Early post-fire succession in a Nothofagus glauca forest in the Coastal Cordillera of south-central Chile

Abstract

The temperate deciduous species Nothofagus glauca (Phil.) Krasser exhibits characteristics commonly found in fire-adapted vegetation, yet the role of fire in the evolutionary history of the vegetation in south-central Chile has not been well investigated. We examined the effects of a wildfire on early succession in a Nothofagus glauca forest in the Coastal Cordillera of south-central Chile by comparing data from a burned forest to the vegetation in an adjacent, unburned stand.