Prescribed Fire Effects on Water Quality and Freshwater Ecosystems in Moist-Temperate Eastern North America

Hahn, G.; Coates, T. Adam; Latham, Roger Earl; Majidzadeh, Hamed

doi:10.3375/043.039.0104

Cited by 29 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…The laboratory extraction study confirmed this hypothesis as well; aromaticity of the DOM leaching from vegetation was not significant between the two watersheds (Table 2). This agrees with previous studies suggesting that low-intensity prescribed fire may not significantly change DOM composition and only high-intensity fire results in increased DOM aromaticity (Wang et al 2015;Coates et al 2017;Hahn et al 2019).…”

Section: Monthly Field Monitoringsupporting

confidence: 93%

Long-term watershed management is an effective strategy to reduce organic matter export and disinfection by-product precursors in source water

Majidzadeh¹,

Chen²,

Coates³

et al. 2019

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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Watershed management practices such as prescribed fire, harvesting and understory mastication can alter the chemical composition and thickness of forest detritus, thus affecting the quantity and quality of riverine dissolved organic matter (DOM). Long-term effects of watershed management on DOM composition were examined through parallel field and extraction-based laboratory studies. The laboratory study was conducted using detritus samples collected from a pair of managed and unmanaged watersheds in South Carolina, USA. Results showed that dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and ammonium (NH4+-N) concentrations were higher in water extracts from the unmanaged watershed than from the managed watershed (P<0.01). Pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis showed that water extracts from the unmanaged watershed contained more aromatic compounds than extracts from the managed watershed. For the field study, monthly water samples were collected for 1 year (2015) from the paired watersheds. DOC and TDN concentrations, as well as DOM aromaticity, were significantly higher in the unmanaged watershed than in the managed watershed for most of the year (P<0.05) and were linked to detrital thickness, precipitation and flow patterns. The formation potential of two regulated disinfection by-products was lower in the unmanaged watershed for most of 2015 (P<0.05). From this study, it appears that long-term watershed management practices may alter detrital mass and chemistry in ways that improve water quality.

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Section: Monthly Field Monitoringsupporting

confidence: 93%

Long-term watershed management is an effective strategy to reduce organic matter export and disinfection by-product precursors in source water

Majidzadeh¹,

Chen²,

Coates³

et al. 2019

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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“…USLE-Forest values might indicate potential soil erosion and subsequent water quality effects, which may include sedimentation, eutrophication, increased water temperatures, and altered aquatic habitats. In a recent literature review of prescribed fire water quality effects, Hahn et al [38] determined that very few prescribed fires in the eastern United States, regardless of intensity, had drastic water quality impacts. Impacts were generally related to vegetative cover type, slope position, and the time since fire when measurements were obtained.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildfire and Prescribed Fire Effects on Forest Floor Properties and Erosion Potential in the Central Appalachian Region, USA

Thompson

Coates

Aust

et al. 2019

Forests

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Short- and long-term impacts of wildland fires on forest floor properties and erosion potential were examined at three locations in the Central Appalachian region, U.S.A. In 2018, two wildfires were investigated within six months of burning on the George Washington–Jefferson National Forest (GWJNF) in Bland County, Virginia and the Monongahela National Forest (MNF) in Grant County, West Virginia. An additional wildfire was studied eight years post-fire on the Fishburn Forest (FF) in Montgomery County, Virginia. A 2018 prescribed fire was also studied within six months of burning on the MNF in Pendleton County, West Virginia. Litter and duff consumption were examined to evaluate fire severity and char heights were measured to better understand fire intensity. The Universal Soil Loss Equation for forestlands (USLE-Forest) was utilized to estimate potential erosion values. For the 2018 comparisons, litter depth was least as a result of the wildfires on both the MNF and GWJNF (p < 0.001). Wildfire burned duff depths in 2018 did not differ from unburned duff depths on either the MNF or GWJNF. Eight years after the FF wildfire, post-fire litter depth was less than that of an adjacent non-burned forest (p = 0.29) and duff depth was greater than that of an adjacent non-burned forest (p = 0.76). Mean GWJNF wildfire char heights were greatest of all disturbance regimes at 10.0 m, indicating high fire intensity, followed by the MNF wildfire and then the MNF prescribed fire. USLE-Forest potential erosion estimates were greatest on the MNF wildfire at 21.6 Mg soil ha−1 year−1 due to slope steepness. The next largest USLE-Forest value was 6.9 Mg soil ha−1 year−1 on the GWJNF wildfire. Both the prescribed fire and the 2010 wildfire USLE-Forest values were approximately 0.00 Mg soil ha−1 year−1. Implications for potential long-term soil erosion resulting from similar wildfires in Central Appalachian forests appeared to be minimal given the 2010 wildfire results.

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“…Although there is extensive research on prescribed fire effects on soil hydrophobicity in southern Europe (Ferreira et al, 2005;Shakesby et al, 1993), there are limited contemporary data on nutrient response to prescribed fire in this region. Many of the nutrient concentration or export increases after prescribed fire may represent an Assart effect: an ephemeral nutrient pulse after disturbance (Hahn et al, 2018). Whether or not these increases in nutrient concentrations constitute eutrophication and negatively affect stream ecosystems is still questionable due to the magnitude and limited duration of increased concentrations (Table 2).…”

Section: Nutrient Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prescribed fire effects on sediment and nutrient exports in forested environments: A review

et al. 2020

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This review examines the impact of prescribed fire on the water quality variables (a) sediment load and (b) limiting macronutrients in forested environments globally. We aim to characterize the forested environments subject to prescribed fire, to discuss factors of the fire regime that contribute to water quality concerns, and to offer insight into the effect of precipitation timing and study scale on constituent exports. High fuel consumption during fire increases the risk of erosion and constituent export during precipitation, though high fuel consumption during prescribed fire is uncommon in forested environments. Small-scale studies examining sediment yield after prescribed fire may fail to capture the effect of landscape-scale spatial variability, and watershed-scale studies accounting for such variability are lacking. Although small-plot studies confirm that prescribed fire can alter hydrologic inputs, the environmental impact of these increases is minimal, particularly when compared with other land-use systems. Generally, prescribed fire is a beneficial and low-impact disturbance that likely improves fire-adapted forest health. However, gaps in knowledge exist at various spatial and temporal scales; this review suggests two avenues of future research, including (a) greater understanding of fire regime interactions that control surface runoff and erosion at the watershed scale, and (b) monitoring forest health and ecological function after prescribed fire rather than direct nutrient exports.

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Prescribed Fire Effects on Water Quality and Freshwater Ecosystems in Moist-Temperate Eastern North America

Cited by 29 publications

References 74 publications

Long-term watershed management is an effective strategy to reduce organic matter export and disinfection by-product precursors in source water

Long-term watershed management is an effective strategy to reduce organic matter export and disinfection by-product precursors in source water

Wildfire and Prescribed Fire Effects on Forest Floor Properties and Erosion Potential in the Central Appalachian Region, USA

Prescribed fire effects on sediment and nutrient exports in forested environments: A review

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