A Markov approach for describing post‐fire succession of vegetation

Abstract

Vegetation dynamics in the coastal area of the Seto Inland Sea region in Japan, where wild fires occur frequently, were described using a stationary Markov model. In this region, vegetation types of Miscanthus‐Pleioblastus grassland, Lespedeza‐Mallotus scrub, Pinus‐Rhododendron forest and Crassocephalum‐Erechtites community have been identified, and these show cyclic succession under the influence of fires.The model uses parameters determining fire frequency and rate of successional change to analyze the effect of variation in these parameters on the areal ratio of each vegetation type at equilibrium and on the time taken for one vegetation type to succeed another (elapsed successional time). The effect of fire frequency differs between hypothetical habitats with high and low productivity. A policy for vegetation management in areas of high and low productivity is proposed. The advantages and limitations of applying Markov models to studies of vegetation succession are also discussed.