Data Sheet 1_Short-term carbon, biodiversity, and forest structure responses to a fire ris

A thin-burn wildfire risk reduction treatment reduced forest floor carbon stocks by 51% and aboveground tree carbon by two-thirds compared to a control site. This dataset, authored by Jean Roach and published in April 2026, contains measurements from West Arm Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada, assessing short-term trade-offs between fire hazard reduction and ecological impacts. The study is preliminary and emphasizes the need for further long-term monitoring.

Use Cases

• Modeling short-term carbon stock changes in managed forests based on reported reductions in forest floor and aboveground tree carbon.
• Analyzing shifts in plant community composition following disturbance based on reported changes in herb and moss cover and species diversity.
• Assessing the effectiveness of combined thinning and burning treatments for wildfire risk reduction based on the reported reduction in fire hazard rating.
• Evaluating trade-offs between fire management and forest structure based on reported impacts on tree mortality, species diversity, and vertical stand structure.

Strengths

• Provides specific quantitative results, including a 73% reduction in forest floor depth and a 51% reduction in forest floor carbon stocks.
• Includes comparative control data, with treatment aboveground tree carbon at 14.66 Mg ha⁻¹ versus 43.63 Mg ha⁻¹ in the control.
• Explicitly documents the study's preliminary nature and the need for long-term monitoring, setting clear expectations.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset is a 535.7 KB PDF, suggesting a limited scope likely focused on summary results rather than raw observational data.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and structure require manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Jean Roach, published on figshare.

Collection Method

Field study comparing a thinning and prescribed burning treatment area to a control site.

Time Range

Short-term responses; specific study period not stated.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-15 05:43:59.

Geography

West Arm Provincial Park, near Nelson, British Columbia, Canada.