Effects of a Wildfire on Selected Physical, Chemical and Biochemical Soil Properties in a Pinus massoniana Forest in South China

Abstract

Abstract:Pinus massoniana forests bordering South China are often affected by wildfires. Fires cause major changes in soil properties in many forest types but little is known about the effects of fire on soil properties in these P. massoniana forests. Such knowledge is important for providing a comprehensive understanding of wildfire effects on soil patterns and for planning appropriate long-term forest management in these forests. Changes in soil physical properties, carbon, nutrients, and enzymes were investigated in a P. massoniana forest along a wildfire-induced time span consisting of an unburned soil, and soils 0, one, four, and seven years post-fire. Soil (0-10 cm) was collected from burned and unburned sites immediately and one, four, and seven years after a wildfire. The wildfire effects on soil physical and chemical properties and enzyme activities were significantly different among treatment variation, time variation, and treatment-by-time interaction. Significant short-term effects on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties were found, which resulted in a deterioration of soil physical properties by increasing soil bulk density and decreasing macropores and capillary moisture. Soil pH increased significantly in the soil one-year post-fire. Carbon, total nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and available N and P increased significantly immediately and one year after the wildfire and decreased progressively to concentrations lower than in the unburned soil. Total potassium (K) and exchangeable K increased immediately after the wildfire and then continuously decreased along the burned time-span. Urease, acid phosphatase, and catalase activities significantly decreased OPEN ACCESSForests 2014, 5 2948 compared to those in the unburned soil. In fire-prone P. massoniana forests, wildfires may significantly influence soil physical properties, carbon, nutrients, and enzyme activity.

Mineral Soil Chemical Properties as Influenced by Long-Term Use of Prescribed Fire with Differing Frequencies in a Southeastern Coastal Plain Pine Forest

“…This use of prescribed fire and its subsequent effects on soils and other important ecosystem properties contrasts markedly to wildfires and their associated effects [10,11]. Wildfires are typified by high fire intensity and severity caused by ignitions in long-unburned areas with heavy fuel loads, whereas frequent, prescribed fires of the southeastern Coastal Plain are generally characterized by low intensity and severity [5,[12][13][14][15] Wildfire effects on soils in long-unburned forests have been widely studied and investigated [16][17][18]. Studies across multiple continents indicate that potential outcomes of high-severity wildfires include:…”

Growth and Nutrient Status of Foliage as Affected by Tree Species and Fertilization in a Fire-Disturbed Urban Forest

“…However, many urban forest ecosystems face challenging natural and anthropogenic influences, such as forest fire and air pollutions [6]. For example, soils disturbed through forest fire exhibit a myriad of nutritional problems, such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deficiency through increased nutrient leaching, surface runoff, and soil erosion [7][8].…”

Thresholds and relations for soil‐hydraulic and soil‐physical properties as a function of burn severity 4 years after the 2011 Las Conchas Fire, New Mexico, USA

“…The thresholds and relations for the 0–1 cm depths in ρ b and soil organic matter (LOI) likely reflect immediate wildfire impacts that result from the direct heat impulse into the soil, but ρ b and soil organic matter have not yet recovered in the 4 years since the wildfire. The postfire recovery of ρ b has been shown to take 3.3 (Nyman, Sheridan, Smith, & Lane, ) to 7 years (Xue, Li, & Chen, ). Recovery of soil‐organic matter after fire is a longer duration process, with estimates of >5 years (Goudelis, Ganatsas, Tsitsoni, Spanos, & Daskalakou, ), 7 years (López‐Martín, Velasco‐Molina, & Knicker, ), 15–20 years (Kaye, Romanyà, & Vallejo, ), 17 years (Guénon, Vennetier, Dupuy, Ziarelli, & Gros, ), and >20 years (Tessler, Wittenberg, & Greenbaum, ).…”