The effects of post-fire forest management on soil erosion rates 3 and 4 years after a wildfire, demonstrated on the 2010 Mount Carmel fire
Rami Zituni A , Lea Wittenberg A and Dan Malkinson A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel.
B Shamir Research Institute, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel.
C Corresponding author. Email: leaw@geo.haifa.ac.il
International Journal of Wildland Fire 28(5) 377-385 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF18116
Submitted: 29 July 2018 Accepted: 6 February 2019 Published: 28 March 2019
Abstract
During 2–5 December 2010, an area of 2500 ha in the Carmel forests was consumed by a severe wildfire, causing soil erosion from the exposed slopes. Whereas most studies show that post-fire erosion rates tend to decline after the second year, in this case, we aim to address the ongoing consequences that different management practices had on soil erosion 3 and 4 years after a fire. Three management operations were applied: (a) preservation management (PM) – mulching wood chips on the burned area; (b) tree-clearing management (TCM) – burned trees were cut and removed; and (c) skid-trail formation (ST) – provisional pathways were formed while trees were dragged outside. Consequently, the objectives of the study were: (1) to monitor the effects of these post-fire practices 3 and 4 years after fire; and (2) to characterise the physical features of the eroded soil. The sediments were collected after every effective rain event over two rainy seasons (2013–14, 2014–15). TCM and ST practices resulted in significantly elevated soil-erosion yields compared to PM. The sediments following PM had a high percentage of fine material. Furthermore, PM had an evident positive effect on the soil, whereas all other practices inhibited vegetation renewal and system rehabilitation.
Additional keywords: land degradation, wildfires.
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