Changes in Woody Fuel Loading and Ericaceous Shrub Cover from 2003 to 2019 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Field Methods: In 2003-2004, 180 locations within Great Smoky Mountains National Park were visited to inventory overstory composition, fuels, and ericaceous shrub cover (Waldrop et al., 2007). Overstory composition and ericaceous shrub cover were determined using fixed-area plots (0.02 ha). Within these fixed-area plots, fuels were observed using Brown’s Planar Intercept Method (Brown, 1974) as modified by Stottlemyer (2004). Using this technique, down-and-dead woody debris 0 – 1/4 in., 1/4 – 1 in., 1 – 3 in., and greater than 3 in. in diameter was tallied as 1-, 10-, 100-hr., and 1000-hr. timelag size classes, respectively, along three 50 ft. transects established at a 45o angle. Timelag refers to how each individual fuel-size class responds to changes in relative humidity (Brown, 1974). Using this method, 1-hr. and 10-hr. fuels were tallied within the first 6 ft. of each transect, 100-hr. fuels were tallied within the first 12 ft., and 1000-hr. fuels were tallied along the entire 50 ft. transect. A quality rating (sound or rotten) was additionally recorded for 1000-hr. fuels. Estimates of fuel loading in tons per acre were derived for each fuel-size class based upon these tallies (Brown, 1974; Stottlemyer, 2004). Litter depth, duff depth, and fuel bed height (defined as the distance from the top of the litter layer to the top of any coarse woody debris crossing the transect) were measured at three locations along each 50-ft. transect: 12-13 ft., 24-25 ft., and 40-41 ft. Thus, plot averages for each variable were based upon nine individual measurements. In summer 2019, we will revisit 50 of the 180 locations to obtain similar measurements of overstory composition, fuels, and ericaceous shrub cover. These locations contained a high proportion of T. canadensis in the overstory and/or a substantial accumulation of ericaceous shrubs when measured in 2003-2004.

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