Remove burned trees

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 2
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

60%
Certainty

20%
Harms

25%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

In many cases after wildfire, burned trees are removed. The main reasons are that they may provide good wood fuel that increases the intensity of future wildfires. Removing the burned trees is often done by heavy machinery which compresses the soil and may affect the germination and regrowth of plants. Removing the dead organic matter may affect soil mineral content and plant composition. Removing burned trees may also influence the spatial pattern of germination and seedling establishment and change the forest structure and composition.

Study locations

Key messages

One replicated, controlled study in Israel¹ found that removing burned trees increased total plant species richness. One replicated, controlled study in Spain² found that removal increased the cover and species richness of some plant species.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated, controlled study in 1989-1993 in Aleppo pine Pinus halepensis forest in Israel (Ne'eman, Lahav & Izhaki 1995) found that clearing burned trees increased plant species richness. The number of species was higher in cleared than untreated plots (cleared: 196; twigs remaining: 192; untreated: 185/0.49 ha plot). Data were collected in 1993 in five plots (0.49 ha) of each of three treatments: cleared (burned trees cut down, trunks and smaller twigs removed), twigs (smaller twigs left) and control (untreated). Plots were all in an area totally burnt down in September 1989. Treatments were carried out in September-November 1990.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Ne'eman G., Lahav H. & Izhaki I. (1995) Recovery of vegetation in a natural east Mediterranean pine forest on Mount Carmel, Israel as affected by management strategies. Forest Ecology and Management, 75, 17-26.
A replicated, controlled study in 1991-1994 in maritime pine Pinus pinaster woodland in Spain (Pérez & Moreno 1998) found that removing burned trees increased the cover and species richness of legumes but not of all herbaceous plants, or of the dominant shrub gum rockrose Cistus ladanifer. Legume cover (removed: 7-29%; control: 3-26%) and species richness (removed: 3-6; control: 2-5/plot) were higher in removal plots. There were no differences between treatments for: total herbaceous cover (removed: 8-47%; control: 3-49%), species richness (removed: 5-16; control: 6-14), gum rockrose cover (removed: 8%-25%; control: 10%-46%) and gum rockrose density (removed: 1-5; control: 5-11/m²). Data were collected in 12 removal plots (burned trees removed after fire) and 12 control plots (trees not removed, 5 × 5 m). Treatments were three years after the entire study site was burned by wildfire fire in 1991.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Pérez B. & Moreno J.M. (1998) Fire-type and forestry management effects on the early postfire vegetation dynamics of a Pinus pinaster woodland. Plant Ecology (formerly Vegetatio 1948-1996), 134, 27-41.

Please cite as:

Agra, H., Schowanek, S., Carmel, Y., Smith, R.K. & Ne’eman, G. (2020) Forest Conservation. Pages 323-366 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Forest Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Remove burned trees Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	2	Synopsis Link
Sow tree seeds after wildfire Action Link	Likely to be ineffective or harmful	3	Synopsis Link
Plant trees after wildfire Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link