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Girona-García A, Zufiaurre Galarza R, Mora JL, Armas-Herrera CM, Martí C, Ortiz-Perpiñá O, Badía-Villas D. Effects of prescribed burning for pasture reclamation on soil chemical properties in subalpine shrublands of the Central Pyrenees (NE-Spain). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 644:583-593. [PMID: 29990908 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The abandonment of the traditional pastoral activities in the subalpine grasslands of the Central Pyrenees (NE-Spain) has resulted in shrub encroachment processes that are dominated by species such as the Echinospartum horridum. Therefore, prescribed burning has been recently readopted in this region as a management tool to stop the spread of shrubs and recover grasslands. We aimed to assess the effect that this practice may have on soil chemical properties such as SOC, N, pH, EC, water-extractable and exchangeable cations (Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+), cation exchange capacity, inorganic N forms (N-NH4+ and N-NO3-) and available P. We studied two prescribed burnings conducted at the subalpine level of the Central Pyrenees in the municipalities of Tella-Sin (April 2015) and Buisán (November 2015). At each site, the topsoil was sampled in triplicate at soil depths of 0-1, 1-2 and 2-3 cm immediately before (U), immediately after (B0) and one year after (B12) burning, and litter and/or ashes were removed prior to sampling. The results indicate that in the B0 samples, burning significantly reduced the SOC and N contents as well as the exchangeable Ca2+ and Mg2+ at 0-1 cm, whereas the rest of the studied properties remained virtually unchanged. However, in the B12 samples we detected a decrease of nutrient content that was probably related to leaching and/or erosion processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Girona-García
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Huesca, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Ctra. Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain.
| | - Raquel Zufiaurre Galarza
- Departamento de Química Analítica, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Huesca, Universidad de Zaragoza, Ctra. Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain
| | - Juan Luis Mora
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, C/ Miguel Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Cecilia María Armas-Herrera
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Huesca, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Ctra. Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain
| | - Clara Martí
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Huesca, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Ctra. Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain
| | - Oriol Ortiz-Perpiñá
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Huesca, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Ctra. Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain
| | - David Badía-Villas
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Huesca, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Ctra. Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain
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52
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Evaluation of Composite Burn Index and Land Surface Temperature for Assessing Soil Burn Severity in Mediterranean Fire-Prone Pine Ecosystems. FORESTS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/f9080494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
We analysed the relationship between burn severity indicators, from remote sensing and field observations, and soil properties after a wildfire in a fire-prone Mediterranean ecosystem. Our study area was a large wildfire in a Pinus pinaster forest. Burn severity from remote sensing was identified by studying immediate post-fire Land Surface Temperature (LST). We also evaluated burn severity in the field applying the Composite Burn Index (CBI) in a total of 84 plots (30 m diameter). In each plot we evaluated litter consumption, ash colour and char depth as visual indicators. We collected soil samples and pH, soil organic carbon, dry aggregate size distribution (MWD), aggregate stability and water repellency were analysed. A controlled heating of soil was also carried out in the laboratory, with soil from the control plots, to compare with the changes produced in soils affected by different severity levels in the field. Our results shown that changes in soil properties affected by wildfire were only observed in soil aggregation in the high severity situation. The laboratory-controlled heating showed that temperatures of about 300 °C result in a significant reduction in soil organic carbon and MWD. Furthermore, soil organic carbon showed a significant decrease when LST values increased. Char depth was the best visual indicator to show changes in soil properties (mainly physical properties) in large fires that occur in Mediterranean pine forests. We conclude that CBI and post-fire LST can be considered good indicators of soil burn severity since both indicate the impact of fire on soil properties.
