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Short-Term Effect of Fire Severity in Chemical and Biochemical Soil Properties in a Sandy Soil

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Soil Enzymology in the Recycling of Organic Wastes and Environmental Restoration

Part of the book series: Environmental Science and Engineering ((ENVSCIENCE))

Abstract

The objectives of the study were to determine how fire severity influences some chemical and biochemical soil properties and to evaluate which properties are more sensitive to this factor. Two forest burned areas and their corresponding unburned areas in Valladolid Province (Spain) were selected. The vegetation in both areas was mixed forest plantation of Pinus pinea L. and Pinus pinaster Aiton, with Albic Arenosols. The fires occurred in June 2004 and the samples at 0–2 cm were taken five months later. Sampling was stratified on the basis of fire severity, defining three levels (high, moderate and low) based on pine canopy consumption, organic litter layer quantity and aspect, and ash quantity and color. In soil samples, pH, total soil organic C (SOC), Walkley–Black C (CW–B), total nitrogen (N), available P (POlsen), microbial activity (Cmin), microbial biomass C and P (MBC and MBP), and acid and alkaline phosphatase activity were determined. SOC and total N concentrations increased in burned soils from external inputs. Fire increased POlsen concentrations from their incorporation into the soil as ash. Our results showed a significant increase in Cmin, MBC and MBP in burned plots, indicating that at least a part of the microbial community is favored by nutrient availability and pH increases. The very low fertility in the unburned soils and the low temperature in these fires caused a short-term fertilizing effect in the plots studied.

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Acknowledgments

We are indebted to Marta Fernández Zayas for assisting with the laboratory analysis. We kindly acknowledge the financial support of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science; Reference CGL2006-13505-C03-03/BOS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sustainable Forest Management Institute, University of Valladolid-INIA, Avda. Madrid 44, 34071, Palencia, Spain

    María Belén Turrión

  2. Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, E.T.S.II.AA, University of Valladolid, 34004, Palencia, Spain

    María Belén Turrión, Francisco Lafuente & Rafael Mulas

Authors
  1. María Belén Turrión
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  2. Francisco Lafuente
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  3. Rafael Mulas
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to María Belén Turrión .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Bioquimica del Suelo, Investigac. Agrobiol. de, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Apartado 122, Santiago de Compostela, 15780, Spain

    Carmen Trasar-Cepeda

  2. , Department of Soil and Water Conservatio, CEBAS-CSIC, Espinardo, Spain

    Teresa Hernández

  3. , Department of Soil and Water Conservatio, CEBAS-CSIC, Espinardo, Spain

    Carlos García

  4. Fac. Ciencias, Depto. Microbiología, Universidad de Burgos, Plaza Misael Bañuelos s/n, Burgos, 09001, Spain

    Carlos Rad

  5. , Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, University of Burgos, Cantabria Av., Burgos, 09006, Spain

    Salvador González-Carcedo

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Turrión, M.B., Lafuente, F., Mulas, R. (2011). Short-Term Effect of Fire Severity in Chemical and Biochemical Soil Properties in a Sandy Soil. In: Trasar-Cepeda, C., Hernández, T., García, C., Rad, C., González-Carcedo, S. (eds) Soil Enzymology in the Recycling of Organic Wastes and Environmental Restoration. Environmental Science and Engineering(). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21162-1_10

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