Soil carbon and nitrogen eroded after severe wildfire and erosion mitigation treatments
Derek N. Pierson
A D , Peter R. Robichaud B , Charles C. Rhoades C and Robert E. Brown B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Oregon State University, Department of Crop and Soil Science, 109 Crop Science Building, 3050 SW Campus Way, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
B Rocky Mountain Research Station, US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Moscow, ID 83843, USA.
C Rocky Mountain Research Station, US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA.
D Corresponding author. Email: piersond@oregonstate.edu
International Journal of Wildland Fire 28(10) 814-821 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF18193
Submitted: 5 November 2018 Accepted: 14 February 2019 Published: 19 March 2019
Abstract
Erosion of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) following severe wildfire may have deleterious effects on downstream resources and ecosystem recovery. Although C and N losses in combustion and runoff have been studied extensively, soil C and N transported by post-fire erosion has rarely been quantified in burned landscapes. To better understand the magnitude and temporal pattern of these losses, we analysed the C and N content of sediment collected in severely burned hillslopes and catchments across the western USA over the first 4 post-fire years. We also compared soil C and N losses from areas receiving common erosion-mitigation treatments and untreated, burned areas. The concentrations of C and N in the eroded material (0.23–0.98 g C kg−1 and 0.01–0.04 g N kg−1) were similar to those of mineral soils rather than organic soil horizons or combusted vegetation. Losses of eroded soil C and N were highly variable across sites, and were highest the first 2 years after fire. Cumulative erosional losses from untreated, burned areas ranged from 73 to 2253 kg C ha−1 and from 3.3 to 110 kg N ha−1 over 4 post-fire years. Post-fire erosion-mitigation treatments reduced C and N losses by up to 75% compared with untreated areas. Losses in post-fire erosion are estimated to be <10% of the total soil C and N combusted during severe wildfire and <10% of post-fire soil C and N stocks remaining in the upper 20 cm of mineral soil. Although loss of soil C and N in post-fire erosion is unlikely to impair the productivity of recovering vegetation, export of C and N may influence downstream water quality and aquatic ecosystems.
Additional keywords : post-wildfire recovery, sediment, watershed biogeochemistry.
References
Baird M, Zabowski D, Everett RL (1999) Wildfire effects on carbon and nitrogen in inland coniferous forests. Plant and Soil 209, 233–243.| Wildfire effects on carbon and nitrogen in inland coniferous forests.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bauhus J, Khanna PK, Raison RJ (1993) The effect of fire on carbon and nitrogen mineralization and nitrification in an Australian forest soil. Soil Research 31, 621–639.
| The effect of fire on carbon and nitrogen mineralization and nitrification in an Australian forest soil.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Berryman EM, Morgan P, Robichaud PR, Page-Dumroese D (2014) Post-fire erosion control mulches alter belowground processes and nitrate reductase activity of a perennial forb, heartleaf arnica (Arnica cordifolia). Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Research Note RMRS-RN-69. (Fort Collins, CO, USA)
Binkley D, Fisher R (2012) ‘Ecology and Management of Forest Soils’. (Wiley: New York, NY, USA)
Bormann BT, Homann PS, Darbyshire RL, Morrissette BA (2008) Intense forest wildfire sharply reduces mineral soil C and N: the first direct evidence. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 38, 2771–2783.
| Intense forest wildfire sharply reduces mineral soil C and N: the first direct evidence.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Caon L, Vallejo VR, Ritsema CJ, Geissen V (2014) Effects of wildfire on soil nutrients in Mediterranean ecosystems. Earth-Science Reviews 139, 47–58.
| Effects of wildfire on soil nutrients in Mediterranean ecosystems.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cerdà A, Doerr SH (2008) The effect of ash and needle cover on surface runoff and erosion in the immediate post-fire period. Catena 74, 256–263.
| The effect of ash and needle cover on surface runoff and erosion in the immediate post-fire period.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Certini G (2005) Effects of fire on properties of forest soils: a review. Oecologia 143, 1–10.
