Impact of prescribed fire on understory and forest floor nutrients

1981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter A. Hough
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Forest Floor

scholarly journals Intra-Annual Variation in Soil C, N and Nutrients Pools after Prescribed Fire in a Mississippi Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) Plantation

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 181
Author(s):  
John R. Butnor ◽  
Kurt H. Johnsen ◽  
Christopher A. Maier ◽  
C. Dana Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Soil Chemistry ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Southern Pine ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Soil C And N ◽  
C And N

Prescribed fire is an essential tool that is widely used for longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) stand management; periodic burning serves to reduce competition from woody shrubs and fire-intolerant trees and enhance herbaceous diversity. Low-intensity, prescribed burning is thought to have minimal long-term impact on soil chemistry in southern pine forests, although few studies report the intra-annual variation in soil chemistry after burning. We monitored changes in C, N, oxidation resistant C (CR), pH and elemental nutrients in the forest floor and soil (0–5, 5–10 cm depths) before and after burning (1, 3, 6, 12 months) in a mature longleaf pine plantation at the Harrison Experimental Forest, near Saucier, Mississippi. Prescribed fire consumed much of the forest floor (11.3 Mg ha−1; −69%), increased soil pH and caused a pulse of C, N and elemental nutrients to flow to the near surface soils. In the initial one to three months post-burn coinciding with the start of the growing season, retention of nutrients by soil peaked. Most of the N (93%), Ca (88%), K (96%) and Mg (101%), roughly half of the P (48%) and Mn (52%) and 25% of the C lost from the forest floor were detected in the soil and apparently not lost to volatilization. By month 12, soil C and N pools were not different at depths of 0–5 cm but declined significantly below pre-burn levels at depths of 5–10 cm, C −36% (p < 0.0001), N −26% (p = 0.003), contrary to other examples in southern pine ecosystems. In the upper 5 cm of soil, only Cu (−49%) remained significantly lower than pre-burn contents by month 12, at depths of 5–10 cm, Cu (−76%), Fe (−22%), K (−51%), Mg (−57%), Mn (−82%) and P (−52%) remain lower at month 12 than pre-burn contents. Burning did not increase soil CR content, conversely significant declines in CR occurred. It appears that recovery of soil C and N pools post-burn will require more time on this site than other southern pine forests.

scholarly journals Vegetative and Edaphic Responses in a Northern Mixed Conifer Forest Three Decades after Harvest and Fire: Implications for Managing Regeneration and Carbon and Nitrogen Pools

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1040
Author(s):  
R. Kasten Dumroese ◽  
Martin F. Jurgensen ◽  
Deborah S. Page-Dumroese
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Larix Occidentalis ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Silvicultural Practices ◽  
C And N ◽  
C And N Pools

Research Highlights: This experiment compares a range of combinations of harvest, prescribed fire, and wildfire. Leveraging a 30-year-old forest management-driven experiment, we explored the recovery of woody species composition, regeneration of the charismatic forest tree species Larix occidentalis Nutt., and vegetation and soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools. Background and Objectives: Initiated in 1967, this experiment intended to explore combinations of habitat type phases and prescribed fire severity toward supporting regeneration of L. occidentalis. At onset of the experiment, a wildfire affected a portion of the 60 research plots, allowing for additional study. Our objective was to better understand silvicultural practices to support L. occidentalis regeneration and to better understand the subsequent impacts of silvicultural practices on C and N pools within the vegetation and soil. Materials and Methods: We categorized disturbance severity based on loss of forest floor depth; 11 categories were defined, including controls for the two habitat type phases involved. We collected abundance, biomass, and C and N concentrations for the herbaceous layer, shrubs, and trees using nested quadrats and 6 to 10 experimental units per disturbance category plot. Moreover, we systematically sampled woody residue from transects, and forest floor, soil wood, and mineral soil with a systematic grid of 16 soil cores per disturbance category plot. Results: We found that (1) disturbance severity affected shrub species richness, diversity, and evenness within habitat type phases; (2) L. occidentalis regenerates when fire is part of the disturbance; (3) N-fixing shrub species were more diverse in the hotter, drier plots; (4) recovery levels of C and N pools within the soil had surpassed or were closer to pre-disturbance levels than pools within the vegetation. Conclusions: We confirm that L. occidentalis regeneration and a diverse suite of understory shrub species can be supported by harvest and prescribed fire, particularly in southern and western aspects. We also conclude that these methods can regenerate L. occidentalis in cooler, moister sites, which may be important as this species’ climate niche shifts with climate change.

PRESCRIBED FIRE EFFECTS ON FOREST FLOOR AND SOIL NUTRIENTS IN A SIERRA NEVADA FOREST

Soil Science ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 171 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Murphy ◽  
D. W. Johnson ◽  
Watkins W. Miller ◽  
Roger F. Walker ◽  
Robert R. Blank
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Soil Nutrients ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Fire Effects

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

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 493
Author(s):  
Emma Georgia Thompson ◽  
Thomas Adam Coates ◽  
Wallace Michael Aust ◽  
Melissa A. Thomas-Van Gundy
Keyword(s):  
West Virginia ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
National Forest ◽  
Appalachian Region ◽  
Litter Depth ◽  
Burned Forest

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.

Thinning and Prescribed Fire Effects on Forest Floor Fuels in the East Side Sierra Nevada Pine Type

2006 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Walker ◽  
R. M. Fecko ◽  
W. B. Frederick ◽  
J. D. Murphy ◽  
D. W. Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
East Side

scholarly journals Thinning Southern Pines - A Key to Greater Returns

EDIS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Demers ◽  
Michael Andreu ◽  
Babe McGowan ◽  
Alan Long ◽  
Jarek Nowak
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Growth Potential ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Stand Development ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Stand Thinning ◽  
Silvicultural Practice ◽  
Herbicide Use

Thinning is an important silvicultural practice that redistributes the growth potential of the site to the best trees. Diameter growth rates are maintained or increased on residual trees after thinning, which increases the return on investment from higher-value trees. Biologically, thinning accelerates stand development by favoring the tallest, best-formed trees over those that are diseased, overtopped, crooked, forked, or otherwise undesirable and likely to die on their own if left in the stand long enough. In addition, thinning provides periodic income, improves access for equipment, recreation and hunting, and creates a generally healthier stand. Thinning is also beneficial for wildlife, especially when combined with prescribed fire or herbicide use to control competing vegetation. By allowing more light to reach the forest floor, thinning promotes growth of plants important as food and/or cover for wildlife species. Landowners are encouraged to consult with or hire a professional forester to assist with thinning and other forest management activities. This 6-page fact sheet was written by Chris Demers, Michael Andreu, Babe McGowan, Alan Long, and Jarek Nowak, and published by the UF Department of School of Forest Resources and Conservation, July 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr159

DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTION OF ORIBATID MITE FAUNA(ACARI: ORIBATIDA) IN THE FOREST FLOOR OF SATKOSIA BASIPALLY WILD LIFE SANCTUARY, ODISHA, INDIA

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
SHELLEY ACHARYA ◽  
ADITI DUTTA
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Oribatid Mite ◽  
Soil Condition ◽  
Silica Content ◽  
Soil Mites ◽  
The Core ◽  
Humid Condition ◽  
Core Areas ◽  
Wild Life

The studies were mostly concentrated in Nine forest ranges of the WLS including the core areas. The soil of this region mostly is dry, red and with iron and silica content. Though the soil mites are prevalent in moist humid condition, we got a diversed population of 20 different species under 14 genera which is less than average probably due to the soil condition. Protoribates magnus is the dominant species in this study. The species with larger ranges were Scheloribates curvialatus.

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