Fire History and Soil Carbon in Old Growth Coast Redwood Forests across the Late Holocene

Fire is an important ecological feature across temperate forests, yet characteristics of the coast redwood fire regime remain uncertain due to generally few fire histories. This study examines legacies of fire in redwood forests in northern California through radiocarbon dating and quantification of soil macro-charcoal, soil carbon and pyrogenic carbon in old growth redwood stands. We sampled soils in the Headwaters Forest Reserve, a protected fragment of old growth redwood in Humboldt County, California. Radiocarbon dates from macro-charcoal indicate fire events occurring a maximum of 6,840 calibrated years BP, predating existing records. Composite 14C dates show increased fire activity within the last 1,000 years in synchrony with existing dendrochronological records. Soil C averaged 928 g/m2, of which a high proportion was pyrogenic C (15-30%). Information from this multi-proxy reconstruction clarifies our understanding of the nature of coast redwood fires, contributing to ongoing discussions of coast redwood fire management