Spatio-temporal Vegetation Recuperation after a Grassland Fire in Lithuania

Pereira, Paulo; Cerdà, Artemi; Jordán, António; Bolutienė, Violeta; Pranskevičius, Mantas; Úbeda, Xavier; Mataix‐Solera, Jorge

doi:10.1016/j.proenv.2013.06.095

Cited by 16 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…This reduced SOM content in the beginning of the spring season may be attributed to the lack of fresh litter input and reduced biological activity during the winter due to the low temperatures. In summary, this spring fire of low severity increased SOM which may have contributed to the rapid recovery of the vegetation (Pereira et al, 2013a). The correlation between soil Munsell colour value and SOM was always significantly negative, but especially high in the immediate sampling dates after the fire in both plots.…”

Section: Soil Organic Mattermentioning

confidence: 79%

“…The change in environmental conditions, together with the nutrient availability, rainfall amount after the fire, and warmer temperatures during the spring season, can explain the fact that 2 months after the fire vegetation recovered completely in this burned area. During this period a total of 88 mm of rainfall was registered (Pereira et al, 2012a;2013a). As a result of this, 2 months after the fire the effects of soil colour on soil temperature may have been reduced.…”

Section: Soil Munsell Colour Valuementioning

confidence: 95%

“…The characteristics of the study area are described in Table 1. Fire severity was considered low based on the predominance of black ash and unburned patches (Pereira et al, 2013a). Four days after the fire, a plot of 400 m 2 was delineated (20 m × 20 m, with a grid with 5 m spacing between sampling points) in an unburned and burned area with the same topographical characteristics (flat area).…”

Section: Study Site and Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These authors observed that soil lightness of colour had a significant negative correlation with charcoal carbon. Despite this knowledge, little is known about the soil lightness changes in the immediate period after the fire, when the major changes in soil properties and ash transport happen (Pereira et al, 2013a;Scharenbroch et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Short-term changes in soil Munsell colour value, organic matter content and soil water repellency after a spring grassland fire in Lithuania

et al. 2014

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Abstract.Fire is a natural phenomenon with important implications on soil properties. The degree of this impact depends upon fire severity, the ecosystem affected, topography of the burned area and post-fire meteorological conditions. The study of fire effects on soil properties is fundamental to understand the impacts of this disturbance on ecosystems. The aim of this work was to study the short-term effects immediately after the fire (IAF), 2, 5, 7 and 9 months after a low-severity spring boreal grassland fire on soil colour value (assessed with the Munsell colour chart), soil organic matter content (SOM) and soil water repellency (SWR) in Lithuania. Four days after the fire a 400 m 2 plot was delineated in an unburned and burned area with the same topographical characteristics. Soil samples were collected at 0-5 cm depth in a 20 m × 20 m grid, with 5 m space between sampling points. In each plot 25 samples were collected (50 each sampling date) for a total of 250 samples for the whole study. SWR was assessed in fine earth (< 2 mm) and sieve fractions of 2-1, 1-0.5, 0.5-0.25 and < 0.25 mm from the 250 soil samples using the water drop penetration time (WDPT) method. The results showed that significant differences were only identified in the burned area. Fire darkened the soil significantly during the entire study period due to the incorporation of ash/charcoal into the topsoil (significant differences were found among plots for all sampling dates). SOM was only significantly different among samples from the unburned area. The comparison between plots revealed that SOM was significantly higher in the first 2 months after the fire in the burned plot, compared to the unburned plot. SWR of the fine earth was significantly different in the burned and unburned plot among all sampling dates. SWR was significantly more severe only IAF and 2 months after the fire. In the unburned area SWR was significantly higher IAF, 2, 5 and 7 months later after than 9 months later. The comparison between plots showed that SWR was more severe in the burned plot during the first 2 months after the fire in relation to the unburned plot. Considering the different sieve fractions studied, in the burned plot SWR was significantly more severe in the first 7 months after the fire in the coarser fractions (2-1 and 1-0.5 mm) and 9 months after in the finer fractions (0.5-0.25 and < 0.25 mm). In relation to the unburned plot, SWR was significantly more severe in the size fractions 2-1 and < 0.25 mm, IAF, 5 and 7 months after the fire than 2 and 9 months later. In the 1-0.5-and 0.5-0.25 mm-size fractions, SWR was significantly higher IAF, 2, 5 and 7 months after the fire than in the last sampling date. Significant differences in SWR were observed among the different sieve fractions in each plot, with exception of 2 and 9 months after the fire in the unburned plot. In most cases the finer fraction (< 0.25 mm) was more water repellent than the Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. P. Pereira et al.: Sho...

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Section: Soil Organic Mattermentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Soil Munsell Colour Valuementioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Study Site and Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Short-term changes in soil Munsell colour value, organic matter content and soil water repellency after a spring grassland fire in Lithuania

et al. 2014

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“…Most of the information about fire is not based on scientific knowledge, and it creates the public perception that there is a need for fire exclusion and suppression (Pereira et al, ; Donovan et al, ). After seeing catastrophic images of fire in the media, the public adopts the idea that fire damages in ecosystems are irreversible, which is not always true, because some ecosystems are very resilient and can recover quickly (Riano et al, ; Pausas et al, ; Pereira et al ., , ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stakeholders' Perceptions about Fire Impacts on Lithuanian Protected Areas

2014

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The aim of this work is to study Lithuanian stakeholders' perceptions of fire impacts in protected areas. For this study, the stakeholders consisted of foresters, ecologists and farmers. A clear understanding of the opinions of stakeholders about fire effects on environmental, social and economic aspects of Lithuanian protected areas will allow an assessment of the stakeholders' reaction to fire policy, including government measures towards fire prevention, suppression and application of prescribed fire to landscape management. The results showed that stakeholders in general think that fire is not a threat to Lithuania and to the ecological processes in the protected areas. However, they agree that fires have negative impacts on soil properties and fertility but are not to an irremediable or irrecoverable extent. Stakeholders disagree that fire has positive consequences for agricultural and cattle activities but agreed that vegetation recovers quickly. They do not see fire as a social and economic problem, do not agree that prescribed fire could be used to landscape management, and believe that mechanical thinning is a better management tool than prescribed fire. Stakeholders agree that fire does not have negative impacts on the biodiversity. These opinions depended on the age group of the respondent but especially on the respondent's professional occupation.

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