| Description |
This research focuses on a fire history reconstruction for Fish Lake, Utah, for the last 15,000 years. The majority of the data presented here are for the fire record. However, the team has also generated high-resolution pollen data to assess past climate, fuel loads, and other environmental variables. The fire history covers the last 60,000 years, which is the longest fire record in Utah, this research only focuses on the last 15,000 years. The sediment from this core was analyzed in half-centimeter increments, allowing for a detailed charcoal analysis of the region. Adjacent to Fish Lake is the Pando Aspen Clone, identified as the oldest (approximately 65,000 years) and potentially largest (single) organism in the world. The fire history shows variability over time, likely associated with the changes in climate, vegetation, and fuel loads over the last 60,000 years. Indigenous peoples have influenced ecosystems by modifying vegetation and making this land more prone to fire (Carter et al. 2021). However, as we look forward, climate change may be the main driver for an increased number of fires. We hope these data will be useful in the current and future land management of this important ecosystem. |
