Title:

Topographic Effects on the Recovery of Vegetation After a Major Forest Fire Burn in the Western U.S.

Wildfires are one of the most immediate responses to Earth's changing climate. Warmer, drier weather has resulted in longer summers and created more frequent large fires in the Western United States. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between the topography of a landscape and vegetation growth after a wildfire. Different locations were picked to look at how vegetation growth changes after large burn scars, with large fires from recent years and over the past 20 years. It appears that south facing slopes are more susceptible to fires and have a slower growth of vegetation after wildfires, while north facing slopes are higher in vegetation growth because of less direct sunlight and slightly cooler temperatures. Decreasing soil moisture over time with dense timber stands has created more severe and more frequent wildfire activity compared to past historical trends in the Western United States. If this pattern continues, larger and hotter fires could result in deeper soil horizons being burned and drastically change the recovery of plant vegetation.

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