Effects of fires on carbon cycling in North American boreal peatlands

Environmental Reviews

Volumn 6, Issue 1, 1998, Pages 13-24

  Zoltai, S C ^a   Morrissey, L A ^b   Livingston, G P ^b   De Groot, W J ^a  

^a LAURENTIAN FORESTRY CENTRE   (Canada)

^b UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT   (United States)

Author keywords

Boreal; Carbon; Fire; Gas flux; Peatlands; Permafrost

Indexed keywords

EID: 0002570094     PISSN: 11818700     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1139/a98-002     Document Type: Article

References (86)

1. Andrejko, M.J., Fiene, L., and Cohen, A.D. 1983. Comparison of ashing techniques for determination of the inorganic content of peats. In Testing of peats and organic soils. Edited by P.M. Jarrett American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia. ASTM Spec. Publ. 820. pp. 5-20.
2. Bartlett, K.B., and Harriss, R.C. 1993. Review and assessment of methane emissions from wetlands. Chemosphere, 26(1-4): 261-320.
3. Bernard, J.M. 1974. Seasonal changes in standing crop and primary production in a sedge wetland and adjacent dry old-field in central Minnesota. Ecology, 55: 350-359.
4. Bonan, G.B. 1991. Atmosphere-biosphere exchange of carbon dioxide in boreal forests. J. Geophys. Res. 96: 7301-7312.
5. Bubier, J.L., Moore, T.R., Bellisario, L., and Comer, N.T. 1995. Ecological controls on methane emissions from a northern peatland complex in the zone of discontinuous permafrost. Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 9: 455-470.
6. Cahon, D.R., Jr., Stocks, B.J., Levine, J.S., Cofer, W.R., III and Pierson, J.M. 1994. Satellite analysis of the servere 1987 forest in northern China and southeastern Siberia. J. Geophys. Res. 99(D9):18 627-18 638
7. Canada Soil Survey Committee. 1978. The Canadian system of soil classification. Research Branch, Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Ont. Publ. No. 1646.
8. Chistjakov, V.I., Kuprijanov, A.J., Gorshkov, V.V., and Artsybashev, E.S. 1983. Measures for fire-prevention on peat deposits. In The role of fire in northern circumpolar ecosystems. Edited by R.W. Wein and D.A. MacLean. John Wiley & Sons Ltd., Chichester. pp. 259-271.
9. Clymo, R.S., and Duckett, J.G. 1986. Regeneration of Sphagnum. New Phytol. 102: 589-614.
10. Cofer, W.R., Levine, J.S., Winstead, E.L., LeBel, P.J., Koller, A.M., and Hinkle, C.R. 1990. Trace gas emissions from burning Florida wetlands. J. Geophys. Res. 95(D2): 1865-1870.
11. Crill, P., Bartlett, K., and Roulet, N. 1993. Methane flux from boreal peatlands. Suo, 43: 173-182.
12. de Groot, W.J., and Alexander, M.E. 1986. Wildfire behavior on the Canadian Shield: a case study of the 1980 Chachukew fire, eastcentral Saskatchewan. In Proceedings of the Third Central Region Fire Weather Committee Scientific and Technical Seminar. Edited by M.E. Alexander. Canadian Forestry Service, Edmonton, Alta. Study NOR-5-05, File Rep. No. 16. pp. 23-45.
13. Dixon, R.K., and Krankina, O.N. 1993. Forest fires in Russia: carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. Can. J. For. Res. 23: 700-705.
14. Dyrness, C.T., and Norum, R.A. 1983. The effects of experimental fires on black spruce forest floors in interior Alaska. Can. J. For. Res. 13: 879-893.
15. Flannigan, M.D., and Harrington, J.B. 1988. A study of the relation of meteorologic variables to monthly provincial area burned by wildfire in Canada. J. Clim. Appl. Meteorol. 27: 441-452.
16. Flannigan, M.D., and Van Wagner, C.E. 1991. Climate change and wildfire in Canada. Can. J. For. Res. 21: 66-72.
17. Forestry Canada Fire Danger Group. 1992. Development and structure of the Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction System. Forestry Canada, Ottawa, Ont. Inf. Rep. ST-X-3.
18. Foster, D.R., and Glaser, P.H. 1986. The raised bogs of south-eastern Labrador, Canada: classification, distribution, vegetation and recent dynamics. J. Ecol. 74: 47-71.
19. Frandsen, W.H. 1987. The influence of moisture and mineral soil on the combustion limits of smoldering forest duff. Can. J. For. Res. 17: 1540-1544.
