Nutrient losses through prescribed burning of aboveground litter and understorey in dry dipterocarp forests of different fire history

Anthropogenic burning in dry dipterocarp forests has become a common practice throughout Thailand. It is feared, that too frequent fires may result in a loss of soil fertility and thus ecosystem productivity. The aim of this study was to quantify aboveground nutrient pools in fine fuels and nutrient losses during prescribed fires applied to plots of different fire frequency histories in the Huay Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand. Fire frequency was determined from satellite images and ranged from frequent, infrequent, rare and unburned with fire occurrences of 7, 2, 1 and 0 out of the past 10 years, respectively. Element losses were calculated as the difference between nutrient pools in the fuel before burning and the post-burning residues comprising ash, charcoal, and unburned matter, which were recovered quantitatively using aluminium trays. The percent nutrient loss was highest at sites that had undergone frequent burning in the past and was lowest at infrequently burned sites. When viewed over a ten-year period, nutrient losses from a fire regime with one fire per decade had much lower losses than the more frequent fire occurrences. Frequent fires in these forests promoted a grassy understorey, and there appeared to be a positive feedback of fire frequency on nutrient losses, because the fine fuel consumption through fire was higher in the grassy understorey than in previously less frequently burned understoreys. A comparison between estimates of ecosystem nutrient inputs and fire-related losses of N, P, Ca, and K associated with burning regimes representing 7, 3, and 1 fire per decade showed that the frequent recurrence of fire will lead to a long-term depletion of P, Ca, and K, and probably also N. Owing to the relatively low fine fuel accumulation following fire, which reached a maximum of ca. 12 t ha^− 1 after ca. 10 years, prescribed fires can be carried out at longer intervals such as once per decade in a safe manner to conserve nutrients on site.     

Effects of fire on spotted owl site occupancy in a late-successional forest

The spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) is a late-successional forest dependent species that is sensitive to forest management practices throughout its range. An increase in the frequency and spatial extent of stand-replacing fires in western North America has prompted concern for the persistence of spotted owls and other sensitive late-successional forest associated species. However, there is sparse information on the effects of fire on spotted owls to guide conservation policies. In 2004–2005, we surveyed for California spotted owls during the breeding season at 32 random sites (16 burned, 16 unburned) throughout late-successional montane forest in Yosemite National Park, California. Our burned areas burned at all severities, but predominately involved low to moderate fire severity. Based on an information theoretic approach, spotted owl detection and occupancy rates were similar between burned and unburned sites. Nest and roost site occupancy was best explained by a model that combined total tree basal area (positive effect) with cover by coarse woody debris (negative effect). The density estimates of California spotted owl pairs were similar in burned and unburned forests, and the overall mean density estimate for Yosemite was higher than previously reported for montane forests. Our results indicate that low to moderate severity fires, historically common within montane forests of the Sierra Nevada, California, maintain habitat characteristics essential for spotted owl site occupancy. These results suggest that managed fires that emulate the historic fire regime of these forests may maintain spotted owl habitat and protect this species from the effects of future catastrophic fires.     

Exploring the factors influencing the hydrological response of soil after low and high-severity fires with post-fire mulching in Mediterranean forests

Despite ample literature, the influence of the individual soil properties and covers on the hydrological response of burned soils of forests has not clearly identified. A clear understanding of the surface runoff and erosion rates altered by wildfires and prescribed fires is beneficial to identify the most suitable post-fire treatment. This study has carried out a combined analysis of the hydrological response of soil and its driving factors in burned forests of Central-Eastern Spain. The pine stands of these forests were subjected to both prescribed fire and wildfire, and, in the latter case, to post-fire treatment with mulching. Moreover, simple multi-regression models are proposed to predict runoff and erosion in the experimental conditions. In the case of the prescribed burning, the fire had a limited impact on runoff and erosion compared to the unburned areas, due to the limited changes in soil parameters. In contrast, the wildfire increased many-fold the runoff and erosion rates, but the mulching reduced the hydrological response of the burned soils, particularly for the first two-three rainfalls after the fire. The increase in runoff and erosion after the wildfire was associated to the removal of the vegetation cover, soil water repellency, and ash left by fire; the changes in water infiltration played a minor role on runoff and erosion. The multi-regression models developed for the prescribed fire were accurate to predict the post-fire runoff coefficients. However, these models were less reliable for predictions of the mean erosion rates. The predictions of erosion after wildfire and mulching were excellent, while those of runoff were not satisfactory (except for the mean values). These results are useful to better understand the relations among the hydrological effects of fire on one side and the main soil properties and covers on the other side. Moreover, the proposed prediction models are useful to support the planning activities of forest managers and hydrologists towards a more effective conservation of forest soils.     

