Complex Effects of Prescribed Fire on Restoring the Soil Water Content in a High‐Elevation Riparian Meadow, Arizona

Mullen, R. Michelle; Springer, Abraham E.; Kolb, Thomas E.

doi:10.1111/j.1526-100x.2006.00126.x

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Silberstein et al () demonstrated that forest sites affected by fire tend to show significant increase in soil moisture storage due to reduced leaf area relative to the unburnt sites and the associated reduction in ET from vegetation. Another study (Mullen, Springer, & Kolb, ) demonstrates that climate variations, such as very wet or dry periods after the fire, complicate the use of fire as a tool for enhancing groundwater recharge. Precipitation in the post‐fire period (2013–2016) is 16% larger than the average annual value (1976–2016).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest fire effects on groundwater in a coastal aquifer (Ravenna, Italy)

Giambastiani

Greggio

Nobili

et al. 2018

Hydrological Processes

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We examined the fire-induced changes in groundwater recharge rate. This aspect is particularly important in the case of large forested areas growing over a coastal aquifer affected by saltwater intrusion. In the Ravenna coastal area (Italy), pine forests grow on coastal dune belts, overlying a sandy unconfined aquifer, which is strongly affected by marine ingression. Three groundwater profiles across the forest and perpendicular to the coastline were monitored for groundwater level, physical, and chemical parameters. The aims were to define groundwater quality, recharge rate, freshwater volume, and highlight change, which occurred after a forest fire with reference to pre-fire conditions. Analytical solutions based on Darcy Law and the Dupuit Equation were applied to calculate unconfined flow and compare recharge rates among the profiles. The estimated recharge rates increased in the partially and completely burnt areas (219 and 511 mm year −1 , respectively) compared with the pristine pine forest area (73 mm year −1 ). Although pre-fire conditions were similar in all monitored profiles, a post-fire decrease in salinity was observed across the burnt forest, along with an increase in infiltration and freshwater lens thickness. This was attributed to decrease canopy interception and evapotranspiration caused by vegetation absence after the fire. This research provided an example of positive forest fire feedback on the quantity and quality of fresh groundwater resources in a lowland coastal aquifer affected by saltwater intrusion, with limited availability of freshwater resources. The fire provided an opportunity to evaluate a new forest management approach and consider the restoration and promotion of native dune herbaceous vegetation.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest fire effects on groundwater in a coastal aquifer (Ravenna, Italy)

Giambastiani

Greggio

Nobili

et al. 2018

Hydrological Processes

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“…Burning changed soil temperature and soil moisture greatly in the present study (Figure 1). When a fire scorches a large fraction of the aboveground canopy, evapotranspiration is reduced greatly (Beringer et al 2003; Mullen et al 2006). Therefore, transient higher soil moisture was observed on 25 June (Figure 1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the middle and late growing season, when plants need to uptake more water from the soil, and ecosystem evapotranspiration was higher due to the high temperature, burning‐induced decrease in soil moisture (Figure 1A) might have aggravated water limitation on plant growth. The negative effect of burning caused by lower soil moisture might counteract the positive effect that resulted from the increases in nutrient availability (Mack et al 2001; Wan et al 2001) or the higher radiation (Mullen et al 2006). Over the whole growing season, the burning‐induced changes in monthly mean soil moisture could explain 51% ( P < 0.001) of the burning‐induced changes in P n of all three species (Figure 7A), suggesting that burning‐induced soil moisture was the main driving factor for plant photosynthetic responses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a natural or anthropogenic disturbance, fire can cause changes in environmental conditions for plant growth due to the effects on soil physical properties and biogeochemical processes (Knapp et al 1998; Neary et al 1999; Wan et al 2001). The increases in nutrient (especially N) availability after burning (Mack et al 2001; Wan et al 2001), together with higher incident radiation and the absence of competitors (Mullen et al 2006), can stimulate plant photosynthesis and thus promote plant growth (Brys et al 2005). However, soil microclimate such as soil moisture, temperature, and nitrogen content also change simultaneously after fire.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Species‐specific Response of Photosynthesis to Burning and Nitrogen Fertilization

