Holocene Fire Reconstruction of the Long Lake Watershed Near Rimrock Reservoir in the Eastern Cascades, Washington
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC Ballroom B/C/D
Start Date
21-5-2015
End Date
21-5-2015
Keywords
Holocene, Paleoecology, Fire History
Abstract
Many of the forests in the Long Lake watershed (LLW) have been subjected to twentieth century fire suppression and various other timber practices that have resulted in dense forest stands, leading to disease and pest outbreaks, and are at risk of large fire events. A more thorough understanding of past fire frequency in the LLW will aid land owners and forest managers in planning for future fire events. In the summer of 2014, a nine meter long sediment core was extracted from Long Lake, which is located approximately 5 km southeast of Rimrock Reservoir and 45 km west of Yakima. Fire event frequency was determined using macroscopic charcoal analysis, which quantifies the changing abundance of charcoal particles >125 μm taken at contiguous 1 cm intervals throughout the core. Past fire severity is indicated by the ratio of woody to herbaceous charcoal, which was visually determined for each charcoal particle. Preliminary charcoal results show frequent fire episodes for approximately the last 9,000 years, with a noticeable decrease in fire occurrence in recent centuries.
Recommended Citation
Rushton, Zoe and Walsh, Megan, "Holocene Fire Reconstruction of the Long Lake Watershed Near Rimrock Reservoir in the Eastern Cascades, Washington" (2015). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 90.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2015/posters/90
Poster Number
36
Department/Program
Resource Management
Additional Mentoring Department
Resource Management
Holocene Fire Reconstruction of the Long Lake Watershed Near Rimrock Reservoir in the Eastern Cascades, Washington
SURC Ballroom B/C/D
Many of the forests in the Long Lake watershed (LLW) have been subjected to twentieth century fire suppression and various other timber practices that have resulted in dense forest stands, leading to disease and pest outbreaks, and are at risk of large fire events. A more thorough understanding of past fire frequency in the LLW will aid land owners and forest managers in planning for future fire events. In the summer of 2014, a nine meter long sediment core was extracted from Long Lake, which is located approximately 5 km southeast of Rimrock Reservoir and 45 km west of Yakima. Fire event frequency was determined using macroscopic charcoal analysis, which quantifies the changing abundance of charcoal particles >125 μm taken at contiguous 1 cm intervals throughout the core. Past fire severity is indicated by the ratio of woody to herbaceous charcoal, which was visually determined for each charcoal particle. Preliminary charcoal results show frequent fire episodes for approximately the last 9,000 years, with a noticeable decrease in fire occurrence in recent centuries.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Megan Walsh