Winter Logging and Erosion in a Ponderosa Pine Forest in Northeastern Oregon

1993 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Williams ◽  
John C. Buckhouse
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Frozen Soil ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Soil Horizon ◽  
Simulated Rainfall ◽  
Infiltration Capacity ◽  
Sediment Production ◽  
Runoff Plots

Abstract Trees are often harvested in small woodlots for the dual purpose of generating revenue and expanding or enhancing woodland pasture for livestock and wildlife. Following such an effort, in a two-part study we compared the runoff and erosion potential in harvested and nonharvested sites. The tree harvest was conducted on snow and frozen soil and used prescribed skid trails. In the first part of the study, runoff plots were installed and monitored for 2 winters and 1 summer to determine if runoff and erosion resulting from natural precipitation events occurred from either of two treatments; a harvested site or a comparable nonharvested site. In the second part of the study, simulated rainfall was applied to a separate set of runoff plots to determine endpoint infiltration capacity and to make projections of infiltration and erosion response to anticipated livestock grazing. Rainfall was applied to each plot at three subsequent levels of ground cover manipulation: undisturbed vegetation, clipped vegetation, and vegetation and organic soil horizon removed. No runoff or sediment production was recorded between September 1986 and December 1987 in either harvested or nonharvested treatments in the plots monitoring response to natural rainfall. In addition, runoff and sediment production did not occur as a result of simulated rainfall in either site regardless of the ground cover treatment. The same result was obtained when rainfall was applied for an extended period and at an increased rate of application. The lack of runoff can be attributed to site conditions, especially the well-developed biomass in the upper soil horizons, and the method and season of logging. If the tree harvest procedures are repeated in similar sites, similar results may be expected. West. J. Appl. For. 8(1):19-23.

Impacts of wildfire on soil hydrological properties of steep sagebrush-steppe rangeland

2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 145 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.B. Pierson ◽  
D.H. Carlson ◽  
K.E. Spaeth
Keyword(s):  
Fire Severity ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Infiltration Rate ◽  
Slope Aspect ◽  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Simulated Rainfall ◽  
Rill Erosion ◽  
Infiltration Capacity ◽  
Antecedent Soil Moisture ◽  
The Impact

In late August 1996, a wildfire swept across the sagebrush-dominated foothills above Boise, Idaho. Fire impacts on infiltration and inter-rill erosion were examined 1 year following the fire with simulated rainfall. Densely vegetated north-facing slopes were compared with sparsely vegetated south-facing slopes under both burned (moderate and high severity) and unburned conditions. Both fire severity and slope aspect strongly influenced the impact of fire on infiltration capacity and soil erodibility. South-facing slopes had the least infiltration and the greatest rates of erosion following the fire. Infiltration rate was significantly less and cumulative sediment yield was significantly greater on severely burned south slopes as compared with those experiencing only moderate burn severity. Fire severity had little effect on infiltration and erosion of north-facing slopes. Despite differences in final infiltration rates, runoff from plots of all treatment combinations (burned and unburned slopes) began within 2-4 min following the start of simulated rainfall. Post-fire microtopography (surface roughness, dependent on pre-fire plant community) and associated ground cover appear to be important determinants of the potential for increased runoff and interrill erosion under conditions of dry antecedent soil moisture on these steep rangelands.

scholarly journals Landslides after wildfire: initiation, magnitude, and mobility

Landslides ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 2631-2641
Author(s):  
Francis K. Rengers ◽  
Luke A. McGuire ◽  
Nina S. Oakley ◽  
Jason W. Kean ◽  
Dennis M. Staley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flows ◽  
Rainfall Intensity ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
First Year ◽  
Mass Wasting ◽  
Soil Infiltration ◽  
Infiltration Capacity ◽  
The Past ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Southwestern Usa

