Stephens fire data from Sugarloaf Creek basin - IMPD USSGL001 Stephens, S.L. Stephens, S.L. earth science/paleoclimate/fire history|tree ring (age,null,null,year Common Era,null,fire history|tree ring,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/fire history|tree ring (sample identification,null,null,dimensionless,null,fire history|tree ring,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/fire history|tree ring (tree demographic and injury and fire event code,wood,null,dimensionless,null,fire history|tree ring,null,null,C,text description of fire event; refer to IMPD documentation for description of codes) earth science/paleoclimate/fire history (Sugarloaf Creek basin - IMPD USSGL001>LATITUDE 36.7307>LONGITUDE -118.6439) Past policies of excluding all wildfires from forests throughout the US are giving way to new strategies that incorporate naturally ignited fires into forest and fire management. In this paper, we evaluate the effects of long-standing natural fire programs (now referred to as wildland fire use or WFU) in two Sierra Nevada wilderness areas. We present reconstructions of historical fire occurrence using tree ring proxies, along with chronologies of tree recruitment, to infer the effects of WFU programs on forest structure. Historically, fires burned every 6 to 9 years, which moderated tree recruitment. Fire suppression policies established in the early 1900s successfully excluded fire and allowed for unprecedented tree recruitment. Despite the substantial changes in forest structure and composition, the frequency and extent of fires during the current WFU period (1972–present) approach historical levels. This information can provide some necessary insight in implementing WFU policy and developing management plans for similar forest types throughout the western US. STUDY NOTES: This dataset was contributed as part of the North American Tree-ring Fire Scar Synthesis (NAFSS) project (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/paleo-search/study/34853). Data were contributed to the project from the original data generators. Sample Storage Location: Dating Method: Dated Related ITRDB_Chronology: Not Applicable Fire scar data from this site are available in FHX2 format at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/firehistory/firescar/northamerica/ussgl001.fhx along with associated metadata at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/firehistory/firescar/northamerica/ussgl001-fhx-noaa.txt NCEI-Paleoclimatology https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/paleoclimatology - NOAA World Data Service for Paleoclimatology Investigator : Stephens, S.L. 2026-07-09 ONLINE Files online, ASCII https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/paleo-search/study/44995 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/firehistory/firescar/northamerica/ussgl001.fhx https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/firehistory/firescar/northamerica/ussgl001-fhx-noaa.txt https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/firehistory/firescar/northamerica/ussgl001.fhx https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/firehistory/firescar/northamerica/ussgl001-fhx-noaa.txt English https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/paleo-search/study/44995 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/firehistory/firescar/northamerica/ussgl001.fhx https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/firehistory/firescar/northamerica/ussgl001-fhx-noaa.txt Collins, B.M. and Stephens, S.L.2007Managing natural wildfires in Sierra Nevada wilderness areasFrontiers in Ecology and the Environment510523-52710.1890/070007 START YEAR: 1550 CE * END YEAR: 2005 CE -118.6439 36.7307 -118.6439 36.7307