Zhang

Niu

et al. 2008

JIPB

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The present study was conducted to examine photosynthetic characteristics of three dominant grass species (Agropyron cristatum, Leymus chinensis, and Cleistogenes squarrosa) and their responses to burning and nitrogen fertilization in a semiarid grassland in northern China. Photosynthetic rate (P(n)), stomatal conductance (g(s)), and water use efficiency (WUE) showed strong temporal variability over the growing season. C. squarrosa showed a significantly higher P(n) and WUE than A. cristatum and L. chinensis. Burning stimulated P(n) of A. cristatum and L. chinensis by 24-59% (P < 0.05) in the early growing season, but not during other time periods. Light-saturated photosynthetic rate (P(max)) in A. cristatum and the maximum apparent quantum yield (Phi(max)) in A. cristatum and L. chinensis were significantly enhanced by burning (16-67%) in both the fertilized and unfertilized plots. The main effect of burning on P(n), P(max) and Phi(max) was not significant in C. squarrosa. The burning-induced changes in soil moisture could explain 51% (P = 0.01) of the burning-induced changes in P(n) of the three species. All three species showed positive responses to N fertilization in terms of P(n), P(max), and Phi(max). The stimulation of P(n) under N fertilization was mainly observed in the early growing season when the soil extractable N content was significantly higher in the fertilized plots. The N fertilization-induced changes in soil extractable N content could explain 66% (P = 0.001) of the changes in P(n) under N fertilization. The photosynthetic responses of the three species indicate that burning and N fertilization will potentially change the community structure and ecosystem productivity in the semiarid grasslands of northern China.

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“…Soil moisture pulses appear to last ¾5 days after which values return to pre-storm levels, suggesting that soil moisture persists in the surface layer despite losses to infiltration, evapotranspiration and downslope redistribution (e.g. Mullen et al, 2006). A comparison of the soil moisture amount and its variability at the four transects can provide an indication of the differences in hydrologic response across the grassland to forest transition.…”

Section: Spatial and Temporal Variability In Soil Moisturementioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation controls on soil moisture distribution in the Valles Caldera, New Mexico, during the North American monsoon

et al. 2008

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Soil moisture distributions are expected to be closely tied to ecosystem processes in water-limited environments of the southwest United States. Nevertheless, few studies have addressed how soil moisture varies across grassland to forest transitions frequently observed in semiarid mountain settings. In this study, we quantify the vegetation controls on surface soil moisture by sampling a range of different ecosystems present in the Valles Caldera, New Mexico. Soil and atmospheric variables were measured during a 2-week field campaign conducted in late July to early August 2005 during the North American monsoon. Field observations were supplemented by a network of continuous instruments used to assess conditions prior to and after the sampling campaign. Results reveal that soil moisture responds directly to summer precipitation events and is mediated by plant interception, which differs across the grassland-forest continuum. The nature of the spatial and temporal variations in soil moisture changes across the different sampled ecosystems: wetlands, riparian forests, grasslands, ponderosa, deciduous and mixed conifer forests. In particular, statistical analyses of soil moisture distributions indicate that distinct regimes (e.g. probability density functions) exist along the semiarid vegetation gradient, which may not be revealed through simple metrics such as the ecosystem average. Ecosystem differences are further elucidated through comparison of the spatial variations in each vegetation type, indicating higher variability in wetland and grassland sites.

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Complex Effects of Prescribed Fire on Restoring the Soil Water Content in a High‐Elevation Riparian Meadow, Arizona

Cited by 8 publications

References 13 publications

Forest fire effects on groundwater in a coastal aquifer (Ravenna, Italy)

Forest fire effects on groundwater in a coastal aquifer (Ravenna, Italy)

Species‐specific Response of Photosynthesis to Burning and Nitrogen Fertilization

Vegetation controls on soil moisture distribution in the Valles Caldera, New Mexico, during the North American monsoon

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