Pre-fire forest management effectivity to decrease wildfire impact on soil properties in a Mediterranean forest.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Francos ◽  
Xavier Úbeda ◽  
Paulo Pereira ◽  
Victoria Arcenegui ◽  
Jorge Mataix-Solera
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Mediterranean Ecosystems ◽  
Control Area ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
And Control

<p>Forest mechanical fuel treatments in Mediterranean ecosystems are frequently employed to reduce both the risk and severity of wildfires. These pre-fire treatments may influence the effects of wildfire events on soil properties. The aim of this study is to examine the effectivity of this treatment (clear-cutting operation whereby part of the vegetation was cut and left covering soil surface) carried out before a wildfire that broke out in 2015 and evaluate if the management had influence on post-wildfire soil properties of three sites: two exposed to management practices in 2005 (site M05B) and in 2015 (site M15B)–and one that did not undergo any management (NMB) and to compare their properties with those recorded in a Control area unaffected by 2015 wildfire. The fourth areas were sampled and compared 2, 10 and 18 months after wildfire. The study area is located in Ódena (Catalonia, Spain). The wildfire occurred at July 27<sup>th</sup> of 2015 and burned 1237 ha. In each area and in each sampling moment we collected 9 topsoil samples (0-5 cm depth). We analyzed aggregate stability (AS), soil organic matter (SOM) content, total nitrogen (TN), carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N), inorganic carbon (IC), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), extractable calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), and potassium (K), microbial biomass carbon (C<sub>mic</sub>) and basal soil respiration (BSR). Two-way ANOVA was carried out to check the differences according to sampling moment and to management. The results show that 2 months after the wildfire M05B showed greater amount of IC and pH; M15B showed greater Na than the other areas; NMB resulted higher in AS, TN, SOM, EC, Ca, Mg, K and BSR; and Control registered the highest C<sub>mic</sub>. C/N resulted similar in the 4 areas in the three sampling moments. Ten months after wildfire, M05B showed greater AS and IC; NMB resulted higher in TN, SOM, EC, Mg and K; and Control showed higher pH, Ca, Na, C<sub>mic</sub> and BSR. In the last sampling, 18 months after wildfire, M05B showed greater pH; M15B showed higher AS; NMB resulted higher in TN, SOM, EC, Ca and K; and Control showed higher IC, Mg, Na, C<sub>mic</sub> and BSR. According to the treatments M05B registered higher TN, SOM, IC, EC, Mg, Na and K during 1<sup>st</sup> sampling; AS and C/N during 2<sup>nd</sup> sampling; and pH, Ca, C<sub>mic</sub> and BSR during 3<sup>rd</sup> sampling. M15B registered higher IC, Mg, Na and K during 1<sup>st</sup> sampling; BSR and C/N during 2<sup>nd</sup> sampling; and AS, TN, SOM, pH, EC, Ca and C<sub>mic</sub> during 3<sup>rd</sup> sampling. NMB registered higher IC, Mg, Na, K, C<sub>mic</sub> and BSR during 1<sup>st</sup> sampling; AS and C/N during 2<sup>nd</sup> sampling; and TN, SOM, pH, EC and Ca during 3<sup>rd</sup> sampling. Control did not vary significantly over time due to the absence of perturbation. Overall, a comparison of the pre-fire treatments showed that NMB was the practice that had the least negative effects on the soil properties studied, followed by M15B, and that fire severity was highest at M05B due to the accumulation of dead plant fuel.</p>

scholarly journals How clear-cutting affects fire severity and soil properties in a Mediterranean ecosystem

2018 ◽  
Vol 206 ◽  
pp. 625-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Francos ◽  
Paulo Pereira ◽  
Jorge Mataix-Solera ◽  
Victoria Arcenegui ◽  
Meritxell Alcañiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Mediterranean Ecosystem ◽  
Clear Cutting

scholarly journals Physical soil quality indicators for monitoring British soils

Solid Earth ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 1003-1016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Corstanje ◽  
Theresa G. Mercer ◽  
Jane R. Rickson ◽  
Lynda K. Deeks ◽  
Paul Newell-Price ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Quality Indicators ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Soil Quality Indicators ◽  
Soil Monitoring ◽  
Soil Water Retention

