Although natural disturbances, such as fire and landslides, are integral in the dynamics of riparian systems, very little is known about the history and role of fire in riparian areas. Riparian zones have unique physical characteristics, as well as unique vegetation structure and composition, which have the potential to influence fire behavior in riparian zones. There is no consensus, however, on how fire behaves in riparian areas compared to uplands; some researchers have found that fire is less frequent and less severe in riparian areas than in uplands, whereas others have found that fire is more severe in riparian areas.

The present study was initiated in two watersheds of the 2002 Biscuit Fire in the Siskiyou National Forest of southwest Oregon. Two objectives of the study are to determine 1) how the severity of fire in riparian areas compares to that in uplands and 2) what factors affect the severity of fire in riparian areas. Fire severity class of uplands, forest basal area, species composition, pre-fire stand age, valley floor width, and topographic variables were measured factors. It is also possible that forest productivity is a potential organizing principle explaining the discrepancies in theories on how fire behaves in riparian areas compared to uplands, because differences in fuel composition, structure, and configuration in systems of varied productivity may affect how fires burn in riparian versus adjacent upland areas. Thus, Watershed 1 and 2 investigated in this study represent relatively low and high productivity levels, respectively. A third objective of this study is to determine what factors affect post-fire recovery patterns in riparian zones. Information gained in this study will also aid in setting pre- and post-fire management goals for riparian areas of southwest Oregon.