Changes in ecosystem properties after post‐fire management strategies in wildfire‐affected Mediterranean forests

Abstract

Forest are highly vulnerable to global change drivers, such as an increase in wildfire events. Learning more about how and why different post‐fire management strategies regulate the ability of forest ecosystem properties (e.g. plant diversity and function) to simultaneously recover after wildfire and provide multiple ecosystem functions is of critical importance. This study aims to evaluate how unburned, burned managed and burned unmanaged plots regulate the responses of multiple forest ecosystem properties (e.g. plant diversity, nutrient cycling, soil carbon stocks, water regulation, decomposition and wood production) and overall multifunctionality to wildfires. In September 2017, we selected two post‐fire management strategies in a 3‐km2 watershed previously affected by a wildfire in July 2012: contour‐felled log debris (CFD), log erosion barriers area (LEB), and also unburned and unmanaged plots (BNA). We randomly distributed 12 plots among the three post‐fire management strategies (three plots per treatment) and unburned. The results showed that multiple forest ecosystem properties were significantly affected by wildfire and that specific post‐fire management treatment (e.g. LEB and CFD) can be used to efficiently support plant diversity and ecosystem functioning. Our results revealed that the general indicators of ecosystem functions decreased in Mediterranean forests after wildfires and post‐fire management strategies (LEB and CFD) significantly helped to recover the ecosystems’ short‐term community‐level properties and ecosystem functions (5 years after a wildfire event) to pre‐fire levels. Synthesis and applications. These findings demonstrate that multiple ecosystem functions are affected by wildfires in Mediterranean forests and show that post‐fire management treatments can promote multifunctionality and plant diversity. Our results unfold the potential of log erosion barriers (LEB) and contour‐felled log debris (CFD) as effective strategies for recovering community‐level properties and forest functions in the short term.

Microbial diversity regulates ecosystem multifunctionality during natural secondary succession

“…The variables X, Y and Z were first standardized (mean = 0 and SD = 1) so that they are all on the same scale and then averaged to achieve an average of multiple functions, here on referred to as multifunctionality (Maestre et al, 2012). The ecosystem multifunctionality has great potential to provide an easily interpretable and straightforward evaluation of the ability of diverse communities to sustain multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously (Lucas-Borja et al, 2021).…”

“…and global changes, such as nitrogen deposition and wildfire events (Lucas-Borja et al, 2021;Shi et al, 2018). Forest restoration strategies varying from active restoration where anthropogenic interventions influence the successional track of recovery, to passive, such as natural forest recovery have been frequently applied after external disturbances (Stanturf et al, 2014).…”

Transhumant Sheep Grazing Enhances Ecosystem Multifunctionality in Productive Mountain Grasslands: A Case Study in the Cantabrian Mountains

“…In this context, complex trade-offs between ecosystem functions and services can arise as a consequence of land use changes and management priorities (Bengtsson et al, 2019). Therefore, an integrated approach for predicting land use change effects in the overall ecosystem function (i.e., EMF) through standardized indices is needed to avoid a biased perception of the ecosystem response (Odriozola et al, 2014;Lucas-Borja et al, 2021). In addition, most terrestrial ecosystems are valued primarily for the simultaneous provision of several ecosystem functions or services, instead of single functions (Hector and Bagchi, 2007;Maestre et al, 2012a), and the magnitude of land use change effects on ecosystem response may be stronger when multifunctionality is considered (Byrnes et al, 2014).…”

Fire Damage to the Soil Bacterial Structure and Function Depends on Burn Severity: Experimental Burnings at a Lysimetric Facility (MedForECOtron)

“…Both low vulnerability and high resilience have been related to the recovery of vegetation cover and plant composition [65]. The changes detected in the CLPPs were related to time after fire due to the increases in charcoal and ash that promoted soil functionality, changes in phenolic compounds and polymers, and plant recovery [18,66,67], affected by seasonal dynamics [21,68]. The changes in microbial diversity progressively confirmed seasonal variations [69].…”

“…Fire damage to microbes is marked because of their virtual immobility [10]. Burn severity [15] affects ecosystem services and functions [16][17][18], and it deeply modulates the response of soil microbial communities [19]. The plant-soil interphase and its relations are complex, and the role of vegetation recovery is highlighted as a source of C and nutrients for soil microbial communities [20].…”