Abstract. Soil condition or quality determines its ability to deliver a range of functions that support ecosystem services, human health and wellbeing. The increasing policy imperative to implement successful soil monitoring programmes has resulted in the demand for reliable soil quality indicators (SQIs) for physical, biological and chemical soil properties. The selection of these indicators needs to ensure that they are sensitive and responsive to pressure and change, e.g. they change across space and time in relation to natural perturbations and land management practices. Using a logical sieve approach based on key policy-related soil functions, this research assessed whether physical soil properties can be used to indicate the quality of British soils in terms of their capacity to deliver ecosystem goods and services. The resultant prioritised list of physical SQIs was tested for robustness, spatial and temporal variability, and expected rate of change using statistical analysis and modelling. Seven SQIs were prioritised: soil packing density, soil water retention characteristics, aggregate stability, rate of soil erosion, depth of soil, soil structure (assessed by visual soil evaluation) and soil sealing. These all have direct relevance to current and likely future soil and environmental policy and are appropriate for implementation in soil monitoring programmes.

scholarly journals Regeneration of Belowground Properties and Nutrient Pools in Soil after Compaction: Response to the Reforestation with Native Tree Species in the Hyrcanian Forest

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Meghdad Jourgholami ◽  
Rodolfo Picchio ◽  
Farzam Tavankar ◽  
Rachele Venanzi
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Prunus Avium ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Total Porosity ◽  
Soil Bulk Density ◽  
Nutrient Pools ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Clear Cutting

The current study characterizes the regeneration in the floor layer and topsoil at a depth of 0–10 cm in the skid trails, dealing with the reforestation of four tree species (Fraxinus excelsior, FE; Prunus avium, PA; Acer cappadocicum, AC; and Quercus castaneifolia, QC) after clear-cutting in degraded forests, comparing to the undisturbed natural forest (Carpinus betulus-Parrotia persica; CB-PP). Results showed significant differences in litter layer properties among tree species, with the highest litter thickness, C (carbon), and C/N ratio under QC and AC, and the greatest litter N in CB-PP and FE. FE plantation resulted to enhance soil bulk density (1.14 g cm−3), total porosity (55.85%), macroporosity (37.72%), penetration resistance (1.43 MPa), soil moisture (33.4%), and aggregate stability (51.7%), compared to other tree plantations, whereas these values under the FE plantation were still lower than those of the CB-PP stand over a 30-year period after logging operation. Litterfall on soil surface under planted tree species (FE and PA in particular) can be considered as a primary food resource (i.e., soil C and soil organic matter) driving biological and microbial activities. Results of the current study can improve our knowledge to select suitable tree species to maintain soil quality and nutrients pool to deal with ecosystem restoration programs and reforestation in degraded forest areas.

scholarly journals Comparison of Stabilized Sliding and Control Area based on Herbaceous Biodiversity and some Soil Properties (Case Study: Patom District, Kheyrud Forest)

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 17-23
Author(s):  
Mohsen Gorgandi pour ◽  
seyed Ataollah Hosseini ◽  
Ehsan Abdi ◽  
Ghavamodin Zahedi amiri ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Control Area ◽  
And Control

scholarly journals Soil macrofauna in organic and conventional coffee plantations in Brazil

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janaina Biral dos Santos ◽  
Alessandro Coutinho Ramos ◽  
Romildo Azevedo Júnior ◽  
Luís Carlos Iuñes de Oliveira Filho ◽  
Dilmar Baretta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Management System ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Soil Macrofauna ◽  
Coffee Plantations ◽  
Cultivation Systems ◽  
Organic Cultivation

Abstract: Brazil has always been one of the most important coffee producing countries. Lately, there has equally been a renewed interest in alternative coffee production systems. The state of Espírito Santo is the second greatest coffee producer in Brazil; so, we used local coffee plantations to evaluate the relations between soil macrofauna and chemical and microbiological soil properties to identify which of these properties discriminate more effectively between the organic management system (OS) and the conventional management system (CS) of coffee plantations. For each of these two cultivation systems we chose three coffee farms who employed both cultivation systems and picked out the most similar fields from each property. At each site, first we sampled the litter at the soil surface. Afterwards, we sampled nine soil monoliths to evaluate the macrofauna, in summer and winter. We also collected nine supplemental soil samples, taken at a few centimeters from the soil monoliths, for chemical and microbiological analyses. Macrofauna density was evaluated by ANOVA and multivariate analysis. The chemical and microbiological properties are environmental variables, while the data on macrofauna are the explanatory variables. The total number of individuals recovered in this study was 3,354, and the climate, identified by the sampling season, was a great modulator of macrofauna, with higher numbers in winter. The principal components analysis showed that soil moisture, organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, boron, copper, pH, acid and alkaline phosphatases and microbial biomass carbon, were the most outstanding ones to discriminate both cultivation systems. We found no statistical significant differences in macrofauna density between OS and CS, probably due to a general great variability, since there was a tendency for much greater values in OS. We detected the interference of chemical and microbiological soil properties on the macrofauna community in both systems of coffee cultivation, and some results clearly correlated much better with climate data than with other factors. To our knowledge, this is the first time in which the data point to a clear separation between the more numerous and diversified soil macrofauna in coffee with organic cultivation from that with a conventional cultivation system.

