Post-fire resprouting capacity of seasonally dry forest species: two quantitative indices

The research proposes two quantitative Resprouting Capacity Indices (RCI 1 and RCI 2) to measure the post-fire recovery of seasonally dry forest species, demonstrating that these indices provide more detailed data than survival-based assessments and are influenced by species, growth form, and plant size.

• The study introduces two quantitative indices to measure resprouting capacity: RCI 1, calculated as the ratio of estimated composite diameter of resprouts to that of trunks (ECRD/ECTD), and RCI 2, the ratio of the main resprout diameter to the main burned trunk diameter (MRD/MTD). These indices were validated against a measure of Resprouting Vigour (RV) and found to be highly related at both species and growth form levels, regardless of fire severity.
• Analysis of 1046 plants across 20 dominant species in the arid Chaco revealed that while all species could resprout, there was significant inter-species variation. RCI 1 was found to be higher in trees and tree/shrubs compared to shrubs, and all species exhibited a decrease in resprouting capacity as the estimated composite diameter of trunks (ECTD) increased.
• The proposed RCIs are presented as robust tools for assessing resprouting capacity that offer more detail than estimations based solely on survival. The choice between RCI 1 and RCI 2 involves a trade-off between simplicity and accuracy, depending on the study's objectives and the species being analyzed.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Post-fire resprouting capacity of seasonally dry forest species: two quantitative indices. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/post-fire-resprouting-capacity-of-seasonally-dry-forest-species-two-quantitative-indices/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Post-fire resprouting capacity of seasonally dry forest species: two quantitative indices. 2025. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/post-fire-resprouting-capacity-of-seasonally-dry-forest-species-two-quantitative-indices/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Post-fire resprouting capacity of seasonally dry forest species: two quantitative indices |date=9 January 2025 |url=https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/post-fire-resprouting-capacity-of-seasonally-dry-forest-species-two-quantitative-indices/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025postfire, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Post-fire resprouting capacity of seasonally dry forest species: two quantitative indices}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/post-fire-resprouting-capacity-of-seasonally-dry-forest-species-two-quantitative-indices/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }