Effects of Fire, Ash, and Litter on Soil Nitrate, Temperature, Moisture and Tobosagrass Production in the Rolling Plains

Sharrow, Steven H.; Wright, Henry A.

doi:10.2307/3897302

Cited by 83 publications

(63 citation statements)

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“…Increased amounts of vegetation and litter forestall rising soil temperatures, thereby delaying plant phenological development and lowering early season mineralization rates (Sharrow and Wright 1977;Kauffman et al 1983). This factor may explain the lower lysimeter-extractable SO 4 À2 on the grazing-excluded treatment.…”

Section: à2mentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Attributes in a Sierra Nevada Riparian Meadow as Influenced by Grazing

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Svejcar

Riegel

2006

REM

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Data on the effects of livestock grazing on soil nutrient availability are virtually nonexistent for meadow systems. We measured the effect of livestock grazing on soil, emphasizing soil-solution chemistry, in a Sierra Nevada riparian meadow. Treatments were livestock exclusion (begun in 1989) and grazing to leave 1 000 kg ha À1 of vegetation. Ceramic tension lysimeters were placed in the treatments (2 replicates) by landscape position (stream edge, midfloodplain, and forest edge), and by depth (approximately 0.1, 0.6, and 1.2 m below the soil surface). Lysimeter water was extracted twice monthly in April, May, and June of 1990 through 1993, and cations and anions were quantified. In addition, KCl-extractable NO 3 À and NH 4 þ ; bicarbonate-extractable ortho-P; available Mn, Cu, Fe, and Zn; and root-length density (RLD) were quantified in soils by treatment, landscape position, and soil depth in July 1991 and September 1993. RLD was not affected by grazing. Significant (P 0.05) treatment effects were largely limited to the forest edge. The grazed treatment had greater lysimeter-extractable Na þ , Ca þ2 , Mg þ2 , and NO 3 À ; higher pH; and less K þ and NH 4 þ than the excluded treatment. Compared with corresponding excluded treatments, bicarbonate-extractable P was significantly greater on the grazed forest edge, and available Mn was significantly greater at the grazed stream-edge position in 1991. Extractable NO 3 À was significantly higher in the 0-25 cm depth increment of the grazed treatment, and available Zn was significantly greater on the grazed midfloodplain position in 1993. Grazing did not result in more anoxic soil conditions than the excluded treatment. Grazing effects were most pronounced at the forest edge, possibly as a result of spatial transfer of nutrients via cow urine and feces. Management goals to sustain highelevation meadows should emphasize maintenance of high RLD to sequester soil nutrients. ResumenVirtualmente no existen datos del efecto del pastoreo animal en la disponibilidad de nutrientes del suelo en sistemas de praderas. Medimos el efecto del apacentamiento del ganadosobre el suelo, enfatizando en la química de la solució n del suelo en una pradera ribereñ a de la Sierra Nevada. Los tratamientos fueron, exclusió n al ganado (desde 1989) y apacentamiento hasta dejar 1 000 kg ha À1 de vegetació n. En los tratamientos se colocaron lísimetros cerámicos de tensió n (dos repeticiones) en cada posició n del paisaje (orilla de cauce, cauce medio y límite del bosque) y por profundidad (aproximadamente 0.1, 0.6, y 1.2 m bajo la superficie). El agua del lísimetro se extrajo dos veces por mes, en abril, mayo, y junio de 1990 a 1993 y se cuantificaron los aniones y cationes. Ademá s, se cuantifico el KCl-extractable; NO 3 À y NH 4 þ ; ortho-P extractable con bicarbonato; Mn, Cu, Fe, y Zn disponibles; y la densidad de la longitud raíz (RLD), estas determinaciones se realizaron por tratamiento, posició n del paisaje y profundidad de suelo en julio 1991 y septiembre 1993. RLD no fue afecta...

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Section: à2mentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Attributes in a Sierra Nevada Riparian Meadow as Influenced by Grazing

Blank

Svejcar

Riegel

2006

REM

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“…Fire's combustion process releases some of the nitrogen sequestered in the fuels and makes it available as ammonium-N to the plants as it condenses on lower soil layers, even though a large portion of nitrogen is volatilized and lost to the atmosphere depending on amount of combusted organic matter (Grier 1975;Little and Ohmann 1988;Pehl and others 1986;Schoch and Binkley 1986). Nitrogen fertilization is also increased by the actions of decomposing bacteria that are stimulated with fire (Sharrow and Wright 1977). White (1994White ( , 1996 found that ground fires consumed volatile organic compounds that could inhibit decomposition.…”

Section: Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cascading effects of fire exclusion in the Rocky Mountain ecosystems: a literature review

