Hawaii Volcanoes National Park plant community and fire severity data, 2018-2020
Dates
Publication Date
2021-09-07
Start Date
2018-05-01
End Date
2020-12-01
Citation
Hamilton, N.P., Yelenik, S.G., and Gill, N.S., 2021, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park plant community and fire severity data, 2018-2020: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9B3V59U.
Summary
This data release includes metadata and tabular data that document Acacia koa density, basal area, and grass cover before and after the 2018 Keauhou Ranch Fire in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Specifically, we asked three questions: 1) At what level of precision can pre-fire grass cover be accurately estimated from oblique aerial photos? 2) How are post-fire Acacia koa regeneration densities affected by fire severity? 3) How are post-fire A. koa regeneration densities affected by pre-fire grass cover and its interaction with fire severity? We collected burn severity and post-fire regeneration data from 30 transects stratified across mid-elevation woodland, montane woodland, and montane shrubland. We evaluated visual estimates of [...]
Summary
This data release includes metadata and tabular data that document Acacia koa density, basal area, and grass cover before and after the 2018 Keauhou Ranch Fire in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Specifically, we asked three questions: 1) At what level of precision can pre-fire grass cover be accurately estimated from oblique aerial photos? 2) How are post-fire Acacia koa regeneration densities affected by fire severity? 3) How are post-fire A. koa regeneration densities affected by pre-fire grass cover and its interaction with fire severity? We collected burn severity and post-fire regeneration data from 30 transects stratified across mid-elevation woodland, montane woodland, and montane shrubland. We evaluated visual estimates of pre-fire grass cover from oblique aerial imagery with in situ data from 60 unburned transects of the same cover types.
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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park plant community and fire severity data, 2018-2020.xml Original FGDC Metadata
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38.99 KB
application/fgdc+xml
Keahou Burned 2019_Data.csv
3.09 KB
text/csv
RegeneratingKoa_IMG_5629.JPEG “Regenerating Acacia koa stand 1 year after fire. Photo: S. Yelenik. ”
1.84 MB
image/jpeg
Related External Resources
Type: Related Primary Publication
Hamilton, N.P., Yelenik, S.G., Durboraw, T.D., Cox, R.D., and Gill, N.S., 2021, Understanding Grass Invasion, Fire Severity, and Acacia koa Regeneration for Forest Restoration in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park: Land, v. 10, no. 9, p. 962, https://doi.org/10.3390/land10090962.
Invasive grasses are increasing wildfire occurrence worldwide, and a better understanding of the relationships between native plants, fire, and invasive grass is needed to help restoration plans facilitate ecosystem resilience. While pre-fire grass cover is important data for considering the role of such grasses in fire severity, post-fire succession, and restoration, often such data is unavailable unless aerial imagery of pre-fire vegetation exists. Invasive grasses are particularly problematic for altering fire regimes in the tropics, yet in Hawaiʻi, restoration sites are often planted with monocultures of the native tree Acacia koa, which can promote grass via nitrogen fixation. This, combined with the difficulty of aerially judging grass cover under thick canopies, complicates attempts to restore Hawaiian ecosystems. The objectives of this study are to quantify how grass cover, fire severity, and the interaction of the two impact A. koa regeneration, and to discover whether one can obtain accurate grass cover estimations from oblique-angle aerial photography. The future resilience of koa to the increasing threat of grass-fueled wildfire depends on how it responds to various levels of grass cover and fire severity. Understanding this response and knowing whether oblique-angle aerial photography is a viable option for grass cover measurement will allow land managers to make informed choices about how they assess fire hazard and restoration priorities on their land.
Preview Image
Regenerating Acacia koa stand 1 year after fire. Photo: S. Yelenik.