of Historical Fire Regimes and Stand Dynamics of Xerophytic Pine–Oak Stands in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, Virginia, USA

Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Aug 17, 2021

Fire-dependent yellow pine (Pinus) forests are included within the temperate deciduous forest of ... more Fire-dependent yellow pine (Pinus) forests are included within the temperate deciduous forest of eastern North America. These forests, which occupy dry slopes and typically contain xerophytic oaks (Quercus), have receded under fire suppression. Understanding historical fire regimes is essential for interpreting and managing these stands. To characterize fire history and vegetation dynamics, we conducted a dendroecological study of fire-scarred trees and age structure in pine stands at four sites in the Appalachian Mountains. Fire interval estimates suggest that before fire suppression began in the early to middle 1900s, fires occurred at approximately three- to eleven-year intervals. Short intervals were probably maintained in part by large-extent fires that spread from sparse ignition points. Fire frequency showed no long-term temporal trend (e.g., no wave of fire) from the middle 1700s through early 1900s despite land–use intensification, including industrial logging and associated wildfires during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Fire occurrence was associated with drought at two sites. Age–structure analyses evoke pyrogenic pine–oak communities that predated industrial disturbances and persisted under a regime of frequent, mixed-severity fires that was likely maintained through a positive feedback with the flammable vegetation. Competing species were established under more recent fire suppression, however, and are poised to replace the pines.

Research paper thumbnail of Climatic and topographic controls on patterns of fire in the southern and central Appalachian Mountains, USA

Landscape Ecology, Nov 13, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Adaptation Strategies and Approaches for Managing Fire in a Changing Climate

Climate

As the effects of climate change accumulate and intensify, resource managers juggle existing goal... more As the effects of climate change accumulate and intensify, resource managers juggle existing goals and new mandates to operationalize adaptation. Fire managers contend with the direct effects of climate change on resources in addition to climate-induced disruptions to fire regimes and subsequent ecosystem effects. In systems stressed by warming and drying, increased fire activity amplifies the pace of change and scale of severe disturbance events, heightening the urgency for management action. Fire managers are asked to integrate information on climate impacts with their professional expertise to determine how to achieve management objectives in a changing climate with altered fire regimes. This is a difficult task, and managers need support as they incorporate climate adaptation into planning and operations. We present a list of adaptation strategies and approaches specific to fire and climate based on co-produced knowledge from a science–management partnership and pilot-tested in ...

Research paper thumbnail of Can Land Management Buffer Impacts of Climate Changes and Altered Fire Regimes on Ecosystems of the Southwestern United States?

Research paper thumbnail of Forest restoration as a strategy to mitigate climate impacts on wildfire, vegetation, and water in semiarid forests

Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America, 2018

Climate change and wildfire are interacting to drive vegetation change and potentially reduce wat... more Climate change and wildfire are interacting to drive vegetation change and potentially reduce water quantity and quality in the southwestern United States, Forest restoration is a management approach that could mitigate some of these negative outcomes. However, little information exists on how restoration combined with climate change might influence hydrology across large forest landscapes that incorporate multiple vegetation types and complex fire regimes. We combined spatially explicit vegetation and fire modeling with statistical water and sediment yield models for a large forested landscape (335,000 ha) on the Kaibab Plateau in northern Arizona, USA. Our objective was to assess the impacts of climate change and forest restoration on the future fire regime, forest vegetation, and watershed outputs. Our model results predict that the combination of climate change and high-severity fire will drive forest turnover, biomass declines, and compositional change in future forests. Restor...

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluating Prescribed Fire Effectiveness Using Permanent Monitoring Plot Data: A Case Study

Research paper thumbnail of The North American tree‐ring fire‐scar network

Research paper thumbnail of Historical Fire Regimes and Stand Dynamics of Xerophytic Pine–Oak Stands in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, Virginia, USA

Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 2021

Fire-dependent yellow pine (Pinus) forests are included within the temperate deciduous forest of ... more Fire-dependent yellow pine (Pinus) forests are included within the temperate deciduous forest of eastern North America. These forests, which occupy dry slopes and typically contain xerophytic oaks (Quercus), have receded under fire suppression. Understanding historical fire regimes is essential for interpreting and managing these stands. To characterize fire history and vegetation dynamics, we conducted a dendroecological study of fire-scarred trees and age structure in pine stands at four sites in the Appalachian Mountains. Fire interval estimates suggest that before fire suppression began in the early to middle 1900s, fires occurred at approximately three- to eleven-year intervals. Short intervals were probably maintained in part by large-extent fires that spread from sparse ignition points. Fire frequency showed no long-term temporal trend (e.g., no wave of fire) from the middle 1700s through early 1900s despite land–use intensification, including industrial logging and associated wildfires during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Fire occurrence was associated with drought at two sites. Age–structure analyses evoke pyrogenic pine–oak communities that predated industrial disturbances and persisted under a regime of frequent, mixed-severity fires that was likely maintained through a positive feedback with the flammable vegetation. Competing species were established under more recent fire suppression, however, and are poised to replace the pines.

Research paper thumbnail of User guide to the FireCLIME Vulnerability Assessment (VA) tool: A rapid and flexible system for assessing ecosystem vulnerability to climate-fire interactions

Research paper thumbnail of Advancing Dendrochronological Studies of Fire in the United States

Research paper thumbnail of Changing fire regimes and old-growth forest succession along a topographic gradient in the Great Smoky Mountains

Forest Ecology and Management, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Fire history, related to climate and land use in three southern Appalachian landscapes in the eastern United States

Ecological Applications, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of Examining the Effects of Agricultural Aid on Forests in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Causal Analysis Based on Remotely Sensed Data of Sierra Leone

Research paper thumbnail of Forest Restoration as a Strategy to Mitigate Climate Impacts on Wildfire, Vegetation, and Water in Semi-arid Forests

Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, Oct 1, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Fire regimes of the southern Appalachian Mountains: Temporal and spatial variability and implications for vegetation dynamics

Research paper thumbnail of Adaptation Strategies and Approaches for Managing Fire in a Changing Climate

Research paper thumbnail of Dynamic Fire Regimes and Forest Conditions Across Three Centuries in a Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas, USA

Annals of the American Association of Geographers

Research paper thumbnail of Successive Land Surveys as Indicators of Vegetation Change in an Agricultural Landscape

A series of anthropogenic disturbance conditions have altered the vegetation of the southern Appa... more A series of anthropogenic disturbance conditions have altered the vegetation of the southern Appalachians during the past 200-years. The objective of this research was to identify the nature and timing of these vegetation changes in order to better understand the underlying causes. A total of 304 land surveys were collected for a small agricultural watershed from early settlement in 1787 through to the present day. Witness corners recorded tree species, shrubs, stumps, snags and non-vegetative markers. Types of witness corners were tallied and tested for shifts in frequency across time periods. Tree species were also classified by silvical characteristics including sprouting capability, shade tolerance, and seed type and these groupings were tested for shifts in frequency across time periods. Landform bias of the witness corners was tested using references contained in the surveys. Results showed significant shifts in white oak (Quercus alba L.), chestnut (Castanea dentate Marsh. Bo...

Research paper thumbnail of Two centuries of vegetation change in an agricultural watershed in southwestern Virginia, USA 1

The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Are historical fire regimes compatible with future climate? Implications for forest restoration

Research paper thumbnail of Historical Fire Regimes and Stand Dynamics of Xerophytic Pine–Oak Stands in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, Virginia, USA

Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Aug 17, 2021

Fire-dependent yellow pine (Pinus) forests are included within the temperate deciduous forest of ... more Fire-dependent yellow pine (Pinus) forests are included within the temperate deciduous forest of eastern North America. These forests, which occupy dry slopes and typically contain xerophytic oaks (Quercus), have receded under fire suppression. Understanding historical fire regimes is essential for interpreting and managing these stands. To characterize fire history and vegetation dynamics, we conducted a dendroecological study of fire-scarred trees and age structure in pine stands at four sites in the Appalachian Mountains. Fire interval estimates suggest that before fire suppression began in the early to middle 1900s, fires occurred at approximately three- to eleven-year intervals. Short intervals were probably maintained in part by large-extent fires that spread from sparse ignition points. Fire frequency showed no long-term temporal trend (e.g., no wave of fire) from the middle 1700s through early 1900s despite land–use intensification, including industrial logging and associated wildfires during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Fire occurrence was associated with drought at two sites. Age–structure analyses evoke pyrogenic pine–oak communities that predated industrial disturbances and persisted under a regime of frequent, mixed-severity fires that was likely maintained through a positive feedback with the flammable vegetation. Competing species were established under more recent fire suppression, however, and are poised to replace the pines.

