Fire, Climate Change, and Carbon Cycling in the Boreal Forest, 2000 Ecological Studies Series, Vol. 138

In boreal forests, which contain large amounts of the world's terrestrial organic carbon, fire is a natural and fundamental disturbance regime essential in controlling many ecosystem processes. As a result of predicted climate change in the future, the fire regime and, consequently, the forest cover and carbon storage of boreal regions will undergo dramatic alterations. This volume discusses the direct and indirect mechanisms by which fire and climate interact to influence carbon cycling in North American boreal forests. The first section summarizes the information needed to understand and manage fire's effects on the ecology of boreal forests and its influence on global climate change issues. Following chapters discuss in detail the role of fire in the ecology of boreal forests. Subsequent sections present data sets on fire and the distribution of carbon, discuss the use of satellite imagery in monitoring these regions and discuss approaches to modeling the relevant processes. The book offers the following new results: improved estimates of carbon released during fires at a variety of scales, from individual sites to the entire North American boreal forest region; direct evidence of enhanced soil respiration after fire in Alaskan boreal forests; studies of the influence of fire on long-term forest-succession patterns; modeling results of the effects of climate warming on the fire regime; examples of the use of satellite imagery to monitor surface characteristics important in carbon cycling; modeling results of how climate change will interact with the fire regime to influence carbon storage.

1. Introduction.- Section I. Information Requirements and Fire Management and Policy Issues.- 2. Boreal Ecosystems in the Global Carbon Cycle.- 3. Boreal Forest Fire Emissions and the Chemistry of the Atmosphere.- 4. Eurasian Perspective of Fire: Dimension, Management, Policies, and Scientific Requirements.- 5. Fire Management in the Boreal Forests of Canada.- 6. Effects of Climate Change on Management and Policy: Mitigation Options in the North American Boreal Forest.- Section II. Processes Influencing Carbon Cycling in the North American Boreal Forest.- 7. Distribution of Forest Ecosystems and the Role of Fire in the North American Boreal Region.- 8. Extent, Distribution, and Ecological Role of Fire in Russian Forests.- 9. Long-Term Perspectives on Fire-Climate-Vegetation Relationships in the North American Boreal Forest.- 10. Controls on Patterns of Biomass Burning in Alaskan Boreal Forests.- 11. Postfire Stimulation of Microbial Decomposition in Black Spruce (Picea mariana L.) Forest Soils: A Hypothesis.- 12. Influence of Fire on Long-Term Patterns of Forest Succession in Alaskan Boreal Forests.- Section III. Spatial Data Sets for the Analysis of Carbon Dynamics in Boreal Forests.- 13. Carbon Storage in the Asian Boreal Forests of Russia.- 14. Characteristics of Forest Ecozones in the North American Boreal Region.- 15. Historical Fire Records in the North American Boreal Forest.- 16. Fire and the Carbon Budget of Russian Forests.- 17. Using Visible and Near-Infrared Satellite Imagery to Monitor Boreal Forests.- 18. Monitoring Boreal Forests by Using Imaging Radars.- Section IV. Modeling of Fire and Ecosystem Processes and the Effects of Climate Change on Carbon Cycling in Boreal Forests.- 19. Modeling of Fire Occurrence in the Boreal Forest Region of Canada.- 20. Climate Change and Forest Fire Activity in North American Boreal Forests.- 21. Carbon Release from Fires in the North American Boreal Forest.- 22. Ecological Models of the Dynamics of Boreal Landscapes.- 23. Using Satellite Data to Monitor Fire-Related Processes in Boreal Forests.- 24. Influences of Fire and Climate Change on Patterns of Carbon Emissions in Boreal Peatlands.- 25. Effects of Climate Change and Fire on Carbon Storage in North American Boreal Forests.

Improved estimates of carbon released Direct evidence of enhanced soil respiration after fire Studies of the influence of fire on long-term forest-succession patterns