Impact of torrential rainfall and salvage logging on post-wildfire soil properties in NE Iberian Peninsula

Francos, Marcos; Úbeda, Xavier; Pereira, Paulo

doi:10.1016/j.catena.2019.02.014

Cited by 24 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…The simultaneous recovery of vegetation and soil properties was also observed by Muñoz-Rojas et al [42]. Previous studies also observed the correlated relationships between pH, EC, TN, and TOC in burned soils and concluded that soil system recovery could take years [12,58,65].…”

Section: Interrelations Between Propertiessupporting

confidence: 59%

Soil Chemical Properties and Trace Elements after Wildfire in Mediterranean Croatia: Effect of Severity, Vegetation Type and Time-Since-Fire

et al. 2022

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Natural landscapes in the Mediterranean ecosystem have experienced extensive changes over the last two centuries due to wildfire activity. Resulting interactions between climatic warming, vegetation species, soil natural, and meteorological condition before and after a wildfire create substantial abrupt landscape alterations. This study investigates the evolution (2 days, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after a fire) of topsoil (0–5 cm) chemical properties in burned Cambisols (Zadar County, Croatia) with respect to different wildfire severities (HS—high severity, MS—medium severity, C—unburned) and vegetation species (Quercus pubescens Willd. and Juniperus communis L.). Soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), calcium carbonates (CaCO3), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total sulphur (TS), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) were significantly higher in HS than in MS and C. Total soil potassium (TK), Fe and Ni were significantly higher in C than in HS. The increase of TOC and TN was more pronounced in Quercus p. than Juniperus c., especially in the first three months. Soil pH, EC, CaCO3, TOC, TN, and TS were most affected by wildfire severity. The distinction between C, MS and HS categories was less visible 9 and 12 months post-fire, indicating the start of the recovery of the soil system. Post-fire management and temporal recovery of the soil system should consider the obvious difference in soil disturbance under HS and MS between vegetation species.

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Section: Interrelations Between Propertiessupporting

confidence: 59%

Soil Chemical Properties and Trace Elements after Wildfire in Mediterranean Croatia: Effect of Severity, Vegetation Type and Time-Since-Fire

et al. 2022

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“…Decreasing the infiltration of water has a detrimental impact on the retention, habitat and production functions of the soil. Typically, increased surface runoff and erosion [17,[32][33][34] make it impossible to fully take advantage of the retention abilities of the soil, thus increasing its susceptibility to droughts. An irregular wetting front and preferential flow in the soil profile [35][36][37], due to the faster infiltration of water through privileged flow paths, can lead to the contamination of groundwater.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Functional Responses to Natural Ecosystem Restoration of a Pine Forest Peucedano-Pinetum after a Fire

Hewelke

Górska

Gozdowski

et al. 2020

Forests

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Progressing climate change increases the frequency of droughts and the risk of the occurrence of forest fires with an increasing range and a dramatic course. The availability of water and its movement within an ecosystem is a fundamental control of biological activity and physical properties, influencing many climatic processes, whereas soil water repellency (SWR) is a key phenomenon affecting water infiltration into the soil system. Focusing on wide-spectrum effects of fire on the soil system, the research was conducted on a pine stand (Peucedano-Pinetum W. Mat. (1962) 1973) in Kampinos National Park located in central Poland, affected by severe and weak fires, as well as control plots. The main aim of the study was to examine the regeneration of the ecosystem 28 months after the occurrence of a fire. The effect of SWR and soil moisture content, total organic carbon, nitrogen and pH, and gain an understanding of the environmental conditions and processes that shaped the evolution of the species structure of soil microorganism communities (fungal vs. bacterial) have been examined. The Water Drop Penetration Time (WDPT) test was used to assess spatial variability of SWR in 28 plots. Soil bacterial and fungal communities were analysed by Illumina’MISeq using 16S rRNA and Internal Transcribed Spacers 1 (ITS1) regions in six selected plots. After a relatively wet summer, elevated hydrophobicity occurred in areas affected by a weak fire as much as 20 cm into the soil depth. The severe fire and subsequent increase in the richness of the succession of non-forest species contributed to the elimination of hydrophobicity. SWR was more closely linked to the structure and diversity of soil microbial communities than soil physicochemical properties that took place in response to the fire. A statistically significant relationship between the relative occurrence of microorganisms (≥ 1.0% in at least one of the samples) and SWR was established for the following fungi and bacteria species: Archaeorhizomyces sp., Leotiomycetes sp., Byssonectria fusispora, Russula vesca, Geminibasidium sp., family Isosphaeraceae and Cyanobacteria (class 4C0d-2, order MLE1-12). Insight into the functional roles of the individual identified microbial taxa that may be responsible for the occurrence of hydrophobicity was also presented.

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“…The destruction of the abundant litter layer under holm oak could have contributed to the strong reduction of C in holm oak burnt sites. Whereas the decrease in soil Cu and Pb concentrations under burnt pine was probably due to brief-term leaching phenomena [ 41 , 42 ]. Although the greater decrease in soil water content was measured in soils covered by herbs, fire occurrence negatively impacted the water retention function (SQI WR ) under pine and holm oak as well, probably because of the destruction of the litter layer strongly involved in soil humidity retention [ 35 ], which is greater under trees than under shrubs and herbs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined Effects of Wildfire and Vegetation Cover Type on Volcanic Soil (Functions and Properties) in a Mediterranean Region: Comparison of Two Soil Quality Indices

Santorufo

Memoli

Panico

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Mediterranean regions are the most impacted by fire in Europe. The effects of fire on soil greatly vary according to several factors such as vegetation cover type, but they are scarcely studied. Therefore, this research aimed at evaluating the combined impacts of fire and vegetation on single soil characteristics and on the overall soil quality and functionality through two soil quality indices, simple additive (SQI) and a weighted function (SQIFUNCT). In order to reach the aims, burnt and unburnt soils were collected under different vegetation cover types (herbs and shrubs, black locust, pine and holm oak) within the Vesuvius National Park. The soils were analyzed for the main abiotic (water and organic matter content, total C, N, Ca, K, Cu and Pb concentrations, C/N ratio) and biotic (microbial and fungal biomasses, basal respiration, β-glucosidase activity) characteristics. On the basis of the investigated soil characteristics, several soil functions (water retention, nutrient supply, contamination content, microorganism habitat and activities), and the soil quality indices were calculated. The results showed that the impact of fire on soil quality and functionality was mediated by the vegetation cover type. In fact, fire occurrence led to a decrease in water and C/N ratio under herbs, a decrease in C concentration under holm oak and a decrease in Cu and Pb concentrations under pine. Although the soil characteristics showed significant changes according to vegetation cover types and fire occurrence, both the additive and weighted function soil quality indices did not significantly vary according to both fire occurrence and the vegetation cover type. Among the different vegetation cover types, pine was the most impacted one.

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Impact of torrential rainfall and salvage logging on post-wildfire soil properties in NE Iberian Peninsula

Cited by 24 publications

References 66 publications

Soil Chemical Properties and Trace Elements after Wildfire in Mediterranean Croatia: Effect of Severity, Vegetation Type and Time-Since-Fire

Soil Chemical Properties and Trace Elements after Wildfire in Mediterranean Croatia: Effect of Severity, Vegetation Type and Time-Since-Fire

Soil Functional Responses to Natural Ecosystem Restoration of a Pine Forest Peucedano-Pinetum after a Fire

Combined Effects of Wildfire and Vegetation Cover Type on Volcanic Soil (Functions and Properties) in a Mediterranean Region: Comparison of Two Soil Quality Indices

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