Skip to content

Short-term effects of single-entry prescribed fire in California’s yellow-pine and mixed conifer forests

Published Article

California, United States

Publication date: April 11, 2026

File format: URL

View resource

Examines short-term effects of single-entry prescribed fire on fuels, forest structure, and plant diversity in semiarid yellow pine and mixed conifer forests of eastern California. Using field data and Bayesian models, the study shows major fuel reductions and increased understory diversity, while highlighting limits to structural restoration from one fire application.

Subject Tags

  • Fire management
  • Wildlife
  • Forest

Abstract

Prescribed fire is an important tool for reducing wildfire risk and restoring forest health in semiarid yellow pine and mixed conifer (YPMC) forests in the western United States (US), which historically experienced frequent low- to moderate-intensity fires. After more than a century of fire exclusion, these forests now tend to support excessive surface fuel loads, dense tree stands, and altered species composition - conditions that promote the potential for high-severity wildfire. To evaluate the short-term effects of prescribed fire as a restoration and fuel reduction strategy, we assessed 12 single-entry prescribed burns across eastern California through the California Prescribed Fire Monitoring Program. We assessed changes in surface fuels, forest structure, and plant diversity before and after prescribed fire using field measurements and Bayesian modeling. We found that prescribed fire reduced total surface fuel loading by an average of 63%, with the greatest reductions in duff (67%) and litter (65%). Fuel consumption was positively associated with pre-fire fuel load, slope, wind speed, and mean annual temperature. Prescribed fire significantly reduced live tree density by 32%, particularly of shade-tolerant and small-diameter trees (<40 cm DBH, 38% reduction), and basal area by 24%. Despite relatively minor change in forest structure, both plant richness and diversity increased significantly two years post-treatment. These findings highlight the value of single-entry prescribed fire for reducing hazardous fuels and stimulating understory biodiversity, while also underscoring its limited capacity to restore forest structure after a single application. Scaling up and sustaining prescribed fire implementation, potentially in combination with other treatments, will be essential for restoring fire-adapted forest ecosystems in the western United States.

Citation

Grupenhoff, A. R., Putz, T., Williams, J., Estes, B., Domènech, R., Restaino, J., & Safford, H. D. (2026). Short-term effects of single-entry prescribed fire in California’s yellow-pine and mixed conifer forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 613, 123771.

TNC Authors