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Vieira DCS, Serpa D, Nunes JPC, Prats SA, Neves R, Keizer JJ. Predicting the effectiveness of different mulching techniques in reducing post-fire runoff and erosion at plot scale with the RUSLE, MMF and PESERA models. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2018; 165:365-378. [PMID: 29803019 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.04.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Revised: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Wildfires have become a recurrent threat for many Mediterranean forest ecosystems. The characteristics of the Mediterranean climate, with its warm and dry summers and mild and wet winters, make this a region prone to wildfire occurrence as well as to post-fire soil erosion. This threat is expected to be aggravated in the future due to climate change and land management practices and planning. The wide recognition of wildfires as a driver for runoff and erosion in burnt forest areas has created a strong demand for model-based tools for predicting the post-fire hydrological and erosion response and, in particular, for predicting the effectiveness of post-fire management operations to mitigate these responses. In this study, the effectiveness of two post-fire treatments (hydromulch and natural pine needle mulch) in reducing post-fire runoff and soil erosion was evaluated against control conditions (i.e. untreated conditions), at different spatial scales. The main objective of this study was to use field data to evaluate the ability of different erosion models: (i) empirical (RUSLE), (ii) semi-empirical (MMF), and (iii) physically-based (PESERA), to predict the hydrological and erosive response as well as the effectiveness of different mulching techniques in fire-affected areas. The results of this study showed that all three models were reasonably able to reproduce the hydrological and erosive processes occurring in burned forest areas. In addition, it was demonstrated that the models can be calibrated at a small spatial scale (0.5 m2) but provide accurate results at greater spatial scales (10 m2). From this work, the RUSLE model seems to be ideal for fast and simple applications (i.e. prioritization of areas-at-risk) mainly due to its simplicity and reduced data requirements. On the other hand, the more complex MMF and PESERA models would be valuable as a base of a possible tool for assessing the risk of water contamination in fire-affected water bodies and for testing different land management scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C S Vieira
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Dpt. of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, Aveiro 3810-193, Portugal; MARETEC, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - D Serpa
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Dpt. of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, Aveiro 3810-193, Portugal
| | - J P C Nunes
- CE3C - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - S A Prats
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Dpt. of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, Aveiro 3810-193, Portugal
| | - R Neves
- MARETEC, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - J J Keizer
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Dpt. of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, Aveiro 3810-193, Portugal
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54
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Controls on Soil Organic Carbon Partitioning and Stabilization in the California Sierra Nevada. SOIL SYSTEMS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/soilsystems2030041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
There is a critical need to quantify the role of soil mineral composition on organic carbon (C) stabilization in forest soils. Here, we address this need by studying a matrix of forest ecosystems and soil parent materials with the objective of quantifying controls on the physical partitioning and residence time of soil organic carbon. We sampled soil profiles across a climate gradient on the western slope of the California Sierra Nevada, focusing on three distinct forest ecosystems dominated by ponderosa pine, white fir, or red fir, on three igneous parent materials that included granite, andesite, and basalt. Results indicated that short-range order mineral phases were the dominant factors accounting for the variation in soil carbon content and residence time. The results further suggested an interaction between ecosystem fire regime and the degree of soil weathering on the partitioning, chemical composition, and residence time of C in density separated soil physical fractions. These results suggest a link between the degree of soil weathering and C storage capacity, with a greater divergence in storage capacity and residence time in the Inceptisols, Entisols, and Andisols of the white fir and red fir ecosystems relative to minimal variation in the highly weathered Ultisols and Alfisols of the ponderosa pine ecosystem.
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Harper AR, Doerr SH, Santin C, Froyd CA, Sinnadurai P. Prescribed fire and its impacts on ecosystem services in the UK. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 624:691-703. [PMID: 29272838 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The impacts of vegetation fires on ecosystems are complex and varied affecting a range of important ecosystem services. Fire has the potential to affect the physicochemical and ecological status of water systems, alter several aspects of the carbon cycle (e.g. above- and below-ground carbon storage) and trigger changes in vegetation type and structure. Globally, fire is an essential part of land management in fire-prone regions in, e.g. Australia, the USA and some Mediterranean countries to mitigate the likelihood of catastrophic wildfires and sustain healthy ecosystems. In the less-fire prone UK, fire has a long history of usage in management for enhancing the productivity of heather, red grouse and sheep. This distinctly different socioeconomic tradition of burning underlies some of the controversy in recent decades in the UK around the use of fire. Negative public opinion and opposition from popular media have highlighted concerns around the detrimental impacts burning can have on the health and diversity of upland habitats. It is evident there are many gaps in the current knowledge around the environmental impacts of prescribed burning in less fire-prone regions (e.g. UK). Land owners and managers require a greater level of certainty on the advantages and disadvantages of prescribed burning in comparison to other techniques to better inform management practices. This paper addresses this gap by providing a critical review of published work and future research directions related to the impacts of prescribed fire on three key aspects of ecosystem services: (i) water quality, (ii) carbon dynamics and (iii) habitat composition and structure (biodiversity). Its overall aims are to provide guidance based on the current state-of-the-art for researchers, land owners, managers and policy makers on the potential effects of the use of burning and to inform the wider debate about the place of fire in modern conservation and land management in humid temperate ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashleigh R Harper
- Department of Geography, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.
