Fajardo-Cantos Á, Peña E, Plaza-Álvarez P, González-Romero J, Moya D, González-Camuñas H, Díaz A, Botella R, Lucas-Borja M E, De Las Heras J
(ECOFOR) Research Group of Forest Ecology, Agricultural and Forest Engineers Higher Technical School, to University of Castilla-La Mancha, in Albacete, Spain.
Department of Forestry and Environmental Engineering and Management, Technical University of Madrid, Spain.
Heliyon. 2024 Sep 14;10(19):e37948. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37948. eCollection 2024 Oct 15.
The escalation of global warming, high temperatures, and wildfire frequency in dry ecosystems, including semi-arid landscapes, has resulted in increased wildfire regimes, compromising ecosystem resistance and resilience. To mitigate these risks, prescribed burning (PB) is being employed as a preventive measure to modify fuel loads in forest ecosystems. However, fire can also impact soil structure and microbiota, which play critical roles in nutrient cycling, biodiversity conservation, and overall ecosystem functioning. Therefore, understanding post-fire processes is essential for sustainable forest management. However, while previous studies have explored the effects of prescribed fire management on semi-arid soil properties in Mediterranean forest ecosystems, gaps remain in our understanding of its specific impact on the physical structure, chemical composition, and biological activities of soils. In this study, we conducted early spring PB in SE Spain in 2021 and assessed the ecological and temporal effects of PB on semi-arid soils. Soil respiration (SR) measurements using automatic CO flow chambers were employed to evaluate microbiota recovery. To examine impacts on soil structure we evaluated physicochemical characteristics, soil hydraulic conductivity (SHC), and soil water repellency (SWR). No significant differences were observed in any of the variables studied after one year. However, immediate effects were detected shortly after the PB. Our research specifically targeted soil structure and microbiota in a semi-arid landscape with poor soils, characterized by slower recovery and potentially fragile ecosystems. These results provide valuable insights for forest management practices, indicating that prescribed fire management strategies in similar ecosystems are unlikely to cause adverse effects on soil health. However, further research is warranted to explore the potential effects of prescribed fire intensity and seasonality. Future studies can focus on investigating these factors to provide more targeted recommendations for effective forest management strategies and wildfire prevention efforts.
全球变暖、高温以及包括半干旱地区在内的干旱生态系统中野火发生频率的上升，导致野火活动加剧，削弱了生态系统的抵抗力和恢复力。为降低这些风险，规定火烧（PB）被用作一种预防措施，以改变森林生态系统中的燃料负荷。然而，火灾也会影响土壤结构和微生物群，而它们在养分循环、生物多样性保护及整个生态系统功能中发挥着关键作用。因此，了解火灾后的过程对于森林可持续管理至关重要。然而，尽管先前的研究探讨了规定火烧管理对地中海森林生态系统中半干旱土壤性质的影响，但我们对其对土壤物理结构、化学成分和生物活性的具体影响仍缺乏了解。在本研究中，我们于2021年在西班牙东南部进行了早春规定火烧，并评估了规定火烧对半干旱土壤的生态和时间影响。使用自动二氧化碳流动室测量土壤呼吸（SR），以评估微生物群的恢复情况。为研究对土壤结构的影响，我们评估了物理化学特征、土壤水力传导率（SHC）和土壤斥水性（SWR）。一年后，在所研究的任何变量中均未观察到显著差异。然而，在规定火烧后不久就检测到了即时影响。我们的研究专门针对土壤贫瘠的半干旱地区的土壤结构和微生物群，其特点是恢复较慢且生态系统可能较为脆弱。这些结果为森林管理实践提供了有价值的见解，表明类似生态系统中的规定火烧管理策略不太可能对土壤健康造成不利影响。然而，有必要进一步研究规定火烧强度和季节性的潜在影响。未来的研究可以专注于调查这些因素，以便为有效的森林管理策略和野火预防工作提供更具针对性的建议。
