Many forest types globally have been subject to an increase in the frequency of, and area burnt by, high-severity wildfire. Here we explore the role that previous disturbance has played in increasing the extent and severity of subsequent forest fires. We summarise evidence documenting and explaining the mechanisms underpinning a pulse of flammability that may follow disturbances such as fire, logging, clearing or windthrow (a process we term disturbance-stimulated flammability). Disturbance sometimes initiates a short initial period of low flammability, but then drives an extended period of increased flammability as vegetation regrows. Our analysis initially focuses on well-documented cases in Australia, but we also discuss where these pattens may apply elsewhere, including in the Northern Hemisphere. We outline the mechanisms by which disturbance drives flammability through disrupting the ecological controls that limit it in undisturbed forests. We then develop and test a conceptual model to aid prediction of woody vegetation communities where such patterns of disturbance-stimulated flammability may occur. We discuss the interaction of ecological controls with climate change, which is driving larger and more severe fires. We also explore the current state of knowledge around the point where disturbed, fire-prone stands are sufficiently widespread in landscapes that they may promote spatial contagion of high-severity wildfire that overwhelms any reduction in fire spread offered by less-flammable stands.

中文翻译：

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识别和管理木本生态系统中干扰刺激的可燃性

全球许多森林类型都受到严重野火发生频率和烧毁面积增加的影响。在这里，我们探讨了先前的干扰在增加随后森林火灾的范围和严重性方面所发挥的作用。我们总结了记录和解释可燃性脉冲的机制的证据，这些脉冲可能伴随着火灾、伐木、清理或风吹等干扰（我们称之为干扰刺激可燃性的过程）。干扰有时会引发短暂的低可燃性初始阶段，但随后随着植被重新生长而导致较长时期的可燃性增加。我们的分析最初侧重于澳大利亚有据可查的案例，但我们也讨论了这些模式可能适用于其他地方，包括北半球。我们概述了干扰通过破坏未受干扰森林中限制可燃性的生态控制来驱动可燃性的机制。然后，我们开发并测试了一个概念模型，以帮助预测可能发生这种干扰刺激可燃性模式的木本植被群落。我们讨论了生态控制与气候变化的相互作用，气候变化正在引发更大、更严重的火灾。我们还探讨了目前的知识状况，即受干扰的、易发生火灾的林分在景观中足够广泛，它们可能会促进高严重性野火的空间蔓延，从而压倒不易燃林分所提供的任何减少火灾蔓延的效果。