基于MODIS数据的内蒙古野火时空变化特征

野火是陆地生态系统的重要干扰因子,影响生态系统的演替和更新。研究基于MCD45A1火烧迹地和MCD12Q1土地利用数据,提取2002—2014年内蒙古不同生态分区、土地利用类型的过火面积及火点分布,分析该区域野火的时空分布格局,同时结合降水数据,探讨野火年际变化对降水的响应特性。结果表明:1)2002—2014年内蒙古野火火点空间分布格局表现为由东北向西南逐渐减少,高密度火点主要分布在中蒙边境区域、森林-草原区以及平原典型农耕区。2)内蒙古野火过火面积2003年最大,2006年次之,2010年最小,分析表明过火面积的年际变动与火灾高发月降水异常有关。过火面积的季节变化表现为春秋多,冬夏少,尤其是3月、4月、5月和9月灾情严重。在7大生态分区中,90%的过火面积集中在兴安岭山地丘陵区、呼伦贝尔高平原丘陵区和锡林郭勒高平原区,过火面积占比分别为52%、28%和10%。3)野火干扰最严重的土地利用类型为草地,火点主要集中分布于草甸草原和典型草原,其次为农业用地和林地,对其他类型干扰程度最小。充分认识野火时空分布格局有利于深入了解其发生规律,为区域火灾预警监测提供科学依据。     

Effect of fire severity on water repellency and aggregate stability on Mexican volcanic soils

A field study was conducted in order to study the effects of different wildfire severities on [1] soil organic matter content, [2] soil water repellency, and [3] aggregate stability; [4] the distribution of soil water repellency in aggregate sieve fractions (1–2, 0.5–1, 0.25–0.5 and < 0.25 mm) was also studied. Five similar burned sites and two long-unburned control sites were selected under mixed fir and pine forests in volcanic highlands from Michoacán, Mexico. Soil water repellency was observed in soil samples from all sites, although changes were influenced by fire severity. Sites affected by low severity fires did not show important changes in burned soils in comparison with controls, while high severity fires caused different responses: water repellency was increased or destroyed probably due to temperatures below or above 200–250 °C during burning. The degree of wettability/repellency from the fine earth fraction of burned soils seems to be conditioned by < 0.5 mm aggregates, more than coarser aggregates which always showed a higher degree of wettability. It is suggested that destruction of organic matter during burning occurs principally in coarse aggregates, where combustion can be more intense. Aggregate stability (measured using pre-wetted aggregates between 4 and 4.8 mm) did not change under low severity burning but it was considerably reduced in the case of a high fire severity. Losses of organic matter and destruction of water repellency seem to be the reasons for that reduction in this type of soil in contrast to previous studies, where aggregate stability increased after burning. Changes in both properties (water repellency and aggregate stability) are expected to induce modifications in runoff and soil loss rates at the hillslope scale.     

Soil Fertility,Mineral Nitrogen,and Microbial Biomass in Upland Soils of the Central Amazon under Different Plant Covers

Amazon is the largest state in Brazil and majority of the state is covered by the largest tropical rainforest of the world. Most soils of the Amazon region soils are acidic and infertile. When the Amazon forest land is cleared for agricultural use by burning the vegetation, the efficient nutrient recycling mechanisms are disrupted. However, nutrient contents in the deforested burn land increased temporarily. The objective of this study was to evaluate the soil fertility, mineral nitrogen (N), and microbial activity of carbon (C), N, and phosphorus (P) resulting from the replacement of the primary forest with pasture (Brachiaria brizantha) and commercial plantations of rubber (Hevea spp.), cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum), and citrus trees (Citrus sinensis) cultivated in Xanthic Ferralsol and secondary forest under Acrisols Dystric Nitosols. The results showed that ammonium-N predominates in the 0- to 10-cm soil depth in both primary forest and areas with secondary forest, citrus plantation, and pasture. There was no increase in soil fertility with management of the cultivated areas under the secondary forest, but in the pasture there was a significant increase in the stock of organic C and total N and high C/N ratios, the inverse of what occurred with the C of the microbial biomass. The primary forest had the greatest values of C and P of the microbial biomass and the lowest metabolic quotient. Of the successions studied, the rubber trees were the plant cover with the smallest changes in terms of quality of the organic matter in the soil.     