20. Gignac, L.D., Vitt, D.H., Zoltai, S.C., and Bayley, S.E. 1991. Bryophyte response surfaces along climatic, chemical, and physical gradients of western Canada. Nova Hedwigia, 53: 27-71.
21. Glaser, P.H. 1992. Raised bogs in eastern North America - regional controls for species richness and floristic assemblages. J. Ecol. 80: 535-554.
22. Glaser, P.H., and Janssens, J.A. 1986. Raised bogs in eastern North America: transitions in landform and gross stratigraphy. Can. J. Bot. 64: 395-415.
23. Gorham, E. 1990. Biotic impoverishment in northern peatlands. In The Earth in transition. Patterns and processes of biotic impoverishment. Edited by G.M. Woodwell. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. pp. 65-98.
24. Gorham, E. 1991. Northern peatlands: role in the carbon cycle and probable responses to climatic warming. Ecol. Appl. 1: 182-195.
25. Gorham, E. 1995. The biogeochemistry of northern peatlands and its possible responses to global warming. In Biotic feedbacks in the global climatic system: will the warming feed the warming? Edited by G.M. Woodwell and F.T. Mackenzie. Oxford University Press, Oxford. pp 169-187.
26. Gorham, E., and Somers, M.G. 1973. Seasonal changes in the standing crop of two montane sedges. Can. J. Bot. 51: 1097-1108.
27. Grigal, D.F., Buttleman, C.G., and Kernik, L.K. 1985. Biomass and productivity of the woody strata of forested bogs in northern Minnesota. Can. J. Bot 63: 2416-2424.
28. Hawkes, B.C. 1993. Factors that influence peat consumption under dependent burning conditions: a laboratory study. Ph.D. dissertation, School of Forestry, University of Montana, Missoula.
29. Heinselman, M.L. 1963. Forest sites, bog processes, and peatland types in the Glacial Lake Agassiz region, Minnesota. Ecol. Monogr. 33: 327-374.
30. Hogg, E. H., Lieffers, V.J., and Wein, R.W. 1992. Potential carbon losses from peat profiles: effects of temperature, drought cycles, and fire. Ecol. Appl. 2: 298-306.
31. Houghton, R.A. 1991. Releases of carbon to the atmosphere from degradation of forests in Asia. Can. J. For. Res. 21: 132-142.
32. Houghton, J.T., Meira Filho, L.G., Bruce, J., Lee, H., Callander, B.A., Haites, E., Harriss, N., and Maskell, K. (Editors). 1995. Climate change 1994: radiative forcing of climate change and an evaluation of the IPCC IS92 emission scenarios. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.
33. Jasieniuk, M.A., and Johnson, E.A. 1982. Peatland vegetation organization and dynamics in the western subarctic, Northwest Territories, Canada. Can. J. Bot. 60: 2581-2593.
34. Kasischke, E.S., French, N.H., Bourgeau-Chavez, L.L., and Christensen N.L., Jr. 1995. Estimating release of carbon from 1990 and 1991 forest fires in Alaska. J. Geophys. Res. 100(D2): 2941-2951.
35. Kiil, A.D. 1975. Fire spread in a black spruce stand. Environ. Can. Bi-monthly Res. Notes, 31(1): 2-3.
36. 2 to the atmosphere. Water Air Soil Pollut. 64: 365-383.
37. Krankina, O.N. 1992. Contribution of forest fires to the carbon flux of the USSR. In Proceedings of the Workshop on Carbon Cycling in Boreal Forests and Subarctic Ecosystems, 9-12 September 1991, Corvallis, Oreg. Edited by T. Kolchugina and T. Vinson. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, Oreg. pp. 179-186.
38. Kuhry, P. 1994. The role of fire in the development of Sphagnum-dominated peatlands in western boreal Canada. J. Ecol. 82: 899-910.
39. Laine, J., Minkkinen, K., Puhalainen, A., and Jauhiainen, S. 1994. Effect of forest drainage on the carbon balance of peatland ecosystems. In The Finnish Research Programme on Climate Change. Second Progress Report. Edited by M. Kanninen and P. Heikinheimo. Painastuskeskus, Helsinki. Publ. Acad. Finland 1/94. pp. 303-308.
40. Laine, J., Minkkinen, K., Sinisalo, J., Savolainen, I., and Martikainen, P.J. 1997. Greenhouse impact of a mire after drainage for forestry. In Northern forested wetlands: ecology and management. Edited by Carl C. Trettin et al. CRC Lewis, Boca Raton, Fla. pp. 437-448.
41. Levine, J.S. (Editor). 1991. Global biomass burning: atmospheric, climatic and biospheric implications. The MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.