A comparison of indexing methods to evaluate quality of soils: the role of soil microbiological properties

Soil Research ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romina Romaniuk ◽  
Lidia Giuffré ◽  
Alejandro Costantini ◽  
Norberto Bartoloni ◽  
Paolo Nannipieri
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Phospholipid Fatty Acid ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Undisturbed Soil ◽  
Physical Chemical ◽  
Microbiological Properties

The study evaluates and compares two procedures for selecting soil quality indicators (used for the construction of soil quality indices, SQI) by using diverse chemical, physical, and biological properties, and evaluates the role of soil microbiological properties in the construction of SQI. Different soil environments were selected from an extensive agricultural production site in the rolling pampa, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The plots included an undisturbed soil, a grassland soil, and continuous tilled soils with four different surface horizon depths (25, 23, 19, and 14 cm). Various properties were measured, and a minimum dataset was chosen by principal component analysis (PCA) considering all measured soil properties together (procedure A), or the PCA was performed separately according to classification as physical, chemical, or biological soil properties (procedure B). The measured soil properties involved physical, chemical, and biochemical properties determined by standard protocols used in routine laboratory analysis (simple SQI, SSQI) or more laborious protocols to determine microbial community structure and function by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and catabolic response profile (CRP), respectively (complex SQI, CSQI). The selected properties were linearly normalised and integrated by the weight additive method to calculate SSQI A, SSQI B, CSQI A, and CSQI B indices. Two microbiological SQI (MSQI) were also calculated; MSQI 1 considered only biological properties according to the procedure used for calculating SQI; MSQI 2 was calculated by considering three selected microbiological parameters representing the size (microbial biomass carbon), activity (soil basal respiration), and functional diversity (evenness, determined by CRP) of the microbial communities. All of the constructed indices show the same differences among the study sites. The inclusion of CRP and PLFA data in the indices slightly increased, or did not increase, the index sensitivity. Microbiological indices had the same sensitivity as the indices integrated by physical, chemical, and biological properties. An evaluation of the SQI constructed by both procedures found no difference in sensitivity. However, SQI constructed by procedure B allowed evaluation of the effects of management practices on physical, chemical, and biological soil properties.

scholarly journals The impact of roosting birds on the abundance of two groups of soil mesofauna

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 117-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krassimira ILIEVA-MAKULEC ◽  
Dawid KOZACKI ◽  
Grzegorz MAKULEC
Keyword(s):  
Soil Layer ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Control Area ◽  
The Other ◽  
Soil Mesofauna ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City ◽  
Positive Effect

The aim of the study was to assess the influence of corvid urban roosts on the abundance of two groups of soil mesofauna: mites and springtails. Two areas located in the city of Warsaw were taken into consideration, one subjected to winter roosting activity of corvids and the other not influenced by birds. The samples were taken three times, in May, July, and September of 2013. The results show a positive effect of corvid roosts on the density of soil mesofauna, especially in the top 0–5 cm soil layer. On each sampling date, we found more numerous communities of mites and springtails in the soil within the roosting area than in control. The average densities ofmites ranged from 30×103 ind. m–2 to 200×103 ind. m–2 in the soil within the roost and from 6 ×103 ind. m–2 to 40×103 ind. m–2 in the control. In the case of springtails the average densities ranged from 9×103 ind. m–2 to 36×103 ind. m–2 in the roost and from 4×103 ind. m–2 to 8×103 ind. m–2 in the control. Among the two groups, mites prevailed over the springtails both in the soil of roost and control area. We inferred that the corvid roosting activity, involving mainly an excrement deposition on the soil surface, influences soil mesofauna indirectly

scholarly journals Effect of land management on soil properties in flood irrigated citrus orchards in Eastern Spain

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Morugán-Coronado ◽  
F. García-Orenes ◽  
A. Cerdà
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Microbial Properties ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Citrus Orchards

