Loading of stream wood following the 2016 Chimney Tops 2 Wildfire: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA

Rare mass-mortality events, such as the 2016 Chimney Tops 2 wildfire, significantly impact wood dynamics in mountain streams within humid forested regions. This study found that the wildfire resulted in a substantial influx of burned wood into streams within Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), Tennessee, with an average of 47% of individual wood pieces and 72% of jams exhibiting burn marks by frequency, and 48% and 93% respectively by volume. Burned wood pieces were also found to have a larger diameter compared to unburned pieces (p = .065). The research suggests that such mass-mortality events could play a crucial role in the wood dynamics of mountain streams, potentially influencing physical and ecological processes in these ecosystems.

Praskievicz, S., & Sigdel, R. (2021). Loading of stream wood following the 2016 Chimney Tops 2 Wildfire: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA. River Research and Applications, 37(3), 475–483. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3765