《Longterm vegetation development on a wildfire slope in Innerzwain Styria Austria》.pdfVIP

Journal of Forestry Research (2014) 25(1): 103− 111 DOI 10.1007/s11676-014-0435-4 ORIGINAL PAPER Long-term vegetation development on a wildfire slope in Innerzwain (Styria, Austria) Bodo Malowerschnig • Oliver Sass Received: 2013-02-19; Accepted: 2013-08-12 © Northeast Forestry University and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014 Abstract: Forest fires in mountainous areas can cause severe defores- tation which can potentially trigger secondary natural hazards like debris Introduction falls and avalanches. We documented an extreme case study for the range of possible post-fire land cover (LC) dynamics. We investigated a 15-ha, Forest fires have destructive and constructive sides. On the nega- steep (10°−65°) burnt slope in Styria (Austria) at elevation of 760− 1130 tive side is the direct danger for humans and infrastructure and m, which burned in 1946 and has not fully recovered to date. Seven the economic loss to forest industries. On the other hand, in case 8-class legend LC maps were produced (1954, 1966, 1973, 1982, 1998, of a moderate fire there may be positive effects in terms of spe- 2004, 2009) and integrated in a vector-based GIS, mainly by on-screen cies richness and biodiversity (Bell 1980; Moreno 1994; Keeley interpretation of aerial photos. Our aim was to clarify how post-wildfire 2003; Moretti 2006; Wohlgemuth 2006). In the European Alps, LC dynamics take place on a severely damaged, steep slope and to give a wildfires are relatively rare compared to well-investigated boreal basic projection of the future vegetation recovery process. The pre-fire forests or Mediterranean regions (Catry 2009; Moreira 2009; Pinus sylvestris stands have been mainly replaced by Picea abies and Certini 2011; Amraou 2013