| | - Stefan H Doerr
- Department of Geography, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Cristina Santin
- Department of Geography, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK; Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Cynthia A Froyd
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Paul Sinnadurai
- Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, Cambrian Way, Brecon LD3 7HP, UK
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56
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Girona-García A, Badía-Villas D, Martí-Dalmau C, Ortiz-Perpiñá O, Mora JL, Armas-Herrera CM. Effects of prescribed fire for pasture management on soil organic matter and biological properties: A 1-year study case in the Central Pyrenees. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 618:1079-1087. [PMID: 29122341 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.09.127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Revised: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Prescribed burning has been readopted in the last decade in the Central Pyrenees to stop the regression of subalpine grasslands in favour of shrublands, dominated among others by Echinospartum horridum (Vahl) Rothm. Nevertheless, the effect of this practice on soil properties is uncertain. The aim of this work was to analyse the effects of these burnings on topsoil organic matter and biological properties. Soil sampling was carried out in an autumnal prescribed fire in Buisán (NE-Spain, November 2015). Topsoil was sampled at 0-1cm, 1-2cm and 2-3cm depth in triplicate just before (U), ~1h (B0), 6months (B6) and 12months (B12) after burning. We analysed soil total organic C (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), microbial biomass C (Cmic), soil respiration (SR) and β-D-glucosidase activity. A maximum temperature of 438°C was recorded at soil surface while at 1cm depth only 31°C were reached. Burning significantly decreased TOC (-52%), TN (-44%), Cmic (-57%), SR (-72%) and β-D-glucosidase (-66%) at 0-1cm depth while SR was also reduced (-45%) at 1-2cm depth. In B6 and B12, no significant changes in these properties were observed as compared to B0. It can be concluded that the impact of prescribed burning has been significant and sustained over time, although limited to the first two topsoil centimetres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Girona-García
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Huesca, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Ctra. Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain.
| | - David Badía-Villas
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Huesca, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Ctra. Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain
| | - Clara Martí-Dalmau
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Huesca, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Ctra. Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain
| | - Oriol Ortiz-Perpiñá
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Huesca, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Ctra. Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain
| | - Juan Luis Mora
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, C/Miguel Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Cecilia M Armas-Herrera
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Huesca, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Ctra. Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain
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57
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Alcañiz M, Outeiro L, Francos M, Úbeda X. Effects of prescribed fires on soil properties: A review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 613-614:944-957. [PMID: 28946382 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.09.144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Revised: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Soils constitute one of the most valuable resources on earth, especially because soil is renewable on human time scales. During the 20th century, a period marked by a widespread rural exodus and land abandonment, fire suppression policies were adopted facilitating the accumulation of fuel in forested areas, exacerbating the effects of wildfires, leading to severe degradation of soils. Prescribed fires emerged as an option for protecting forests and their soils from wildfires through the reduction of fuels levels. However such fires can serve other objectives, including stimulating the regeneration of a particular plant species, maintaining biological diversity or as a tool for recovering grasslands in encroached lands. This paper reviews studies examining the short- and long- term impacts of prescribed fires on the physical, chemical and biological soil properties; in so doing, it provides a summary of the benefits and drawbacks of this technique, to help determine if prescribed fires can be useful for managing the landscape. From the study conducted, we can affirm that prescribed fires affects soil properties but differ greatly depending on soil initial characteristics, vegetation or type of fire. Also, it is possible to see that soil's physical and biological properties are more strongly affected by prescribed fires than are its chemical properties. Finally, we conclude that prescribed fires clearly constitute a disturbance on the environment (positive, neutral or negative depending on the soil property studied), but most of the studies reviewed report a good recovery and their effects could be less pronounced than those of wildfires because of the limited soil heating and lower fire intensity and severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Alcañiz
- GRAM (Grup de Recerca Ambiental Mediterrània), Department of Geography. University of Barcelona, Montalegre 6, 08001 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - L Outeiro
- Dept. Applied Economy, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - M Francos
- GRAM (Grup de Recerca Ambiental Mediterrània), Department of Geography. University of Barcelona, Montalegre 6, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
