Post-wildfire management effects on short-term evolution of soil properties (Catalonia, Spain, SW-Europe)
Francos, Marcos | University of Barcelona |
Alcañiz, Meritxell | University of Barcelona |
Úbeda, Xavier | University of Barcelona |
Elsevier |
Post-fire management practices after wildfires have an important impact on soil properties. Nevertheless, little research has been carried out. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of different post-wildfire forest management practices in a 10-month period immediately after a severe wildfire on soil properties. Two months after a wildfire, three experimental areas were designed, each one with different post-fire management: Cut and Remove (CR) where burned trunks were cut after fire and removed manually from the area; No Treatment (NT) where no intervention was carried out; and, Cut and Leave (CL) where burned trunks were cut and left randomly on topsoil. In each treatment, we collected nine samples (0–5 cm deep). In total, we sampled 27 samples in each sampling date, two and ten months after the wildfire. The properties analyzed were aggregate stability (AS), total nitrogen (TN), soil organic matter (SOM), inorganic carbon (IC), C/N ratio, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), extractable calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na) and potassium (K). Soil C/N ratio was significantly higher in CR and CL treatments 10 months after fire comparing to 2 months after. On the other hand, pH, extractable Ca, Mg and K were significantly higher in all the treatments 2 months after fire than 10 months after. Aggregate stability, TN and SOM were significantly higher in CR comparing to CL, 10 months after the fire. IC was significantly higher in CL than in NT treatment, also, 10 months after the fire. Electrical conductivity was significantly higher in CR and CL treatments 2 months after fire comparing to 10 months after. According to the results, CR and CL post-fire management did not differ importantly from the NT scenario, showing that manual wood management does not have detrimental impacts on soil properties compared to mechanical operations.
Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (MECD) |
Journal | IF | AIF | AIF (min) | AIF (max) | Cat | AV | Year | Quartile |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT | 5.589 | 3.98 | 3.98 | 3.98 | 1 | 1.404 | 2018 | Q1 |
Journal | IF | AIF | AIF (min) | AIF (max) | Cat | AV | Year | Quartile |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT | 5.589 | 3.98 | 3.98 | 3.98 | 1 | 1.404 | 2018 | Q1 |
Journal | Cite Score | SNIP | SJR | Year | Quartile |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Science of the Total Environment | 7.4 | 1.84 | 1.536 | 2018 | Q1 |