Climate and recent fire history affect fuel loads in Eucalyptus forests: Implications for fire management in a changing climate

Predicted changes to global climates are expected to affect natural fire regimes. Many studies suggest that the impact of these effects could be minimised by reducing fuel loads through prescribed burning. Fuel loads are dynamic and are affected by a range of factors including fire and climate. In this study, we use a 22-year dataset to examine the relative influence of climate and fire history on rates of litterfall and decomposition, and hence fuel loads, in a coastal Eucalypt forest in south-eastern Australia. Litterfall and decomposition were both affected by temperature, recent rainfall and fire history variables. Over the study period prescribed burning immediately reduced fuel loads, with fuel loads reaching pre-burn levels within 3 years of a fire. Modelling fuel loads under predicted climate change scenarios for 2070 suggests that while fuel loads are reduced, the levels are not significantly lower than those recorded in the study. Based on these predictions it is unlikely that the role or value of prescribed burning in these forests will change under the scenarios tested in this study.     

林火对大兴安岭偃松—兴安落叶松林土壤养分的影响

大兴安岭是我国林火高发区,林火对森林土壤的化学性质有着直接或间接的影响。为探明林火与土壤pH值和土壤养分的关系,本文以我国大兴安岭呼中林业局偃松-兴安落叶松林火烧迹地为研究对象,采用双因素方差分析法研究了不同火烧时间、不同火烧强度对土壤pH值和土壤养分的影响。结果表明:火烧时间相同,土壤pH值随火烧强度的增强而增大。火烧强度相同,火烧后时间越长,土壤pH值越小,但火烧迹地的土壤pH值大于未火烧的对照组;在相同火烧强度条件下,不同火烧时间(1996、2010年和未火烧)偃松-兴安落叶松林迹地的土壤养分含量不同,但未达到显著水平(P0.05);火烧时间相同,不同火烧强度条件下偃松-兴安落叶松林的土壤有机质和全氮含量存在差异(P0.05)。土壤有机质含量在轻度、中度和重度火烧条件下彼此间差异显著(P0.05),并且中度、重度火烧与未火烧之间差异显著(P0.05);未火烧、轻度火烧的土壤全N含量分别与中度、重度火烧相比差异显著(P0.05)。不同火烧时间和火烧强度下土壤pH值、全磷、全钾含量和C/N值差异不显著(P0.05)。火烧后5年(2010年火干扰)、19年(1996年火干扰)后,偃松-兴安落叶松林并未恢复至火烧前生长水平。本研究旨在找到不同火烧时间和火烧强度下土壤pH值和土壤养分的变化规律,为火烧后大兴安岭偃松-兴安落叶松林生态系统的快速有效恢复提供理论依据。      

Eleven years of integrated weed management: long‐term impacts of row spacing and harvest weed seed destruction on Lolium rigidum control

Long‐term research aimed to determine whether narrow row spacing and harvest weed seed destruction, in combination with herbicide use, would be sufficient to drive a Lolium rigidum population to extinction. A trial was run from 1987 to 2013, with treatments including crop row spacings of 9, 18, 27 or 36 cm and crop residue burning or retention. Herbicides were applied to reflect regional practices. The initial trial design was randomised, but treatments were maintained in each plot over the following years. Lolium rigidum seed production at harvest was assessed from 2003 to 2013. Average crop yield was higher in the unburnt plots (1638 kg ha^?1) than the burnt plots (1530 kg ha^?1) and greater at narrow row spacing, with an average yield of 1658, 1637, 1548 and 1492 kg ha^?1 in the 9‐, 18‐, 27‐ and 36‐cm spacings. Lolium rigidum seed at harvest was reduced in the burnt plots (57 seeds m^?2) compared with the unburnt plots (297 seeds m^?2) and was reduced at narrow row spacing, with an average of 58, 78, 223 and 333 seeds m^?2 in the 9‐, 18‐, 27‐ and 36‐cm row spacings. By 2013, L. rigidum seed production was reduced to an average of 0 seeds m^?2 in the narrow row spacing, burnt plots.     

