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- Title
EFFECTS OF BURN INTENSITY ON SOIL ORGANIC CARBON AND NITROGEN THREE YEARS POSTFIRE IN A PINUS PONDEROSA FOREST.
- Authors
Calhoon, Meghan J.; Vierling, Lee A.; Matzner, Steven L.
- Abstract
Fire suppression and increased fuel loads have resulted in more intense wildfires in the Western United States. While it is often assumed that higher fire intensities result in decreased soil carbon and nitrogen, few studies have addressed this question directly. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of fire intensity on soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SON) three years post-fire in a Pinus ponderosa forest in the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA. Fire intensities were assessed by the United States Forest Service and areas were designated as unburned, high, medium, and low burn intensity. Both SOC and SON decreased with soil depth. High, medium and low intensity burn areas did not differ significantly in SOC or SON at the various depths. Unburned sites however, did have significantly higher SOC and SON in the most shallow soil layer (0-1 cm depth, O horizon) compared with burned sites. Soil carbon and soil nitrogen decreased in the 0-1 cm soil layer from approximately 20.5 Mg C ha-1 and 1.1 Mg N ha-1 in the unburned areas to 9.7 Mg C ha-1 and 0.6 Mg N ha-1 (average for burned areas). This represented a 47 % and 56 % decrease in SOC and SON respectively. Although much less than above-ground losses, this study indicates that even low intensity fires can result in a significant loss of carbon and nitrogen from shallow soil layers.
- Subjects
SOUTH Dakota; UNITED States; WILDFIRES &; the environment; PONDEROSA pine; PHYSIOLOGICAL effects of carbon; PHYSIOLOGICAL effects of nitrogen; FIRE risk assessment; UNITED States. Forest Service; NITROGEN in soils; CARBON in soils
- Publication
Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science, 2009, Vol 88, p109
- ISSN
0096-378X
- Publication type
Article