Soils of postpyrogenic larch stands in Central Siberia: Morphology,physicochemical properties,and specificity of soil organic matter

Morphological features, physicochemical properties, and specific characteristics of the organic matter of cryozems (Cryosols) under postpyrogenic larch forests affected by fires 2, 6, 22, 55, and 116 years ago are considered. The morphological changes in the soils affected by fires are manifested by the burning of the upper organic horizons with preservation of pyrogenic features in the soils for more than a century after the fire. In the first years (2 and 6 years) after the fire, the acidity of the organic horizons and their base saturation become lower. The postpyrogenic soils are characterized by the smaller contribution of the organic horizons to the total pools of soil organic carbon. In the studied cryozems, the organic carbon content is correlated with the contents of oxalate-extractable iron and aluminum. A decrease in the content of water-soluble organic compounds in the soils is observed after the fires; gradually, their content increases upon restoration of the ground cover.     

Soil microbial response following wildfires in thermic oak-pine forests

The ecosystem response to wildfire is often linked to fire severity, with potentially large consequences for belowground biogeochemistry and microbial processes. While the impacts of wildfire on belowground processes are generally well documented, it remains unclear how fire affects the fine-scale composition of microbial communities. Here, we investigate the composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities in burned and unburned forests in an attempt to better understand how these diverse communities respond to wildfire. We explored the belowground responses to three wildfires in Linville Gorge, NC, USA. Wildfires generally increased soil carbon content while simultaneously reducing soil respiration. We employed amplicon sequencing to describe soil microbial communities and found that fires decreased both bacterial and fungal diversity. In addition, wildfires resulted in significant shifts in both bacterial and fungal community composition. Bacterial phylum-level distributions in response to fire were mixed without clear patterns, with members of Acidobacteria being representative of both burned and unburned sites. Fungal communities showed consistent increases in Ascomycota dominance and concurrent decreases in Basidiomycota and Zygomycota dominance in response to burning. Indicator species analysis confirmed shift to Ascomycota in burned sites. These shifts in microbial communities may reflect differences in the quality and quantity of soil organic matter following wildfires.     

Effect of fire on solute release from organic horizons under larch forest in Central Siberian permafrost terrain

To evaluate the effects of forest fire and post-fire stand recovery on the organic layer chemistry and solute release within mound and trough microrelief elements (termed earth hummock microtopography) that mainly distribute permafrost affected area, we chose five fire plots (larch forests burned in 1951, 1981, 1990, 1994 and 2005) paired with adjacent control plots in mature larch forests in Central Siberian permafrost terrain. We determined total carbon, nitrogen and ash content in solid organic soils, and analyzed total carbon, nitrogen, bases and major anions in water extracts. There was a significant correlation between water-extracted organic carbon (WEOC) and total carbon (kg m⁻²) in area basis, implying that the quantity of total carbon was a major factor in WEOC production. WEOC correlated negatively with pH, indicating strong control by organic horizons (organic solute leaching) on soil acidity and base cation dynamics. The sum of water extractable base cations was also correlated significantly to total carbon, indicating that cations can be released through organic matter decomposition. Organic horizons in troughs in burned plots released greater amounts of Ca, Mg and K than those in mounds, probably due to greater content of organic matter as a cation source. Anions including nitrate and phosphate and WEOC also accumulated in trough depressions, due probably to organic matter degradation. The contrasting distribution of solutes between mounds and troughs in burned plots seems to be controlled by organic horizon development via changes in microtopography after forest fires.     

