New River Gorge National River - USNRG001
Additional Site Information

R. Stockton Maxwell and Ray R. Hicks, Jr.


Dating Method: Crossdated

Related ITRDB Chronology: WV004

Sample Storage Location: Department of Geology and Geography, 
West Virginia University, Available Upon Request, Contact R. Stockton Maxwell

Reference: Maxwell, R.S. and Hicks, Jr., R.R. Accepted 2009. Fire history 
of a rimrock pine forest at New River Gorge National River, West Virginia. 
Natural Areas Journal.

Abstract: The fire history of a rimrock pine forest at the New River Gorge 
National River, West Virginia was studied using 21 fire-scarred Pinus 
virginiana Mill. (Virginia pine) cross sections. Fire frequency and the 
goodness of fit between the fire interval distribution and the normal and 
Weibull distributions were evaluated with the FHX2 program. A 107-year fire 
chronology (1898-2005) was constructed from 53 fire scars. Fire intervals 
ranged from 1 to 8 years. The Weibull median interval was approximately 3 
years using liberal (one or more trees scarred during a single year) or 
conservative (two or more trees scarred during a single year) criteria. 
Similar to other mixed forest stands in the Central Hardwood Region, fires 
in the 20th century were likely ignited from coal mining activities and 
steam-driven locomotives near the study site. Anthropogenic fires may have 
caused an artificial increase in rimrock pine forests or allowed pines to 
persist in greater numbers than would be possible in the absence of 
disturbance. Restoration (e.g., prescribed burning) is probably not needed 
to retain P. virginiana as a component of the rimrock forest but the 
species dominance will continue to be restricted the rim of the gorge.