| | - X Úbeda
- GRAM (Grup de Recerca Ambiental Mediterrània), Department of Geography. University of Barcelona, Montalegre 6, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
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58
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Bennett LT, Bruce MJ, Machunter J, Kohout M, Krishnaraj SJ, Aponte C. Assessing fire impacts on the carbon stability of fire-tolerant forests. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 27:2497-2513. [PMID: 28921765 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Revised: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The carbon stability of fire-tolerant forests is often assumed but less frequently assessed, limiting the potential to anticipate threats to forest carbon posed by predicted increases in forest fire activity. Assessing the carbon stability of fire-tolerant forests requires multi-indicator approaches that recognize the myriad ways that fires influence the carbon balance, including combustion, deposition of pyrogenic material, and tree death, post-fire decomposition, recruitment, and growth. Five years after a large-scale wildfire in southeastern Australia, we assessed the impacts of low- and high-severity wildfire, with and without prescribed fire (≤10 yr before), on carbon stocks in multiple pools, and on carbon stability indicators (carbon stock percentages in live trees and in small trees, and carbon stocks in char and fuels) in fire-tolerant eucalypt forests. Relative to unburned forest, high-severity wildfire decreased short-term (five-year) carbon stability by significantly decreasing live tree carbon stocks and percentage stocks in live standing trees (reflecting elevated tree mortality), by increasing the percentage of live tree carbon in small trees (those vulnerable to the next fire), and by potentially increasing the probability of another fire through increased elevated fine fuel loads. In contrast, low-severity wildfire enhanced carbon stability by having negligible effects on aboveground stocks and indicators, and by significantly increasing carbon stocks in char and, in particular, soils, indicating pyrogenic carbon accumulation. Overall, recent preceding prescribed fire did not markedly influence wildfire effects on short-term carbon stability at stand scales. Despite wide confidence intervals around mean stock differences, indicating uncertainty about the magnitude of fire effects in these natural forests, our assessment highlights the need for active management of carbon assets in fire-tolerant eucalypt forests under contemporary fire regimes. Decreased live tree carbon and increased reliance on younger cohorts for carbon recovery after high-severity wildfire could increase vulnerabilities to imminent fires, leading to decisions about interventions to maintain the productivity of some stands. Our multi-indicator assessment also highlights the importance of considering all carbon pools, particularly pyrogenic reservoirs like soils, when evaluating the potential for prescribed fire regimes to mitigate the carbon costs of wildfires in fire-prone landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren T Bennett
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, Victoria, 3363, Australia
| | - Matthew J Bruce
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia
| | - Josephine Machunter
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia
| | - Michele Kohout
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia
| | | | - Cristina Aponte
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 500 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond, Victoria, 3121, Australia
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Badía D, López-García S, Martí C, Ortíz-Perpiñá O, Girona-García A, Casanova-Gascón J. Burn effects on soil properties associated to heat transfer under contrasting moisture content. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 601-602:1119-1128. [PMID: 28599368 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.05.254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2017] [Revised: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 05/28/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this work is to investigate the topsoil thickness affected by burning under contrasting soil moisture content (field capacity versus air-dried conditions). A mollic horizon of an Aleppo pine forest was sampled and burned in the laboratory, recording the temperature continuously at the topsoil surface and at soil depths of 1, 2, and 3cm. Changes in soil properties were measured at 0-1, 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4cm. Both the maximum temperature and the charring intensities were significantly lower in wet soils than in air-dried soils up to 3cm in depth. Moreover, soil heating was slower and cooling faster in wet soils as compared to dry soils. Therefore, the heat capacity increase of the soil moistened at field capacity plays a more important role than the thermal conductivity increase on heat transfer on burned soils. Burning did not significantly modify the pH, the carbonate content and the chroma, for either wet or dry soil. Fire caused an immediate and significant decrease in water repellency in the air-dried soil, even at 3cm depth, whereas the wet soil remained hydrophilic throughout its thickness, without being affected by burning. Burning depleted 50% of the soil organic C (OC) content in the air-dried soil and 25% in the wet soil at the upper centimeter, which was blackened. Burning significantly decreased the total N (TN) content only in the dry soil (to one-third of the original value) through the first centimeter of soil depth. Soluble ions, measured by electrical conductivity (EC), increased after burning, although only significantly in the first centimeter of air-dried soils. Below 2cm, burning had no significant effects on the brightness, OC, TN, or EC, for either wet or dry soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Badía
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior, University of Zaragoza, Crtra. Cuarte s/n, Huesca 22071, Spain.
