Data for: Wildfire, Salvage Logging, and Warming: Their Interactive Effects on Boreal Conifer Reforestation
https://doi.org/10.5878/xnw1-4y91
Data from wildfire research conducted after the 2014 Sala fire in Västmanland, Sweden.
The dataset includes both ecological field observations and measurements from a controlled field experiment, examining the effects of fire severity, salvage logging, experimental warming, and the presence of understory vegetation. The focus was on the growth of seedlings of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) from different provenances, to assess how these factors, individually and in combination, affect post-fire reforestation in boreal forests.
The study documents biomass, height, survival, and microclimatic conditions for planted seedlings, monitored over multiple growing seasons. Provenance data enable analyses of genetic adaptations to climate change and support research on assisted migration.
The purpose of the data collection was to contribute knowledge on how different forest management practices, in combination with climate-related factors, influence conifer regeneration after wildfire. The findings can inform future decisions on adaptive forest management in a warmer and more fire-prone climate.
The dataset contains no personal data. Field data were collected in the Hälleskogsbrännan Nature Reserve and on land owned by AB Karl Hedin, but the data only concern environmental and ecosystem variables and cannot be linked to identifiable individuals.
Download data and documentation (9 files / 3.07 MiB)
Data files
Data files
- All_data_Wildfire_Salvage_Logging_and_Warming_Their_Interactive_Effects_on_Boreal_Conifer_Reforestation_Ibanez_et_al._2025.xlsx1.15 MiB
- Biomass_seedlings_data_Ibanez_et_al._2025.txt31.77 KiB
- Height_mortality_seedlings_data_Ibanez_et_al._2025.txt153.3 KiB
- Removal_shrubs_data_Ibanez_et_al._2025.txt3.35 KiB
- Soil_nutrients_data_Ibanez_et_al._2025.txt13.03 KiB
- Temperature_air_data_Ibanez_et_al._2025.txt1.51 MiB
- Vegetation_cover_data_Ibanez_et_al._2025.txt18.77 KiB
Documentation files
Documentation files
Citation and access
Citation and access
Data access level:
Creator/Principal investigator(s):
Research principal:
Principal's reference number:
- SLU.seksko.2025.4.2.IÄ-5
Data contains personal data:
No
Citation:
Language:
Method and outcome
Method and outcome
Time period(s) investigated:
Data collection - Experiment
Data collection - Experiment
Mode of collection:
Experiment
Description of the mode of collection:
Data were collected in fire-affected Scots pine stands in Västmanland after the 2014 wildfire. Fieldwork included establishing of experimental treatments of logging, shrub removal, and warming (using open-top chambers). Spruce and pine seedlings of different provenances were planted, and their survival and growth were monitored over several years. Vegetation was surveyed, and soil samples were collected for carbon and nitrogen analysis.
Time period(s) for data collection:
2016-04 - 2019-11
Data collector:
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Opens a new window at ror.org.
ROR
Sample
Sample
Name:
Soil
Description of sample:
Organisc soil and mineral soil (10 cm depth). Sieved and dried for measuring total nutrients (carbon and nitrogen).
Name:
Tree seedlings
Description of sample:
Tree seedlings harvested (aboveground) for drying and weighting for determination of biomass.
Name:
Ground vegetation of shrubs
Description of sample:
Ground vegetation of Ericaceous shrubs harvested, dried and weighted for estimation of biomass.
Name:
Ground vegetation
Description of sample:
Vegetation cover data in a sub-plot of a 50 x 50 cm quadrat in the center of each plot was measured with a pinpoint quadrat analysis approach.
Geographic coverage
Geographic coverage
Geographic location:
Geographic description:
The data cover 21 fire-affected Scots pine forest stands located in central Sweden, in Västmanland County (59°53′–59°54′ N; 16°08′–16°09′ E). The stands are distributed within an area of approximately 60 km², with a minimum distance of 300 m between stands. Soils are podzolized, and the stands were dominated by 40–50-year-old Scots pine with scattered Norway spruce and birch.
Fieldwork was conducted in the Hälleskogsbrännan Nature Reserve (managed by the County Administrative Board of Västmanland) and on privately owned forest land belonging to AB Karl Hedin in Västmanland County. The dataset contains no personal data.
Administrative information
Administrative information
Responsible department/unit:
Department of Forest Ecology and Management
Contributor(s):
- Morgan Karlsson – Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Marie-Lou Novene – Conservatoire d'espaces naturels d'Occitanie
- Camille Martinez Almoyna – NA
Funding
Funding
Funding agency:
Award number:
2014-01858_Formas
Award title:
Resilience of above- and belowground biota and ecosystem processes to fire disturbance
Funding information:
Wild-fires are important natural agents of disturbance in boreal forests, and a primary driver of ecosystem structure and function. Global change drivers such as climate warming and land use are predicted to impact future fire frequency and fire behavior, with likely consequences for forest community composition and ecosystem functioning. Likewise, land use changes and management activities are additional factors known to impact the diversity, composition and functioning of forest ecosystems. While the direct impacts of fire, global change, and forest management on boreal forest structure and function have been studied intensively, there are few studies of how these factors interact and determine forest recovery and resilience after fire. To address this knowledge gap, we have assembled a team of researchers with expertise in fire science, vegetation and soil ecology. We propose a series of field experiments in the 2014 Västmanland fire, to understand how plant and soil communities and ecosystem processes, especially interactions between trees and ground vegetation as mediated by mycorrhizal fungi, respond to interactions between fire and global change factors (climate warming, N deposition) and forest management (salvage logging). We will use experimental manipulations of these factors in burned and unburned patches within the fire. The research will give valuable insights into how wildfire impacts on forest structure, function and resilience in the Swedish landscape.
Funding agency:
- Trees and Crops for the Future (TC4F)
Funding information:
Trees and Crops for the Future is a strategic research area (SFO) at SLU, with Umeå University and SkogForsk as collaborating partners.
