Short Communication. Comparing flammability traits among fire-stricken (low elevation) and non fire-stricken (high elevation) conifer forest species of Europe: A test of the Mutch hypothesis

• Main Authors: A. P. Dimitrakopoulos, I. D. Mitsopoulos, A. Kaliva
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria 2013-04-01
• Series: Forest Systems
• Online Access: http://revistas.inia.es/index.php/fs/article/view/2475

<p><em>Aim of study. </em>The flammability of the main coniferous forest species of Europe, divided into two groups according to their fire regime and altitudinal distribution, was tested in an effort to detect species-specific differences that may have an influence on community-wide fire regimes.</p><p><em>Area of study</em>. Conifer species comprising low- and high-elevation forests in Europe.</p><p><em>Materials and Methods. </em>The following conifer species were tested: low elevation; <em>Pinus halepensis </em>(Aleppo pine), <em>Pinus brutia </em>(Turkish pine), <em>Pinus pinaster</em> (maritime pine), <em>Pinus pinea </em>(stone pine) and <em>Cupressus sempervirens </em>(cypress), high elevation (<em>i.e.</em>, above 600 m a.s.l.); <em>Pinus sylvestris </em>(Scots pine), <em>Abies alba </em>(white fir), <em>Picea excelsa </em>(Norway spruce), <em>Abies borissii regis </em>(Macedonian fir) and <em>Pinus nigra </em>(black pine). Flammability assessment (time-to-ignition and ignition temperature) was conducted by an innovative ignition apparatus, heat content was measured with an IKA Adiabatic Bomb Calorimeter and ash content by heating 5 g of plant material in a muffle furnace at 650ºC for 1 h. Differences among species was statistically analysed by Duncan’s multiple comparison test.</p><p><em>Main results. </em>The results did not distinguish separate groups among traits between fire- and non-fire-stricken communities at the individual species level.</p><p><em>Research highlights. </em>Differences in fire regimes among low and high elevation conifer forests could be attributed either to differences in flammability of the plant communities as a whole (<em>i.e.</em>, fuelbed or canopy properties vs. individual fuel properties) or to other factors (climatic or anthropogenic).</p><p><strong>Key words: </strong>flammability; ignitability; heat content; ash content; conifer species; Mutch hypothesis.</p>