Community And Ecosystem Responses Following Fire In The Linville Gorge Wilderness Area

Fire has been a natural occurrence in the southern Appalachians for millennia, as evidenced by the evolution and persistence of fire-dependent species . . . In the fall of 2000, a wildfire burned much of the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area (LGWA), providing an opportunity to study the effects of fire in an area that had not been burned in 50 years. The objective of my study were to assess changes in the biotic and abiotic environment caused by the 2000 fire.