Fire effects and short-term changes in soil water repellency – Mt. Carmel,Israel

The Mediterranean ecosystem of the Carmel Mountain ridge in Israel is subjected to an increasing number of forest fires of various extents and severities due to intense human activities in the region. On 8 April 2005, a low-moderate severity forest fire occurred at the northwestern part of the ridge and burned more than 150 ha of natural vegetation. Soil water repellency (WR) is a property usually modified by the litter and soil organic matter combustion as a consequence of fire, which has implications for the hydrological balance in the affected soils. A field study was conducted with the following objectives: 1) to investigate in situ WR changes at three soil depths as a consequence of the fire, 2) to evaluate the short-term evolution of WR under field conditions, and 3) to study the relationship between pre-fire vegetation type and slope aspect on the persistence of WR in the burned area. Soil WR was measured by the Water Drop Penetration Time (WDPT) test. Measurements were conducted monthly at 31 field sites within the burned area over a period of seven months (April 2005–November 2005), and compared to adjacent unburned areas. Soil WR measurements included more than 3400 WDPT tests at soil surface and at 5 and 10 cm depths. The results indicate that fire induced WR in previously wettable soils exhibited high levels of persistence at the soil surface during the first six weeks after the fire, while at 5 cm depth WR persistence was lower. At 10 cm depth soil was mostly wettable. After six weeks the frequency of WR occurrence diminished at the soil surface and at 5 cm depth. In addition, WR was found to be highly related with the pre-fire vegetation type and with slope aspect.     

The effect of post-fire stand age on the boreal forest energy balance

Fire in the boreal forest renews forest stands and changes the ecosystem properties. The successional stage of the vegetation determines the radiative budget, energy balance partitioning, evapotranspiration and carbon dioxide flux. Here, we synthesize energy balance measurements from across the western boreal zone of North America as a function of stand age following fire. The data are from 22 sites in Alaska, Saskatchewan and Manitoba collected between 1998 and 2004 for a 150-year forest chronosequence. The summertime albedo immediately after a fire is about 0.05, increasing to about 0.12 for a period of about 30 years and then averaging about 0.08 for mature coniferous forests. A mature deciduous (aspen) forest has a higher summer albedo of about 0.16. Wintertime albedo decreases from a high of 0.7 for 5- to 30-year-old forests to about 0.2 for mature forests (deciduous and coniferous). Summer net radiation normalized to incoming solar radiation is lower in successional forests than in more mature forests by about 10%, except for the first 1–3 years after fire. This reduction in net radiative forcing is about 12–24 W m⁻² as a daily average in summer (July). The summertime daily Bowen ratio exceeds 2 immediately after the fire, decreasing to about 0.5 for 15-year-old forests, with a wide range of 0.3–2 for mature forests depending on the forest type and soil water status. The magnitude of these changes is relatively large and may affect local, regional and perhaps global climates. Although fire has always determined stand renewal in these forests, increased future area burned could further alter the radiation balance and energy partitioning, causing a cooling feedback to counteract possible warming from carbon dioxide released by boreal fires.     

Nutrient losses in eroded sediment after fire in eucalyptus and pine forests in the wet Mediterranean environment of northern Portugal

Nutrients sorbed onto eroded sediment from small bounded plots installed in newly burned and unburned Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus pinaster forests in the Águeda Basin, north-central Portugal were measured over an 18-month period. The data are used to determine: (i) the effects of fire on nutrient loss, (ii) the importance of fire-induced losses on soil fertility, and (iii) temporal variations in nutrient losses. Fire increased losses of total nitrogen, exchangeable potassium and available phosphorus by 3–4 orders of magnitude. This is attributed to increased erosion and high nutrient concentrations at the soil surface in the burned forests, where burning of organic matter and vegetation increased nutrient availability. Enhanced rates of loss were sustained for at least 3 years, resulting in much greater post-fire nutrient losses than reported in drier regions of the Mediterranean. Losses of available P had the greatest potential for reductions in soil fertility.     