水稻秸秆燃烧对土壤有机质组成的影响研究

研究生物质(水稻秸秆)燃烧行为对土壤有机质含量和组成的影响,探讨不同燃烧次数下土壤中胡敏酸(HA)、富里酸(FA)、水溶性有机质(DOM)的含量和结构特征的变化情况。结果表明:土壤有机碳的变化仅在土壤表层几厘米以内,随燃烧频次增加土壤有机碳含量减少量增加,而水溶性有机质及组分则呈现不断增加的趋势。不同来源土壤的腐殖物质对生物质燃烧作用的响应不同,3种供试土样中腐殖物质随不同次数同强度秸秆燃烧并未呈现较一致的变化趋势,但每一种土壤的HA和FA含量及HA/FA、E4/E6值均随燃烧频次的增加呈现规律性的升高或者降低,而且FA含量的变化是影响HA/FA值大小的主导因素。此外,通过红外光谱图可知,随燃烧频次增加,FA中芳香性成分和含脂肪族C—OH、C—O物质增加,而HA由于本身芳香缩和度高而无明显变化。     

不同林地清理方式土壤酶活性动态

本文对不同林地清理方式林地上壤酶活性进行了三年定位研究。结果表明,不同林地清理方式导致了林地土壤酶活性的显著差异,随时间推移,这种差异在减少,炼山对林地酶活性的影响在第三年依然存在。土壤酶与土壤养分状况相关性密切,可利用土壤酶作为评价土壤营养水平的指标。     

浅析汽车尾气污染的防治对策

主要论述了我国汽车尾气污染问题，并提出了几点防治对策。     

城镇化进程中土地纠纷化解及其风险预警机制建构研究——基于社会燃烧理论的视角

城镇化进程中土地纠纷及其可能引发的群体性事件有其"燃烧物质"、"助燃剂"和"点火温度"。社会物理学中的社会燃烧理论,可以较好阐释城镇化进程中土地纠纷化解及其风险预警机制建构问题。采用文献法与案例分析相结合,对新时期城镇化进程中土地纠纷的定性、特点及其引发群体性事件等存在潜在的社会风险进行了梳理和分析,探讨纠纷化解及其风险预警机制建构问题。结果表明,在社会燃烧理论的视域中,土地纠纷是部分群体性事件爆发的导火线,土地纠纷是在牵涉到多重利益配置的"燃烧物质"、包括社会环境变化等客观条件的"助燃剂"和事件发生到一定程度"点火温度"共同作用下而产生的。当前,急需建立完善的土地纠纷化解风险预警机制,并加强风险预警的多元化规制及相关社会诚信体系的建设,进而化解土地纠纷、预防突发事件的发生。     

Gradient analysis of an eastern sand savanna's woody vegetation,and its long-term responses to restored fire processes