| Effects of fire on properties of forest soils: a review.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 15688212PubMed |
Debano LF, Neary D, Folliott PE (Eds) (1998) ‘Fire’s Effects on Ecosystems’. (Wiley: New York, NY, USA)
den Heyer C, Kalff J (1998) Organic matter mineralization rates in sediments: a within‐ and among‐lake study. Limnology and Oceanography 43, 695–705.
| Organic matter mineralization rates in sediments: a within‐ and among‐lake study.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Dennison PE, Brewer SC, Arnold JD, Moritz MA (2014) Large wildfire trends in the western United States, 1984–2011. Geophysical Research Letters 41, 2928–2933.
| Large wildfire trends in the western United States, 1984–2011.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Durán J, Rodríguez A, Fernández-Palacios JM, Gallardo A (2010) Long-term decrease of organic and inorganic nitrogen concentrations due to pine forest wildfire. Annals of Forest Science 67, 207
| Long-term decrease of organic and inorganic nitrogen concentrations due to pine forest wildfire.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Findlay S, Sinsabaugh RL (2003) ‘Aquatic Ecosystems: Interactivity of Dissolved Organic Matter.’ (Academic Press: Cambridge, MA, USA)
Gälman V, Rydberg J, de‐Luna SS, Bindler R, Renberg I (2008) Carbon and nitrogen loss rates during aging of lake sediment: changes over 27 years studied in varved lake sediment. Limnology and Oceanography 53, 1076–1082.
| Carbon and nitrogen loss rates during aging of lake sediment: changes over 27 years studied in varved lake sediment.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Grier CC (1975) Wildfire effects on nutrient distribution and leaching in a coniferous ecosystem. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 5, 599–607.
| Wildfire effects on nutrient distribution and leaching in a coniferous ecosystem.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Groen AH, Woods SW (2008) Effectiveness of aerial seeding and straw mulch for reducing post-wildfire erosion, north-western Montana, USA. International Journal of Wildland Fire 17, 559–571.
| Effectiveness of aerial seeding and straw mulch for reducing post-wildfire erosion, north-western Montana, USA.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Gudasz C, Bastviken D, Steger K, Premke K, Sobek S, Tranvik LJ (2010) Temperature-controlled organic carbon mineralization in lake sediments. Nature 466, 478–481.
| Temperature-controlled organic carbon mineralization in lake sediments.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 20651689PubMed |
Homann PS, Bormann BT, Darbyshire RL, Morrissette BA (2011) Forest soil carbon and nitrogen losses associated with wildfire and prescribed fire. Soil Science Society of America Journal 75, 1926–1934.
| Forest soil carbon and nitrogen losses associated with wildfire and prescribed fire.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Johnson DW, Murphy JD, Walker RF, Glass D, Miller WW (2007) Wildfire effects on forest carbon and nutrient budgets. Ecological Engineering 31, 183–192.
| Wildfire effects on forest carbon and nutrient budgets.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Keeley JE (2009) Fire intensity, fire severity and burn severity: a brief review and suggested usage. International Journal of Wildland Fire 18, 116–126.
| Fire intensity, fire severity and burn severity: a brief review and suggested usage.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kramer CY (1956) Extension of multiple range tests to group means with unequal numbers of replications. Biometrics 12, 307–310.
| Extension of multiple range tests to group means with unequal numbers of replications.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Murphy JD, Johnson DW, Miller WW, Walker RF, Carroll EF, Blank RR (2006) Wildfire effects on soil nutrients and leaching in a Tahoe Basin watershed. Journal of Environmental Quality 35, 479–489.
| Wildfire effects on soil nutrients and leaching in a Tahoe Basin watershed.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 16455848PubMed |
North MP, Hurteau MD (2011) High-severity wildfire effects on carbon stocks and emissions in fuels treated and untreated forest. Forest Ecology and Management 261, 1115–1120.
| High-severity wildfire effects on carbon stocks and emissions in fuels treated and untreated forest.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Parsons A, Robichaud PR, Lewis SA, Napper C, Clark JT (2010) Field guide for mapping postfire soil burn severity. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-243. (Fort Collins, CO, USA)
Quinton JN, Govers G, Van Oost K, Bardgett RD (2010) The impact of agricultural soil erosion on biogeochemical cycling. Nature Geoscience 3, 311–314.
| The impact of agricultural soil erosion on biogeochemical cycling.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Rapid Carbon Assessment Project (2013) Soil Survey Staff. United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. Available online at: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/?cid=nrcs142p2_054164 [verified 26 February 2019].