Abstract In the semiarid Southwestern USA, wildfires are commonly followed by runoff-generated debris flows because wildfires remove vegetation and ground cover, which reduces soil infiltration capacity and increases soil erodibility. At a study site in Southern California, we initially observed runoff-generated debris flows in the first year following fire. However, at the same site three years after the fire, the mass-wasting response to a long-duration rainstorm with high rainfall intensity peaks was shallow landsliding rather than runoff-generated debris flows. Moreover, the same storm caused landslides on unburned hillslopes as well as on slopes burned 5 years prior to the storm and areas burned by successive wildfires, 10 years and 3 years before the rainstorm. The landslide density was the highest on the hillslopes that had burned 3 years beforehand, and the hillslopes burned 5 years prior to the storm had low landslide densities, similar to unburned areas. We also found that reburning (i.e., two wildfires within the past 10 years) had little influence on landslide density. Our results indicate that landscape susceptibility to shallow landslides might return to that of unburned conditions after as little as 5 years of vegetation recovery. Moreover, most of the landslide activity was on steep, equatorial-facing slopes that receive higher solar radiation and had slower rates of vegetation regrowth, which further implicates vegetation as a controlling factor on post-fire landslide susceptibility. Finally, the total volume of sediment mobilized by the year 3 landslides was much smaller than the year 1 runoff-generated debris flows, and the landslides were orders of magnitude less mobile than the runoff-generated debris flows.

Post-fire seeding with ryegrass: implications for understorey plant communities and overall effectiveness

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 518
Author(s):  
Melissa A. McMaster ◽  
Andrea Thode ◽  
Michael Kearsley
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Italian Ryegrass ◽  
Exotic Plant ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Significant Difference

Seeding following high-severity wildfires is motivated by the goals of increasing vegetative cover and decreasing bare soil in order to minimise soil erosion and exotic plant invasions. We compared the ground cover and vegetation response of seeded versus non-seeded areas located in the Warm Fire in northern Arizona, where post-fire seeding treatments with Italian ryegrass (Lolium perenne spp. multiflorum (L.)) were conducted in 4000 ha of high-severity burned areas. Over the course of the study, we observed no significant difference between seeded and non-seeded plots in percentage of bare soil, total vegetative cover or exotic plant cover. However, there were significant differences in plant community composition as revealed by PERMANOVA and Indicator Species Analysis. Two years post-fire there were significantly fewer ponderosa pine seedlings, and the cover of annual and biennial forbs was significantly lower in plots that were seeded with Italian ryegrass. In the third year, the cover of native bunch grasses was significantly lower in seeded plots. The differences we observed may be due to differences in pre-existing vegetation composition because of the geographic separation of the plots across the landscape. Our results illustrate the ineffectiveness of post-fire seeding in achieving the goals of increasing vegetative cover and decreasing the invasion of non-native plants, and we suggest that alternative post-fire remediation should be considered in the future.

scholarly journals Distribution of Fine Roots of Ponderosa Pine and Douglas-Fir in a Central Idaho Forest

2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 202-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Dumm ◽  
Lauren Fins ◽  
Russell T. Graham ◽  
Theresa B. Jain
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Root Distribution ◽  
Fine Roots ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Tree Size ◽  
Soil Horizon ◽  
Soil Horizons ◽  
Fine Root Distribution ◽  
Root Content

Abstract This study describes soil horizon depth and fine root distribution in cores collected at two distances from the boles of Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine trees at a study site in a central Idaho forest. Concentration and content of fine roots extracted from soil cores were compared among species, soil horizons, tree size, and distance from bole. Approximately 80% of litter and humus samples contained no fine roots. The highest fine root content and concentrations of fine roots occurred in deep mineral soil for both species (1.24 g and 2.82 g/l for Douglas-fir and 0.98g and 2.24 g/l for ponderosa pine, respectively). No statistically significant differences were found in fine root content or concentration between species in any of the four soil horizons. Tree size was not a significant factor in fine root distribution in this study. Significant variables were horizon, distance from bole, and interactions among tree size, location of sample, and soil horizon. This study, which was part of a larger US Forest Service study to develop a predictive model of postfire tree mortality, provides baseline information that may be useful in predicting postfire damage to fine roots.

Prometryn Movement Across and Through the Soil

Weed Science ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 285-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. L. Baldwin ◽  
P. W. Santelmann ◽  
J. M. Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Rainfall Intensity ◽  
Simulated Rainfall ◽  
Field Soil ◽  
Runoff Water ◽  
Antecedent Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Fraction ◽  
Time Of Application ◽  
Dry Soil ◽  
Runoff Losses ◽  
Runoff Plots

Specially constructed runoff plots were used to study the effect of simulated rainfall intensity, antecedent soil moisture, and subsequent rainfall on prometryn [2,4-bis(isopropylamino)-6-methylthio-s-triazine] movement across and through a field soil with a 1% slope. The first cm (45.4 L) of runoff was collected and subdivided. The initial 3.8 L of runoff water generally contained a higher concentration of prometryn than did a composite from the next 41.6 L. The sediment contained a higher prometryn concentration than did the runoff water. However, due to the greater volume of water lost compared to sediment, over 90% of the prometryn lost was in the water fraction. When prometryn was applied to a dry soil and rainfall simulated, runoff losses of prometryn were 0.5% or less of the total amount initially applied. The first runoff producing simulated rainfall caused the largest prometryn losses, but prometryn could not be detected in the runoff 1 month subsequent to application. Prometryn was never detected at soil depths greater than 5 cm. Prometryn runoff was greater from plots in which the soil was wet at the time of application.

