Berkley, Evelyn L. 2000. Temporal and spatial variability of fire occurrence in western Oregon, A.D. 1200 to present. Eugene, OR: University of Oregon. 110 p. M.S. thesis.
Understanding past fire regimes in the Pacific Northwest enables a better assessment of current forest conditions and management practices. Possible synchroneity in historic fire occurrence in western Oregon and concern about the representativeness ofthe available data motivated a synthesis of eight dendrochronological studies from the region. Time-series images of past patterns were used to explore the spatial and temporal variability of fire occurrence for the period A.D. 1200 to present. Fires were most widespread in the 1800s, particularly between 1850 and 1875, and fires were widespread, but less numerous, in the 1500s. Many fires occurred during the 1600s and 1700s, but they were localized and asynchronous. Study sites spanned the range of western Oregon climate and vegetation conditions with the exception of areas of very high and low precipitation.