Twenty Years of Regeneration Process for Tree Species in Burnt Pine Forests with Different Severity and Initial Regeneration.

The East Coast Fire in April 2000 was a recorded large-scale fire in Korea (23,794 ha) which caused a fierce debate over mandatory reforestation policy. The regeneration process of tree species at the stand and species level was tracked for 20 years by permanent plots according to burn severity and degree of initial regeneration in prefire Pinus densiflora forests. Fire activated sprouting vigorously in the first two years, forming single-cohort tree clump populations. The abundance of prefire resprouter trees and burn severity greatly influenced the process. The high survival and fast growth of the initial clumps contributed to the stand development. Quercus mongolica was dominated with large clump size initially, while Quercus variabilis increased the dominance with a faster growth rate over time. Pinus densiflora, obligate seeder, was established from about 8 years later only in the low-regenerating stands. After 20 years, the canopy of the prefire pine forests shifted and diverged to three types. Pinus stand was maintained at light-burn stands, while Quercus-dominated or Pinus–Quercus mixed stand was formed at severe-burn stands. The qualitative and quantitative characteristics of initial stands mostly persisted in stands for 20 years, suggesting a good predictor for the structural development of later stands. This provide good information for establishing a restoration policy in the early stage after fire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]