| | - Sergio López-García
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior, University of Zaragoza, Crtra. Cuarte s/n, Huesca 22071, Spain
| | - Clara Martí
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior, University of Zaragoza, Crtra. Cuarte s/n, Huesca 22071, Spain
| | - Oriol Ortíz-Perpiñá
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior, University of Zaragoza, Crtra. Cuarte s/n, Huesca 22071, Spain
| | - Antonio Girona-García
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior, University of Zaragoza, Crtra. Cuarte s/n, Huesca 22071, Spain
| | - José Casanova-Gascón
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior, University of Zaragoza, Crtra. Cuarte s/n, Huesca 22071, Spain
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Swails E, Jaye D, Verchot L, Hergoualc’h K, Schirrmann M, Borchard N, Wahyuni N, Lawrence D. Will CO2 Emissions from Drained Tropical Peatlands Decline Over Time? Links Between Soil Organic Matter Quality, Nutrients, and C Mineralization Rates. Ecosystems 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-017-0190-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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61
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Scott AC, Chaloner WG, Belcher CM, Roos CI. The interaction of fire and mankind: Introduction. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0162. [PMID: 27216519 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Fire has been an important part of the Earth system for over 350 Myr. Humans evolved in this fiery world and are the only animals to have used and controlled fire. The interaction of mankind with fire is a complex one, with both positive and negative aspects. Humans have long used fire for heating, cooking, landscape management and agriculture, as well as for pyrotechnologies and in industrial processes over more recent centuries. Many landscapes need fire but population expansion into wildland areas creates a tension between different interest groups. Extinguishing wildfires may not always be the correct solution. A combination of factors, including the problem of invasive plants, landscape change, climate change, population growth, human health, economic, social and cultural attitudes that may be transnational make a re-evaluation of fire and mankind necessary. The Royal Society meeting on Fire and mankind was held to address these issues and the results of these deliberations are published in this volume.This article is part of the themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Scott
- Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 OEX, UK
| | - William G Chaloner
- Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 OEX, UK
| | - Claire M Belcher
- wildFIRE Lab, Hatherly Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4PS, UK
| | - Christopher I Roos
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275-0336, USA
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62
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Davies GM, Kettridge N, Stoof CR, Gray A, Ascoli D, Fernandes PM, Marrs R, Allen KA, Doerr SH, Clay GD, McMorrow J, Vandvik V. The role of fire in UK peatland and moorland management: the need for informed, unbiased debate. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0342. [PMID: 27216512 PMCID: PMC4874417 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fire has been used for centuries to generate and manage some of the UK's cultural landscapes. Despite its complex role in the ecology of UK peatlands and moorlands, there has been a trend of simplifying the narrative around burning to present it as an only ecologically damaging practice. That fire modifies peatland characteristics at a range of scales is clearly understood. Whether these changes are perceived as positive or negative depends upon how trade-offs are made between ecosystem services and the spatial and temporal scales of concern. Here we explore the complex interactions and trade-offs in peatland fire management, evaluating the benefits and costs of managed fire as they are currently understood. We highlight the need for (i) distinguishing between the impacts of fires occurring with differing severity and frequency, and (ii) improved characterization of ecosystem health that incorporates the response and recovery of peatlands to fire. We also explore how recent research has been contextualized within both scientific publications and the wider media and how this can influence non-specialist perceptions. We emphasize the need for an informed, unbiased debate on fire as an ecological management tool that is separated from other aspects of moorland management and from political and economic opinions. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The interaction of fire and mankind’.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Matt Davies
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Kottman Hall, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Nicholas Kettridge
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B31 2DX, UK
| | - Cathelijne R Stoof
- Soil Geography and Landscape Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, Wageningen 6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - Alan Gray
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Davide Ascoli
- Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, Grugliasco (TO) 10095, Italy
| | - Paulo M Fernandes
- Centro de Investigação e de Tecnologias Agro-Ambientais e Biológicas, Universidade de Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Rob Marrs
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GP, UK
| | - Katherine A Allen
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GP, UK
| | - Stefan H Doerr
- Department of Geography, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Gareth D Clay
- School of Environment, Education and Development, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Julia McMorrow
- School of Environment, Education and Development, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Vigdis Vandvik
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Postboks 7803, Bergen 5020, Norway
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63
