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Abstract
Prescribed burning is a tool that is frequently used for various land management objectives, mainly related to reduction of hazardous forest fuels, habitat management and ecological restoration. Given the crucial role of soil in forest ecosystem processes and functions, assessing the effects of prescribed burning on soil is particularly relevant. This study reviews research on the impacts of repeated prescribed burning on the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. The available information shows that the effects are highly variable, rather inconsistent and generally minor for most of the soil characteristics studied, while a number of soil properties show contrasting responses. On the other hand, ecosystem characteristics, differences in fire severity, frequency of application and the cumulative effect of treatment repetition over time, have possibly made it more difficult to find a more common response in soil attributes. Our study has also revealed some limitations of previous research that may have contributed to this result, including a limited number of long-term studies, conducted at a few experimental sites, and in a limited number of forest ecosystems. Research issues concerning the effects of prescribed fire on soil are presented. The need to integrate such research into a broader interdisciplinary framework, encompassing the role of the fire regime on ecosystem functions and processes, is also highlighted.
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Lucas‐Borja ME, Van Stan JT, Heydari M, Omidipour R, Rocha F, Plaza‐Alvarez PA, Zema DA, Muñoz‐Rojas M. Post‐fire restoration with contour‐felled log debris increases early recruitment of Spanish black pine (
Pinus nigra
Arn. ssp.
salzmannii
) in Mediterranean forests. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Esteban Lucas‐Borja
- Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering Castilla‐La Mancha University, Campus Universitario s/n Albacete 02071 Spain
| | - John T. Van Stan
- Applied Coastal Research Laboratory Georgia Southern University, Savannah, GA, U.S.A
| | - Mehdi Heydari
- Forest Sciences Department, Faculty of Agriculture Ilam University Ilam Ilam Province 6939177111 Iran
| | - Reza Omidipour
- Department of Rangeland and Watershed Management, Faculty of Agriculture Ilam University Ilam 69315‐516 Iran
| | - Francisco Rocha
- Instituto Superior Técnico University of Lisbon Lisbon Portugal
| | - Pedro Antonio Plaza‐Alvarez
- Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering Castilla‐La Mancha University, Campus Universitario s/n Albacete 02071 Spain
| | - Demetrio Antonio Zema
- Department AGRARIA Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Località Feo di Vito Reggio Calabria I‐89122 Italy
| | - Miriam Muñoz‐Rojas
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences The UNSW, Sydney Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Crawley WA 6009 Australia
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Dynamics in Stoichiometric Traits and Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Pools across Three Different-Aged Picea asperata Mast. Plantations on the Eastern Tibet Plateau. FORESTS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/f11121346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the variations in soil and plants with stand aging is important for improving management measures to promote the sustainable development of plantations. However, few studies have been conducted on the dynamics of stoichiometric traits and carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) pools across Picea asperata Mast plantations of different ages in subalpine regions. In the present study, we examined the stoichiometric traits and C, N, and P stocks in different components of three different aged (22-, 32-, and 42-year-old) P. asperata plantations by plot-level inventories. We hypothesized that the stoichiometric traits in mineral soil could shape the corresponding stoichiometric traits in soil microbes, tree roots and foliage, and the C, N, and P stocks of the total P. asperata plantation ecosystem would increase with increasing stand age. Our results show that the N:P ratio in mineral soil was significantly correlated with that in tree foliage and herbs. Additionally, the C:N ratio and C:P ratio in mineral soil only correlated with the corresponding stoichiometric traits in soil microbes and forest floor, respectively. Both the fractions of microbial biomass C in soil organic C and microbial biomass N in soil total N decreased with increasing stand age. The C, N, and P stocks of the total ecosystem did not continuously increase across stand development. In particular, the P stock of the total ecosystem exhibited a trend of increasing first and then decreasing. The aboveground tree biomass C accounted for more than 55% of the total ecosystem C stock regardless of stand age. In contrast, mineral soil and forest floor were the major contributors to the total ecosystem N and P stocks in all stands. This study suggested that all three different stands were N limited, and the stoichiometric homeostasis in the roots of P. asperata was more stable than that in the foliage. In addition, the soil microbial community assembly may change with increasing stand age for P. asperata plantations in the subalpine region.
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