DDIG: Controls on post-wildfire carbon accumulation and release patterns

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff AZ

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this research is to understand how large, stand-replacing wildfires affect the ecosystem carbon (C) balance of southwestern ponderosa pine forests. The investigators are examining the process of wood decomposition because it accounts for the majority of C loss following fire. They will identify the community structure of wood-decay fungi and observe how the community changes in response to fire and with time since fire. They are using observational and experimental studies in conjunction with molecular techniques to study the fungal communities and connect them to decomposition rates. An understanding of how stand-replacing wildfires alter ecosystem C is critical to formulating C predictions throughout the western U.S. This information is even more significant in light of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and climate changes that have led to larger, more frequent catastrophic wildfires. This type of fire emits large amounts of CO2 and leaves a vast legacy of dead wood, which releases CO2 long after the fire. Although it is known that wood decay fungi are a major component of C cycles, the extent that severe fires affect the species composition of these fungi, and how the species composition influences rates of wood decay are poorly understood.