42. Levine, J.S., Cofer, W.R., Sebacher, D.I., Rhinehart, R.P., Winstead, E.L., Sebacher, S., Hinkle, C.R., Schmalzer, P.A., and Koller, A.M. 1990. The effects of fire on biogenic emissions of methane and nitric oxide from wetlands. J. Geophys. Res. 95(D2): 1853-1864.
43. Levine, J.S., Cofer, W.R., and Pinto, J.P. 1993. Biomass burning. In Atmospheric methane: sources, sinks, and role in global change. Edited by M.A.K. Khalil. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany. pp. 299-313.
44. Livingston, G.P., and Morrissey, L.A. 1991. Methane emissions from Alaska arctic tundra in response to climatic warming. In International Conference on the Role of Polar Regions in Global Change, June 1990, Fairbanks, Alaska. Geophysical Institute and the Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska. pp. 372-377.
45. Manabe, S., and Wetherald, R.T. 1986. Reduction of summer soil wetness induced by an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Science (Washington, D.C.), 232: 626-628.
46. 2. Part 1: Annual mean response. J. Clim. 5: 785-818.
47. Martikainen, P.J., Nykänen, H., Lang, K., Alm, J., and Silvola, J. 1994. Emissions of methane and nitrogen oxides from peatland ecosystems. In The Finnish Research Programme on Climate Change, Second Progress Report. Edited by M. Kanninen and P. Heikinheimo. Painastuskeskus, Helsinki. Publ. Acad. Finland 1/94. pp. 279-284.
48. 2 release to the atmosphere. Tellus, 40: 116-128.
49. Mitchell, J.F.B., Manabe, S., Meleshko, V., and Tohioka, T. 1990. Equilibrium climate change - and its implications for the future. In Climate change. Edited by J.T. Houghton, G.J. Jenkins, and J.J. Ephraums. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. pp. 131-174.
50. Mitsch, W.J., and Gosselink, J.G. 1986. Wetlands. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc., New York.
51. Moore, T.R., and Knowles, R. 1989. The influence of water table levels on methane and carbon dioxide emissions from peatland soils. Can. J. Soil Sci. 69:33-38.
52. Morrissey, L.A., and Livingston, G.P. 1992. Methane flux from tundra ecosystems in Arctic Alaska: an assessment of local spatial variability. J. Geophys. Res. 19(D15): 16 661-16 670.
53. National Wetlands Working Group. 1986. Wetlands regions. National Atlas of Canada. 5th ed. Energy, Mines and Resources Canada. Ottawa, Ont. Map MCR 4108.
54. Nicholson, B.J., Gignac, L.D., Bayley, S.E., and Vitt, D.H. 1997. Vegetation response to global warming: interactions between boreal forests, wetlands and regional hydrology. In Mackenzie Basin impact study, final report. Edited by S.J. Cohen. Atmospheric Environmental Service, Environment Canada, Downsview, Ont. pp.125-145.
55. 2 from a virgin fen and a fen drained for grassland in Finland. J. Biogeogr. 22: 1149-1155.
56. Oechel, W.C., and Billings, W.D. 1992. Effects of global change on the carbon balance of Arctic plants and ecosystems. In Arctic ecosystems in a changing climate: an ecophysiological perspective. Edited by F.S. Chapin III, R.L. Jefferies, J.F. Reynolds, G.R. Shaver, and J. Svoboda. Academic Press Inc., San Diego, Calif. pp.193-168.
57. Payette, S., Morneau, C., Sirois, L., and Desponts, M. 1989. Recent fire history of the northern Quebec biomes. Ecology, 70: 656-673.
58. Peterson, K.M. and Billings, D.W. 1975. Carbon dioxide flux from tundra soils and vegetation as related to temperature at Barrow, Alaska. Am. Midl. Nat. 94: 88-98.
59. Reader, R.J., and Stewart, J.M. 1972. The relationship between net primary production and accumulation for a peatland in southeastern Manitoba. Ecology, 53: 1024-1037.
60. Reiners, W.A. 1972. Structure and energetics of three Minnesota forests. Ecol. Monogr. 42: 71-94.
61. Rieger, S., Schoephorster, D.B., and Furbush, C.E. 1979. Exploratory soil survey of Alaska. Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
62. Roulet, N., Moore, T., Bubier, J., and Lafleur, P. 1992. Northern fens: methane flux and climatic change. Tellus, 448: 100-105.
63. Rowe, J.S. 1983. Concepts of fire effects on plant individuals and species. In The role of fire in northern circumpolar ecosystems. Edited by R.W. Wein and D.A. MacLean. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester. pp. 135-154.