森林火灾流域侵蚀泥沙来源指纹技术研究进展

指纹识别技术是量化流域侵蚀泥沙来源的有效手段,如何应用于火烧流域,仍有一些问题值得探讨。通过回顾相关文献,总结森林火灾通过植被、土壤和灰烬加剧土壤侵蚀的机制,介绍应用指纹技术研究火烧流域泥沙来源的案例,重点分析放射性核素、矿物磁性、物理性质、地球化学元素和有机组分等指纹因子在火烧迹地的含量和性质变化,论述各类指纹因子在火烧流域泥沙来源研究中的适用性,并提出未来应重点关注指纹技术的物理基础、火灾后土壤性质的时空变化规律、指纹因子稳定性验证、燃烧灰烬的影响以及大粒径泥沙的识别等问题。为促进火烧迹地指纹识别技术的研究、理解森林火灾对于流域产沙格局的影响、提升火灾流域水土保持和生态修复的有效性提供理论依据。     

Reaction of lizard populations to a catastrophic wildfire in a central Arizona mountain range

In April 1996, the Lone Fire denuded over 90% of the vegetation in 130 km² around the Four Peaks area of the Mazatzal Mountains in central Arizona. To understand the reaction of a relatively immobile guild of species to a wildfire, we pit-trapped lizards from 1996 to 1999 in both burned and unburned interior chaparral and Madrean evergreen forest. In 26,214 trap nights, we found relative abundance was up to 10 times greater in burned than unburned vegetation. Species richness and diversity values were also greater in burned sites. Our data indicate a rapid settlement of burned areas primarily by individuals that survived the fire. Increased capture rate, diversity and richness values in 1998 and 1999 indicate that many species of lizards may even prefer early successional stages in chaparral and Madrean evergreen forests. Resident species of Teiidae and Sceloporus undulatus were more adapted to disturbed habitats than other resident Phrynosomatidae or Crotophytidae.     

Soil and water degradation processes in burned areas: Lessons learned from a nested approach

Forest fires produce a major impact on soil, water and vegetation. Despite the amount of research published on this subject, there are two major problems that hamper the fully understanding of on and off-site impacts of forest fires. They include methodological problems steaming from the uniqueness of burned soil properties, easily erodible, by the fast degradation they undergo over a short period of time immediately after fire and by the meaning of the impacts at different scales.     

Decreases in soil moisture and organic matter quality suppress microbial decomposition following a boreal forest fire

Climate warming is projected to increase the frequency and severity of wildfires in boreal forests, and increased wildfire activity may alter the large soil carbon (C) stocks in boreal forests. Changes in boreal soil C stocks that result from increased wildfire activity will be regulated in part by the response of microbial decomposition to fire, but post-fire changes in microbial decomposition are poorly understood. Here, we investigate the response of microbial decomposition to a boreal forest fire in interior Alaska and test the mechanisms that control post-fire changes in microbial decomposition. We used a reciprocal transplant between a recently burned boreal forest stand and a late successional boreal forest stand to test how post-fire changes in abiotic conditions, soil organic matter (SOM) composition, and soil microbial communities influence microbial decomposition. We found that SOM decomposing at the burned site lost 30.9% less mass over two years than SOM decomposing at the unburned site, indicating that post-fire changes in abiotic conditions suppress microbial decomposition. Our results suggest that moisture availability is one abiotic factor that constrains microbial decomposition in recently burned forests. In addition, we observed that burned SOM decomposed more slowly than unburned SOM, but the exact nature of SOM changes in the recently burned stand are unclear. Finally, we found no evidence that post-fire changes in soil microbial community composition significantly affect decomposition. Taken together, our study has demonstrated that boreal forest fires can suppress microbial decomposition due to post-fire changes in abiotic factors and the composition of SOM. Models that predict the consequences of increased wildfires for C storage in boreal forests may increase their predictive power by incorporating the observed negative response of microbial decomposition to boreal wildfires.     

Tropical savannah woodland: effects of experimental fire on soil microorganisms and soil emissions of carbon dioxide

