Fact sheet: Post-wildfire fuels and regeneration dynamics

Western forests are increasingly subject to large, severe wildfires that leave behind large quantities of standing and fallen woody debris. In areas that experience total overstory tree mortality, a lack of seed sources may affect future ecosystem trajectories. ERI researchers studied 14 ponderosa pine-dominated wildfire sites of different ages throughout Arizona to better understand snag and woody debris dynamics, and to assess post-fire regeneration in terms of probable future successional trajectories