OPINIONS ON THE LOWLAND MAYA LATE ARCHAIC PERIOD WITH SOME EVIDENCE FROM NORTHERN BELIZE

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 461-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. Rosenswig
Keyword(s):  
Extended Period ◽  
Spatial Separation ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Archaic Period ◽  
Stone Tool ◽  
Soil Horizon ◽  
Late Archaic ◽  
Maya Lowlands ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
Village Life

AbstractThe fourth millennium b.p. in the Maya lowlands provides an interesting case, with mobile, aceramic peoples documented, while ceramic-using villagers lived in other parts of Mesoamerica. Rather than ask why ceramic containers and village life took so long to reach the Maya lowlands, the question can be inverted to posit that a mixed horticultural-foraging adaptation was so effective that it persisted longer than elsewhere. I propose that the so-called 4.2 ka b.p. event was the ultimate cause of increased sedentism and the first adoption of ceramic containers in a limited number of regions of Mesoamerica. My musings are grounded in the comparisons of data from the Soconusco region of southern Mexico and evidence from northern Belize at Colha and Pulltrouser Swamp, as well as the Freshwater Creek drainage. I assume that proximate behavior must account for local adaptations and different rates of change in each region of Mesoamerica. Therefore, regional adaptation in northern Belize during the Late Archaic period provides the evidence with which to reconstruct local adaptation. Excavations and regional reconnaissance document a distinctive orange soil horizon at Progresso Lagoon associated with patinated chert tools and an absence of ceramics. Stone tool assemblages from the preceramic components of three sites in the region indicate a spatial separation of tool use and resharpening at island versus shore. Starch grains recovered from these stone tools indicate that preceramic peoples in northern Belize harvested maize and several other domesticated plant species. These data are consistent with local paleoenvironmental studies that document an extended period of horticultural activity during the fifth and fourth millennia b.p. prior to the adoption of ceramics. Lithic assemblages and associated dietary information from multiple sites provide glimpses of the data necessary to reconstruct Late Archaic period adaptation from a single locale. Such data will be required to understand the proximate causes for the transition to a more settled, village life.

Time Since Burning and Rainfall Characteristics Impact Post-Fire Debris-Flow Initiation and Magnitude

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-56
Author(s):  
Luke A. McGuire ◽  
Francis K. Rengers ◽  
Nina Oakley ◽  
Jason W. Kean ◽  
Dennis M. Staley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Modeling ◽  
Debris Flow ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Temporal Changes ◽  
Infiltration Capacity ◽  
Rainfall Characteristics ◽  
San Gabriel Mountains ◽  
Fire Debris

ABSTRACT The extreme heat from wildfire alters soil properties and incinerates vegetation, leading to changes in infiltration capacity, ground cover, soil erodibility, and rainfall interception. These changes promote elevated rates of runoff and sediment transport that increase the likelihood of runoff-generated debris flows. Debris flows are most common in the year immediately following wildfire, but temporal changes in the likelihood and magnitude of debris flows following wildfire are not well constrained. In this study, we combine measurements of soil-hydraulic properties with vegetation survey data and numerical modeling to understand how debris-flow threats are likely to change in steep, burned watersheds during the first 3 years of recovery. We focus on documenting recovery following the 2016 Fish Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains, California, and demonstrate how a numerical model can be used to predict temporal changes in debris-flow properties and initiation thresholds. Numerical modeling suggests that the 15-minute intensity-duration (ID) threshold for debris flows in post-fire year 1 can vary from 15 to 30 mm/hr, depending on how rainfall is temporally distributed within a storm. Simulations further demonstrate that expected debris-flow volumes would be reduced by more than a factor of three following 1 year of recovery and that the 15-minute rainfall ID threshold would increase from 15 to 30 mm/hr to greater than 60 mm/hr by post-fire year 3. These results provide constraints on debris-flow thresholds within the San Gabriel Mountains and highlight the importance of considering local rainfall characteristics when using numerical models to assess debris-flow and flood potential.

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