64. Sakovets, V.V., and Germanova, N.I. 1992. Changes in the carbon balance of forested mires in Karelia due to drainage. Suo, 43: 249-252.
65. Shugart, H.H., Leemans, R., and Bonan, G.B. (Editors). 1992. A systems analysis of global boreal forests. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.
66. 2 fluxes in peatlands under varying temperature and moisture conditions. In The Finnish Research Programme on Climate Change. Second Progress Report. Edited by M. Kanninen and P. Heikinheimo. Painastuskeskus, Helsinki. Publ. Acad. Finland 1/94. pp. 272-276.
67. Simard, A.J., Haines, D.A., and Main, W.A. 1985. Relations between El Nino/southern oscillation anomalies and wildland fire activity in the United States. Agric. For. Meteorol. 36: 93-104.
68. Sofronov, M.A., and Volokitina, A.V. 1986. Ground/peat fires in the south of Western Siberia. Lesn. Khoz. 5: 56-58. [English summary in For. Abstr.]
69. Stocks, B.J. 1990. Global warming and the forest fire business in Canada. In Proceedings of the Symposium on Impacts of Climate Change and Variability on the Great Plains, 11-13 Sepember 1990. Calgary, Alta. Edited by G. Wall. Department of Geography, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ont. pp. 223-229.
70. Stocks, B.J. 1991. The extent and impact of forest fires in north circumpolar countries. In Global biomass burning: atmospheric, climatic, and biospheric implications. Edited by J.S. Levine. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass. pp. 197-202.
71. Street, R.B. 1989. Climate change and forest fires in Ontario. In Proceedings of the 10th Conference on Fire and Forest Meteorology, 17-21 April 1989, Ottawa, Ont. Edited by D.C. MacIver, H. Auld, and R. Whitewood. Forestry Canada, Ottawa, Ont. pp. 177-182.
72. 2 budget. Science (Washington, D.C.), 247: 1431-1438.
73. Tarnocai, C. 1984. Peat resources of Canada. Peat Energy Program, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ont. NRCC 24140.
74. Timoney, K.P., and Wein, R.W. 1991. The areal pattern of burned vegetation in the subarctic region of northwestern Canada. Arctic, 44: 223-230.
75. Vitt, D.H., Halsey, L.A., and Zoltai, S.C. 1994. The bog landforms of continental western Canada in relation to climate and permafrost patterns. Arct. Alp. Res. 26: 1-13.
76. Warner, B.G., Tolonen, K., and Tolonen, M. 1991. A postglacial history of vegetation and bog formation at Point Escuminac, New Brunswick. Can. J. Earth Sci. 28: 1572-1582.
77. Wein, R.W. 1983. Fire behaviour and ecological effects in organic terrain. In The role of fire in northern circumpolar ecosystems. Editied by R.W. Wein and D.A. MacLean. John Wiley & Sons Ltd., New York. pp. 81-95.
78. Wein, R.W. 1989. Climate change and wildfire in northern coniferous forests: climate change scenarios. In Proceedings of the 10th Conference on Fire and Forest Meteorology, 17-21 April 1989, Ottawa, Ont. Edited by D.C. MacIver, H. Auld and R. Whitewood. Forestry Canada, Ottawa, Ont. p. 169.
79. Wein, R.W., and MacLean, D.A. 1983. An overview of fires in northern ecosystems. In The role of fire in northern ecosystems. Edited by R.W. Wein and D.A. MacLean. John Wiley & Sons, New York. pp. 1-18.
80. Wein, R.W., Burzynski, M.P., Sreenivasa, B.A., and Tolonen, K. 1987. Bog profile evidence of fire and vegetation dynamics since 3000 years BP in the Acadian Forest. Can. J. Bot. 65: 1180-1186.
81. Woo, M.-k., Lewkowicz, A.G., and Rouse, W.R. 1992. Response of the Canadian permafrost environment to climatic change. Phys. Geogr. 13: 287-317.
82. Wotton, B.M., and Flannigan, M.D. 1993. Length of the fire season in a changing climate. For. Chron. 69: 187-192.
83. Zoltai, S.C. 1993. Cyclic development of permafrost in the peatlands of northwestern Alberta, Canada. Arct. Alp. Res. 25: 240-246.
84. Zoltai, S.C. 1995. Permafrost distribution in Peatlands of west-central Canada during the Holocene warm period 6000 years BP. Géogr. Phys. Quaternaire, 49: 45-54.
85. Zoltai, S.C., and Martikainen, P.J. 1996. The role of forested peatlands in the global carbon cycle. NATO ASI Ser. I, 40: 47-58.
86. Zoltai, S.C., and Vitt, D.H. 1995. Canadian wetlands: environmental gradients and classification. Vegetatio, 118: 131-137.