Research paper thumbnail of Climatic and topographic controls on patterns of fire in the southern and central Appalachian Mountains, USA

Landscape Ecology, Nov 13, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Adaptation Strategies and Approaches for Managing Fire in a Changing Climate

Climate

As the effects of climate change accumulate and intensify, resource managers juggle existing goal... more As the effects of climate change accumulate and intensify, resource managers juggle existing goals and new mandates to operationalize adaptation. Fire managers contend with the direct effects of climate change on resources in addition to climate-induced disruptions to fire regimes and subsequent ecosystem effects. In systems stressed by warming and drying, increased fire activity amplifies the pace of change and scale of severe disturbance events, heightening the urgency for management action. Fire managers are asked to integrate information on climate impacts with their professional expertise to determine how to achieve management objectives in a changing climate with altered fire regimes. This is a difficult task, and managers need support as they incorporate climate adaptation into planning and operations. We present a list of adaptation strategies and approaches specific to fire and climate based on co-produced knowledge from a science–management partnership and pilot-tested in ...

Research paper thumbnail of Can Land Management Buffer Impacts of Climate Changes and Altered Fire Regimes on Ecosystems of the Southwestern United States?

Research paper thumbnail of Forest restoration as a strategy to mitigate climate impacts on wildfire, vegetation, and water in semiarid forests

Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America, 2018

Climate change and wildfire are interacting to drive vegetation change and potentially reduce wat... more Climate change and wildfire are interacting to drive vegetation change and potentially reduce water quantity and quality in the southwestern United States, Forest restoration is a management approach that could mitigate some of these negative outcomes. However, little information exists on how restoration combined with climate change might influence hydrology across large forest landscapes that incorporate multiple vegetation types and complex fire regimes. We combined spatially explicit vegetation and fire modeling with statistical water and sediment yield models for a large forested landscape (335,000 ha) on the Kaibab Plateau in northern Arizona, USA. Our objective was to assess the impacts of climate change and forest restoration on the future fire regime, forest vegetation, and watershed outputs. Our model results predict that the combination of climate change and high-severity fire will drive forest turnover, biomass declines, and compositional change in future forests. Restor...

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluating Prescribed Fire Effectiveness Using Permanent Monitoring Plot Data: A Case Study

Research paper thumbnail of The North American tree‐ring fire‐scar network

Research paper thumbnail of Historical Fire Regimes and Stand Dynamics of Xerophytic Pine–Oak Stands in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, Virginia, USA

Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 2021

Fire-dependent yellow pine (Pinus) forests are included within the temperate deciduous forest of ... more Fire-dependent yellow pine (Pinus) forests are included within the temperate deciduous forest of eastern North America. These forests, which occupy dry slopes and typically contain xerophytic oaks (Quercus), have receded under fire suppression. Understanding historical fire regimes is essential for interpreting and managing these stands. To characterize fire history and vegetation dynamics, we conducted a dendroecological study of fire-scarred trees and age structure in pine stands at four sites in the Appalachian Mountains. Fire interval estimates suggest that before fire suppression began in the early to middle 1900s, fires occurred at approximately three- to eleven-year intervals. Short intervals were probably maintained in part by large-extent fires that spread from sparse ignition points. Fire frequency showed no long-term temporal trend (e.g., no wave of fire) from the middle 1700s through early 1900s despite land–use intensification, including industrial logging and associated wildfires during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Fire occurrence was associated with drought at two sites. Age–structure analyses evoke pyrogenic pine–oak communities that predated industrial disturbances and persisted under a regime of frequent, mixed-severity fires that was likely maintained through a positive feedback with the flammable vegetation. Competing species were established under more recent fire suppression, however, and are poised to replace the pines.

Research paper thumbnail of User guide to the FireCLIME Vulnerability Assessment (VA) tool: A rapid and flexible system for assessing ecosystem vulnerability to climate-fire interactions

Research paper thumbnail of Advancing Dendrochronological Studies of Fire in the United States

Research paper thumbnail of Changing fire regimes and old-growth forest succession along a topographic gradient in the Great Smoky Mountains

Forest Ecology and Management, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Fire history, related to climate and land use in three southern Appalachian landscapes in the eastern United States

Ecological Applications, 2013