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Doerr SH, Santín C. Global trends in wildfire and its impacts: perceptions versus realities in a changing world. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0345. [PMID: 27216515 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Wildfire has been an important process affecting the Earth's surface and atmosphere for over 350 million years and human societies have coexisted with fire since their emergence. Yet many consider wildfire as an accelerating problem, with widely held perceptions both in the media and scientific papers of increasing fire occurrence, severity and resulting losses. However, important exceptions aside, the quantitative evidence available does not support these perceived overall trends. Instead, global area burned appears to have overall declined over past decades, and there is increasing evidence that there is less fire in the global landscape today than centuries ago. Regarding fire severity, limited data are available. For the western USA, they indicate little change overall, and also that area burned at high severity has overall declined compared to pre-European settlement. Direct fatalities from fire and economic losses also show no clear trends over the past three decades. Trends in indirect impacts, such as health problems from smoke or disruption to social functioning, remain insufficiently quantified to be examined. Global predictions for increased fire under a warming climate highlight the already urgent need for a more sustainable coexistence with fire. The data evaluation presented here aims to contribute to this by reducing misconceptions and facilitating a more informed understanding of the realities of global fire.This article is part of themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan H Doerr
- Geography Department, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA28PP, UK
| | - Cristina Santín
- Geography Department, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA28PP, UK
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64
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Gowlett JAJ. The discovery of fire by humans: a long and convoluted process. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0164. [PMID: 27216521 PMCID: PMC4874402 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Numbers of animal species react to the natural phenomenon of fire, but only humans have learnt to control it and to make it at will. Natural fires caused overwhelmingly by lightning are highly evident on many landscapes. Birds such as hawks, and some other predators, are alert to opportunities to catch animals including invertebrates disturbed by such fires and similar benefits are likely to underlie the first human involvements with fires. Early hominins would undoubtedly have been aware of such fires, as are savanna chimpanzees in the present. Rather than as an event, the discovery of fire use may be seen as a set of processes happening over the long term. Eventually, fire became embedded in human behaviour, so that it is involved in almost all advanced technologies. Fire has also influenced human biology, assisting in providing the high-quality diet which has fuelled the increase in brain size through the Pleistocene. Direct evidence of early fire in archaeology remains rare, but from 1.5 Ma onward surprising numbers of sites preserve some evidence of burnt material. By the Middle Pleistocene, recognizable hearths demonstrate a social and economic focus on many sites. The evidence of archaeological sites has to be evaluated against postulates of biological models such as the ‘cooking hypothesis' or the ‘social brain’, and questions of social cooperation and the origins of language. Although much remains to be worked out, it is plain that fire control has had a major impact in the course of human evolution. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The interaction of fire and mankind’.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A J Gowlett
- Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, School of Histories, Language and Cultures, University of Liverpool, 12-14 Abercromby Square, Liverpool L69 7WZ, UK
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65
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Roos CI, Scott AC, Belcher CM, Chaloner WG, Aylen J, Bird RB, Coughlan MR, Johnson BR, Johnston FH, McMorrow J, Steelman T. Living on a flammable planet: interdisciplinary, cross-scalar and varied cultural lessons, prospects and challenges. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0469. [PMID: 27216517 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Living with fire is a challenge for human communities because they are influenced by socio-economic, political, ecological and climatic processes at various spatial and temporal scales. Over the course of 2 days, the authors discussed how communities could live with fire challenges at local, national and transnational scales. Exploiting our diverse, international and interdisciplinary expertise, we outline generalizable properties of fire-adaptive communities in varied settings where cultural knowledge of fire is rich and diverse. At the national scale, we discussed policy and management challenges for countries that have diminishing fire knowledge, but for whom global climate change will bring new fire problems. Finally, we assessed major fire challenges that transcend national political boundaries, including the health burden of smoke plumes and the climate consequences of wildfires. It is clear that to best address the broad range of fire problems, a holistic wildfire scholarship must develop common agreement in working terms and build across disciplines. We must also communicate our understanding of fire and its importance to the media, politicians and the general public.This article is part of the themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher I Roos
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA
| | - Andrew C Scott
- Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Claire M Belcher
- wildFIRE Lab, Hatherly Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4PS, UK
| | - William G Chaloner
- Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Jonathan Aylen
- Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Rebecca Bliege Bird
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Michael R Coughlan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Bart R Johnson
- Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97401, USA
| | - Fay H Johnston
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Julia McMorrow
- School of Environment, Education, and Development, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Toddi Steelman
- School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5C8
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