Keane¹,

Ryan²,

Veblen³

et al. 2002

184

192

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The health of many Rocky Mountain ecosystems is in decline because of the policy of excluding fire in the management of these ecosystems. Fire exclusion has actually made it more difficult to fight fires, and this poses greater risks to the people who fight fires and for those who live in and around Rocky Mountain forests and rangelands. This paper discusses the extent of fire exclusion in the Rocky Mountains, then details the diverse and cascading effects of suppressing fires in the Rocky Mountain landscape by spatial scale, ecosystem characteristic, and vegetation type. Also discussed are the varied effects of fire exclusion on some important, keystone ecosystems and human concerns.Keywords: wildland fire, fire exclusion, fire effects, landscape ecology You may order additional copies of this publication by sending your mailing information in label form through one of the following media. Please specify the publication title and series number. Fort Collins Service Center Research SummarySince the early 1930s, fire suppression programs in the United States and Canada successfully reduced wildland fires in many Rocky Mountain ecosystems. This lack of fires has created forest and range landscapes with atypical accumulations of fuels that pose a hazard to many ecosystem characteristics. The health of many Rocky Mountain ecosystems is now in decline because of fire exclusion; fire exclusion has actually made it more difficult to fight fires, and this poses greater risks to the people who fight fires and for those who live in and around Rocky Mountain forests and rangelands. This paper discusses the extent of fire exclusion in the Rocky Mountains, then details the diverse and cascading effects of suppressing fires in the Rocky Mountain landscape by spatial scale, ecosystem characteristic, and vegetation type. A description of the effects of fire exclusion on some important, keystone ecosystems is also included. Effects of fire exclusion are detailed at the stand and landscape levels. Stand-level effects include increases in woody fuel loading, canopy cover, vertical fuel distribution, canopy stratum, and fuel continuity. Landscape-level effects include increases in landscape homogeneity, fuel contagion, and hydrology. Cross-scale exclusion effects concern increases in fire intensity, severity, and size as fuels increase and become more connected. Insect and disease epidemics are also likely to increase, and streamflows are likely to decrease. Restoration of some semblance of the native fire regimes seems a critical step toward improving the health of many Rocky Mountain ecosystems.

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“…After fire, the layer of black ash and the partially burnt organic material lying on the soil surface can alter the thermal properties of the soil (Walker et al 1986), particularly where an opening in the canopy has occurred and increased solar radiation reaches the soil surface. As a consequence, a shift in the range of daily soil temperatures may occur (Sharrow and Wright 1977;Raison et al 1986), in some cases exceeding the thresholds for breaking physical seed dormancy (Auld and Bradstock 1996). This indirect fire cue may acquire special relevance after summer fires, when daily soil temperatures reach high levels and fluctuate most widely.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of soil temperature regimes after fire on seed dormancy and germination in six Australian Fabaceae species

et al. 2010

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M. (2010). Effects of soil temperature regimes after fire on seed dormancy and germination in six Australian Fabaceae species. Australian Journal of Botany, 58 (7), 539-545.Effects of soil temperature regimes after fire on seed dormancy and germination in six Australian Fabaceae species AbstractIn addition to direct fire cues such as heat, smoke and charred wood, the passage of fire leads indirectly to changes in environmental conditions which may be able to break physical dormancy in hard-coated seeds. After a fire, the open canopy and the burnt material lying on the surface alter the thermal properties of the soil, resulting in elevated soil temperatures for long periods of time. We simulated daily temperature regimes experienced at different depths of soil profile after a summer fire. Our aim was to determine whether these temperature regimes and the duration of exposure (5, 15 and 30 days) play an important role breaking physical seed dormancy in six legumes from south-eastern Australia. Our results showed that simulated temperature regimes break seed dormancy. This effect is specially pronounced at temperatures that are expected to occur near the soil surface (0-2 cm depth). The duration of exposure interacts with temperature to break dormancy, with the highest germination rates reached after the longest duration and highest temperatures. However, the germination response varied among species. Therefore, this indirect post-fire cue could play a role in the regeneration of plant communities, and could stimulate seedling emergence independent of direct fire cues as well as in interaction with direct cues. © 2010 CSIRO. Abstract. In addition to direct fire cues such as heat, smoke and charred wood, the passage of fire leads indirectly to changes in environmental conditions which may be able to break physical dormancy in hard-coated seeds. After a fire, the open canopy and the burnt material lying on the surface alter the thermal properties of the soil, resulting in elevated soil temperatures for long periods of time. We simulated daily temperature regimes experienced at different depths of soil profile after a summer fire. Our aim was to determine whether these temperature regimes and the duration of exposure (5, 15 and 30 days) play an important role breaking physical seed dormancy in six legumes from south-eastern Australia. Our results showed that simulated temperature regimes break seed dormancy. This effect is specially pronounced at temperatures that are expected to occur near the soil surface (0-2 cm depth). The duration of exposure interacts with temperature to break dormancy, with the highest germination rates reached after the longest duration and highest temperatures. However, the germination response varied among species. Therefore, this indirect post-fire cue could play a role in the regeneration of plant communities, and could stimulate seedling emergence independent of direct fire cues as well as in interaction with direct cues.

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Effects of Fire, Ash, and Litter on Soil Nitrate, Temperature, Moisture and Tobosagrass Production in the Rolling Plains

Cited by 83 publications

References 16 publications

Soil Attributes in a Sierra Nevada Riparian Meadow as Influenced by Grazing

Soil Attributes in a Sierra Nevada Riparian Meadow as Influenced by Grazing

Cascading effects of fire exclusion in the Rocky Mountain ecosystems: a literature review

Effects of soil temperature regimes after fire on seed dormancy and germination in six Australian Fabaceae species

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