Modeling canopy foliar traits and disturbance interactions in central Texas woodlands.

Abstract

The present study examines canopy foliar traits and their interactions with the greater ecosystem at multiple scales. Leaf mass/area ratios, nitrogen, and phosphorus were measured and were shown to correlate with relative light levels in some species. Leaf nutrition is used as the basis for a leaf development model. Leaf mass and leaf area index data are utilized to calculate canopy fuels. Species presence/absence at sites is shown to result in significantly different crown fuel loadings. A multiple linear regression approach was adopted to create mapping that takes into account crown bulk density (CBD) spatial heterogeneity. This mapping was used for a series of crown fire simulation comparisons. Fire simulation data show significantly greater frequency of active crown fire occurrence with modeled CBD mapping. Active crown fire initiation is shown to be a function of fuel contiguity levels not achieved by average CBD mapping.