Abstract. Agricultural land management greatly affects soil properties. Microbial soil communities are the most sensitive and rapid indicators of perturbations in land use and soil enzyme activities are sensitive biological indicators of the effects of soil management practices. Citrus orchards frequently have degraded soils and this paper evaluates how land management in citrus orchards can improve soil quality. A field experiment was performed in an orchard of orange trees (Citrus Sinensis) in the Alcoleja Experimental Station (Eastern Spain) with clay-loam agricultural soils to assess the long-term effects of herbicides with inorganic fertilizers (H), intensive ploughing and inorganic fertilizers (P) and organic farming (O) on the soil microbial properties, and to study the relationship between them. Nine soil samples were taken from each agricultural management plot. In all the samples the basal soil respiration, soil microbial biomass carbon, water holding capacity, electrical conductivity, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, aggregate stability, cation exchange capacity, pH, texture, macronutrients (Na, Ca and Mg), micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu), calcium carbonate equivalent, calcium carbonate content of limestone and enzimatic activities (urease, dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase and acid phosphatase) were determined. The results showed a substantial level of differentiation in the microbial properties, which were highly associated with soil organic matter content. The management practices including herbicides and intensive ploughing had similar results on microbial soil properties. O management contributed to an increase in the soil biology quality, aggregate stability and organic matter content.

Effect of soil wetting conditions on seal formation, runoff, and soil loss in arid and semiarid soils—a review

Soil Research ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meni Ben-Hur ◽  
Marcos Lado
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Infiltration Rate ◽  
Runoff And Soil Loss ◽  
Arid And Semiarid ◽  
Raindrop Impact

Soil surface sealing is one of the main causes for low infiltration rate (IR) and high runoff and soil loss under raindrop impact conditions in arid and semiarid regions. Many studies have focused on the effects of soil properties on seal formation under fast wetting conditions. However, in the field, soils can be exposed to different wetting conditions, before an intense rainfall event, which can affect the role of the soil properties on seal formation. The present paper reviews the effects of different initial wetting conditions and their interactions with soil properties on seal formation, IR, runoff, and soil loss in smectitic soils. Fast wetting of soil causes aggregate slaking, which enhances seal formation, runoff, and soil loss under rainfall, mainly in soils with > 40% clay content. An increase in clay content of the soil increases aggregate strength, but at the same time increases the slaking forces. Hence, in soils with low clay content (<40%) and low aggregate stability, raindrop impact alone was sufficient to break down the aggregates and to develop a seal. In contrast, in soils with > 40% clay content and high aggregate stability, slaking plays an important role in aggregate breakdown and seal formation. An increase of raindrop kinetic energy, from 8 to 15.9 kJ/m3, decreased the effect of the slaking forces on seal formation and runoff. It was suggested that the effects of raindrop kinetic energy and of the slaking forces on aggregate disintegration and seal formation are complementary. An increase in soil exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), from 0.9 to 20.4%, decreased the effect of slaking forces on seal formation and runoff production under rainfall with 15.9 kJ/m3 kinetic energy. Probably, increasing the ESP increased the soil dispersivity, and therefore diminished the effect of the slaking forces on aggregate disintegration and seal formation. Aging (the time since wetting) of soil increased the stability of soil structure, decreased the seal formation, maintained high IR, and diminished soil loss amounts. These effects of soil aging depend on both the prewetting rate of the soil and soil texture.

Soil properties in northern temperate pastures do not vary with management practices and are independent of rangeland health

2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 495-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lysandra A. Pyle ◽  
Linda M. Hall ◽  
Edward W. Bork
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
C:N Ratio ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Temperate Pastures ◽  
Rangeland Health

Studies examining the influence of disturbance and management history on pasture soils across a large sampling area are uncommon. We report on the soil properties found in 102 northern temperate pastures sampled in central Alberta, Canada, and relate these attributes to ongoing pasture management practices compiled from producer surveys and aboveground measures of rangeland health (RH). Tame pastures, typically seeded to introduced forages, were associated with higher soil fertility (total carbon, nitrogen, and organic matter) than semi-native grasslands, which were associated with coarse-textured soils. Soil properties remained independent of most grazing and pasture management practices, including the grazing systems, class of livestock, fertilization, and stocking rate. However, manure application, often combined with harrowing, was associated with improved soil fertility and increased electrical conductivity (salinity). Soils with a fire history reported by land managers, largely in the Boreal natural region, were characterized by a greater soil C:N ratio. Soil surface properties (litter cover, litter depth, and bare soil) were responsive to grazing management, with growing season and year-round grazing associated with a thinner litter layer having less cover, and bare ground twice as high under continuous grazing compared with pastures rotationally grazed. Further, variation in soil surface cover was associated with contrasting RH classes (healthy, healthy with problems, and unhealthy), whereas soil attributes remained unrelated to RH. This study demonstrates that soils within these northern temperate grasslands are relatively insensitive to many pasture management practices, and highlights that existing RH assessments may provide limited insight into differences in mineral soil properties.

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