Little information is available comparing historic and modern sand savannas, and how remnants respond to restored fire. We compared short- and long-term effects of restored fire on the Tefft Savanna, a 197 ha eastern sand savanna in northwest Indiana that had undergone three decades of fire protection. U.S. Public Land Survey data from Tefft in 1833 indicate black and white oak barrens, and pin oak savanna, with trees averaging 50 stems/ha and 4 m²/ha basal area. We used ordination and a digital elevation model to assess topographic distribution of tree species in 1986. In 1986, we also compared initial effects of high- and low-intensity dormant season fire on woody vegetation among nine blocks containing black oak, white oak, and pin oak stands. Twenty years later, we compared the same blocks, all of which had been burned three times per decade with low-intensity fires. In 1986, black oak, white oak and pin oak occurred across a gradient of decreasing elevation and slope. At that time, unburned black oak and white oak stands averaged >400 stems/ha and about 10 m²/ha basal area, and their smaller size classes contained non-oak woody vegetation that apparently had invaded with fire exclusion. After initial burns, black oak and white oak stands receiving high-intensity fire averaged <200 stems/ha and had significantly lower oak canopy cover and basal area than unburned stands. Stands receiving low-intensity fire had intermediate oak canopy cover, with basal area similar to unburned stands. Pin oak stands were more fire-resistant, apparently because spring flooding often reduced fire effects. Density, cover and basal area of non-oak tree species were much lower than oaks, and were not reduced by initial burning. Repeated low-intensity burning over 20 years tended to maintain structure caused by initial fires. However, it reduced lower size class stem densities, promoted post-fire sprouting into the shrub layer, and allowed oak basal area to increase in larger size classes. Time since fire regulated shrub layer structure on a 4-year cycle. Density and cover of trees and shrubs returned to pre-burn conditions by the second and fourth growing seasons after fire, respectively, with non-oak tree species exceeding pre-burn cover and density by the fourth season. These results suggest that high-intensity fire is more important than repeated low-intensity burning in structuring and restoring eastern sand savanna, and that non-oak tree species, once established, may be resistant to low-intensity fire.     

Short-term response of reptiles and amphibians to prescribed fire and mechanical fuel reduction in a southern Appalachian upland hardwood forest

We compared the effects of three fuel reduction techniques and a control on the relative abundance and richness of reptiles and amphibians using drift fence arrays with pitfall and funnel traps. Three replicate blocks were established at the Green River Game Land, Polk County, North Carolina. Each replicate block contained four experimental units that were each approximately 14 ha in size. Treatments were prescribed burn (B); mechanical understory reduction (M); mechanical + burn (MB); and controls (C). Mechanical treatments were conducted in winter 2001–2002, and prescribed burns in March 2003. Hot fires in MB killed about 25% of the trees, increasing canopy openness relative to controls. Leaf litter depth was reduced in B and MB after burning, but increased in M due to the addition of dead leaves during understory felling. The pre-treatment trapping period was short (15 August–10 October 2001) but established a baseline for post-treatment comparison. Post-treatment (2002–2004), traps were open nearly continuously May–September. We captured a total of 1308 species of 13 amphibians, and 335 reptiles of 13 species. The relative abundance of total salamanders, common salamander species, and total amphibians was not changed by the fuel reduction treatments. Total frogs and toads (anurans) and Bufo americanus were most abundant in B and MB; however, the proximity of breeding sites likely affected our results. Total reptile abundance and Sceloporus undulatus abundance were highest in MB after burning, but differed significantly only from B. Mean lizard abundance in MB was highest in 2004 and higher than in other treatments, but differences were not statistically significant. Our results indicate that a single application of the fuel reduction methods studied will not negatively affect amphibian or reptile abundance or diversity in southern Appalachian upland hardwood forest. Our study further suggests that high-intensity burning with heavy tree-kill, as in MB, can be used as a management tool to increase reptile abundance – particularly lizards – with no negative impact on amphibians, at least in the short-term.     

小麦高留茬田间水分效应研究

通过小区和大田试验,研究了留茬、灭茬和烧茬三种处理土壤、近地层空气温湿度的变化,比较了三种处理夏玉米生长发育状况,分析了小麦高留茬的田间水分效应。结果表明,留茬明显降低了土壤温度,测定日0cm地表温度全天内留茬都处于最低,其中10时到14时降温效果最明显,土壤5~25cm平均温度分别较灭茬和烧茬低1.45℃和2.3℃;土壤0~70cm含水量自始至终留茬高于灭茬和烧茬;留茬对近地层空气湿度的影响主要在晚上,麦秆凝结的水汽增大了空气湿度,白天留茬高度内气温低湿度较大,留茬高度外气温高湿度较小（与灭茬和烧茬相比）。留茬对夏玉米生长发育的影响主要表现在中后期,试验结束时留茬株高、茎粗均高于灭茬和烧茬,表现出较大的后劲。