Mega-disturbances cause rapid decline of mature conifer forest habitat in California

• Published in: Ecological applications Vol. 33; no. 2; p. e2763
• Main Authors: Steel, Zachary L, Jones, Gavin M, Collins, Brandon M, Green, Rebecca, Koltunov, Alexander, Purcell, Kathryn L, Sawyer, Sarah C, Slaton, Michèle R, Stephens, Scott L, Stine, Peter, Thompson, Craig
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.03.2023
• Subjects: Ecosystem; Fires; Forests; Tracheophyta; Trees; Wildfires; habitat loss; drought; forest conservation; wildfire; forest disturbance; spotted owl; fisher; climate change

Mature forests provide important wildlife habitat and support critical ecosystem functions globally. Within the dry conifer forests of the western United States, past management and fire exclusion have contributed to forest conditions that are susceptible to increasingly severe wildfire and drought....