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Forests
Volume 16
Issue 11
10.3390/f16111705
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Article

First Characterization of Megafire Refugia in a South American Subtropical Mountain Forest

by
Daihana Soledad Argibay
1,2,
Ana María Cingolani
1,
Javier Sparacino
2,3,
Ricardo Suárez
4,
Isabell Hensen
5,6 and
Daniel Renison
2,3,*
1
Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, CONICET—Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, Córdoba X5016GCA, Argentina
2
Centro de Ecología y Recursos Naturales Renovables Dr. Ricardo Luti, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, Córdoba X5016GCA, Argentina
3
Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas, CONICET—Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, Córdoba X5016GCA, Argentina
4
Fundación Bosquizar, General Ortiz de Ocampo 741, Río Ceballos X5111, Córdoba, Argentina
5
Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108 Halle (Saale), Germany
6
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Forests 2025, 16(11), 1705; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16111705 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 3 October 2025 / Revised: 3 November 2025 / Accepted: 4 November 2025 / Published: 8 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Fire Detection, Prevention and Management)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

Fire refugia play an important role in post-fire ecosystem recovery because they preserve areas that represent a persistent legacy in the landscape and serve as propagule sources for forest regeneration. Our objective was to identify the pre-fire topographic and land cover conditions that determine the presence and quality of megafire refugia in the mountains of central Argentina. In 208 1-ha field-based plots, we assessed pre-fire topographic and land cover variables along with post-fire vegetation responses two years after the megafires. Based on these assessments, we developed a fire refugia quality index ranging from 0 (no refugia) to 5 (high-quality refugia). Using ordinal logistic regression and a model selection approach, we found that high-quality fire refugia were associated with the more humid east mountain flank and east- and north-facing slopes, as well as with smooth terrain, high topographic positions, greater rock cover, steep slopes, and higher tree-to-grass cover proportions. Our findings highlight the importance of topographic and land cover variables in shaping fire refugia and provide insights into post-fire management and the conservation of biodiversity in mountain ecosystems.
Keywords: Argentina; forest regeneration; ecosystem recovery; Polylepis; sprouting; wildfire; shelter Argentina; forest regeneration; ecosystem recovery; Polylepis; sprouting; wildfire; shelter

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MDPI and ACS Style

Argibay, D.S.; Cingolani, A.M.; Sparacino, J.; Suárez, R.; Hensen, I.; Renison, D. First Characterization of Megafire Refugia in a South American Subtropical Mountain Forest. Forests 2025, 16, 1705. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16111705

AMA Style

Argibay DS, Cingolani AM, Sparacino J, Suárez R, Hensen I, Renison D. First Characterization of Megafire Refugia in a South American Subtropical Mountain Forest. Forests. 2025; 16(11):1705. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16111705

Chicago/Turabian Style

Argibay, Daihana Soledad, Ana María Cingolani, Javier Sparacino, Ricardo Suárez, Isabell Hensen, and Daniel Renison. 2025. "First Characterization of Megafire Refugia in a South American Subtropical Mountain Forest" Forests 16, no. 11: 1705. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16111705

APA Style

Argibay, D. S., Cingolani, A. M., Sparacino, J., Suárez, R., Hensen, I., & Renison, D. (2025). First Characterization of Megafire Refugia in a South American Subtropical Mountain Forest. Forests, 16(11), 1705. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16111705

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