Paper led by CEF and CEABN researchers published in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America

An article by CEF and CEABN researchers showing the role of wild ungulates in mitigating the effects of drought on the risk of fire in Mediterranean oak forests invaded by shrubs has been featured in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America.

The work on wild ungulates, drought and fire, led by researchers from the Centre for Forestry Studies (Centro de Estudos Florestais – CEF) and the Centre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves” (CEABN), in collaboration with CITAB – Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (UTAD), was selected for publication in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America.

Red deer (Cervus elaphus) also use the areas with high C. ladanifer cover for hiding. Tall shrubs, reaching the tree canopy, increase the likelihood of canopy fire. By reducing shrub height through browsing, deer contribute to decrease fire hazard.

Photos: Miguel Bugalho

The article ‘Ungulates Mitigate the Effects of Drought and Shrub Encroachment on the Fire Hazard of Mediterranean Oak Woodlands, which had been published in the prestigious journal ‘Ecological Applications’, edited by the Ecological Society of America (ESA), has now also been published in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. See here: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bes2.2157

(A) Illustrative graphic: Persistent ungulate browsing pressure over the long term can reduce shrub encroachment and total fuel load and, therefore, mitigate fire hazard in shrub-encroached ecosystems (Lecomte et al., 2019). Browsing under drought conditions increases shrub mortality and flammability by lowering the live-to-dead ratio of plant biomass, increasing fire hazard. (B) Unbrowsed plot in 2013, after cumulative drought with 17% shrub mortality. (C) Cistus ladanifer individual browsed by deer species. (D) Browsed plot in 2013 with nearly 85% shrub mortality. The paired unbrowsed plot is visible in the background. Content creator (A) and photo credit (B–D): Xavier Lecomte.

This work was also featured in the ESA’s April Research Press Release, among the various articles recently published in its six prestigious journals. This Press Release can be read here.

Full article available here.