Burning of the vegetation in the African savannahs in the dry season is widespread and may have significant effects on soil chemical and biological properties. A field experiment in a full factorial randomised block design with fire, ash and extra grass biomass as main factors was carried out in savannah woodland of the Gambella region in Ethiopia. The microbial biomass C (C_mic) was 52% (fumigation-extraction) and 20% (substrate-induced respiration) higher in burned than unburned plots 12 d after burning. Both basal respiration and potential denitrification enzyme activity (PDA) immediately responded to burning and increased after treatment. However, in burned plots addition of extra biomass (fuel load) led to a reduction of C_mic and PDA due to enhanced fire temperature. Five days after burning, there was a short-lived burst in the in situ soil respiration following rainfall, with twice as high soil respiration in burned than unburned plots. In contrast, 12 d after burning soil respiration was 21% lower in the burned plots, coinciding with lower soil water content in the same plots. The fire treatment resulted in higher concentrations of dissolved organic C (24-85%) and nitrate (47-76%) in the soil until 90 d after burning, while soil NH₄⁺-N was not affected to the same extent. The increase in soil NO₃⁻-N but not NH₄⁺-N in the burned plots together with the well-aerated soil conditions indicated that nitrifying bacteria were stimulated by fire and immediately oxidised NH₄⁺-N to NO₃⁻-N. In the subsequent rainy season, NO₃⁻-N and, consequently, PDA were reduced by ash deposition. Further, C_mic was lower in burned plots at that time. However, the fire-induced changes in microbial biomass and activity were relatively small compared to the substantial seasonal variation, suggesting transient effects of the low severity experimental fire on soil microbial functioning.     

The effects of a forest fire on soil microfungi

The effects of forest fires on the soil mycotlora were investigated in a Pinus contorta forest in Alberta, where it was found that species of Trichoderma and Penicillium were reduced in the burned plot, whereas Gelasinospora sp occurred only in the burned plot: Cylindrocarpon destructans appeared not to be affected by fire.The response of fungi to aqueous extracts of burned and unburned litter, measured as linear growth on agar, showed that, of the isolates tested, all but C. destructans were inhibited by the burned litter extract; C. destructans grew better on the burned litter extract. An examination of spore germination rates and growth in liquid culture showed that Trichoderma polysporum and Penicillium janthinellum were both inhibited by burned litter extracts whereas C. destructans was not. Gelasinospora sp did not grow in liquid culture, nor did it produce spores after being kept in culture for some time.It was concluded that species of Trichoderma and Penicillium were killed by the heat of the fire, and subsequently unable to rccolonize the upper layers of the soil, due to an inhibition of spore germination and growth by the chemical products of burning. C. destructans on the other hand may have been able to recolonize quickly as it appeared to be stimulated in its linear growth rate by the chemical products of burning, and its spore germination rate was only marginally lowered. The occurrence of Gelasinospora sp following fire is possibly explained by its extremely rapid growth rate, and the possibility of its ascospores being more able to withstand high temperatures in the soil.In the light of recent reports, indicating that some species of Trichoderma and Penicillium are actively antagonistic to other fungi, it is suggested that their absence after fire, in the area studied, may permit a high inoculum of C. destructans to develop in the soil, which could possibly result in a high incidence of disease in developing pine seedlings     

Post-fire transformation of the microbial complexes in soils of larch forests in the lower Angara River region

The postfire transformation of the functional activity of the microbial cenoses and the main soil properties under mixed larch forests were studied in the lower reaches of the Angara River. It was shown that the intensity of the postfire changes in the population density, biomass, and activity of the microorganisms in the dark podzolized brown forest soil depended on the degree of burning of the ground cover and the surface litter during the fire. The maximum effects of the fire on the microbial cenoses were observed in the litter and the upper 5-cm-thick layer of the dark-humus horizon in the areas of intense burning. The postfire restoration of the structural-functional activity of the microbial cenoses was determined by the degree of transformation of soil properties and by the postpyrogenic succession in the ground cover. The microbial complexes of the dark podzolized brown forest soils under mixed larch forests in the studied region restored their functional activity after the fires of different intensities quicker than the microbial cenoses of the sandy podzols in the pyrogenic lichen-green-moss pine forests of the same zone.     

The nitrogen reserves in sandy podzols after controlled fires in pine forests of Central Siberia

The influence of ground fires of different intensities on the nitrogen pool in the sandy soils under pine forests of the middle taiga zone after their experimental burning was studied. The contents of total nitrogen and its ammonium form increased due to the input of great amounts of plant falloff during the first year after the fire. Within two years after the fire, the content of nitrogen and the percentages of its forms approached their initial values before the fire. The adverse effect of the pyrogenic factor on the biological activity of the sandy podzols was shown.