Rhoades CC, Entwistle D, Butler D (2011) The influence of wildfire extent and severity on streamwater chemistry, sediment and temperature following the Hayman Fire, Colorado. International Journal of Wildland Fire 20, 430–442.
| The influence of wildfire extent and severity on streamwater chemistry, sediment and temperature following the Hayman Fire, Colorado.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Rhoades CC, Fornwalt PJ, Paschke MW, Shanklin A, Jonas JL (2015) Recovery of small pile burn scars in conifer forests of the Colorado Front Range. Forest Ecology and Management 347, 180–187.
| Recovery of small pile burn scars in conifer forests of the Colorado Front Range.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Rhoades CC, Minatre KL, Pierson DN, Fegel TS, Cotrufo MF, Kelly EF (2017) Examining the potential of forest residue-based amendments for post-wildfire rehabilitation in Colorado, USA. Scientifica 2017, 4758316
| Examining the potential of forest residue-based amendments for post-wildfire rehabilitation in Colorado, USA.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 28321358PubMed |
Rhoades CC, Chow AT, Covino TP, Fegel TS, Pierson DN, Rhea AE (2018) The legacy of a severe wildfire on stream nitrogen and carbon in headwater catchments. Ecosystems 1–15.
Riechers GH, Beyers JL, Robichuad PR, Jennings K, Kreutz E, Moll J (2008) Effects of three mulch treatments on initial postfire erosion in north Central Arizona. In ‘Proceedings of the 2002 Fire Conference: Managing Fire and Fuels in the Remaining Wildlands and Open Spaces of the Southwestern United States’, 2–5 December 2002, San Diego, CA, USA. (Ed. MG Narog) USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, General Technical Report PSW-GTR-189, pp. 107–114. (Albany, CA, USA)
Robichaud PR, Ashmun LE (2012) Tools to aid post-wildfire assessment and erosion-mitigation treatment decisions. International Journal of Wildland Fire 22, 95–105.
| Tools to aid post-wildfire assessment and erosion-mitigation treatment decisions.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Robichaud PR, Wagenbrenner JW, Brown RE, Wohlgemuth PM, Beyers JL (2008) Evaluating the effectiveness of contour-felled log erosion barriers as a post-fire runoff and erosion mitigation treatment in the western United States. International Journal of Wildland Fire 17, 255–273.
| Evaluating the effectiveness of contour-felled log erosion barriers as a post-fire runoff and erosion mitigation treatment in the western United States.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Robichaud PR, Lewis SA, Wagenbrenner JW, Ashmun LE, Brown RE (2013a) Post-fire mulching for runoff and erosion mitigation; Part I: effectiveness at reducing hillslope erosion rates. Catena 105, 75–92.
| Post-fire mulching for runoff and erosion mitigation; Part I: effectiveness at reducing hillslope erosion rates.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Robichaud PR, Wagenbrenner JW, Lewis SA, Ashmun LE, Brown RE, Wohlgemuth PM (2013b) Post-fire mulching for runoff and erosion mitigation; Part II: effectiveness in reducing runoff and sediment yields from small catchments. Catena 105, 93–111.
| Post-fire mulching for runoff and erosion mitigation; Part II: effectiveness in reducing runoff and sediment yields from small catchments.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Rust AJ, Hogue TS, Saxe S, McCray J (2018) Post-fire water-quality response in the western United States. International Journal of Wildland Fire 27, 203–216.
| Post-fire water-quality response in the western United States.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Santín C, Doerr SH, Preston CM, González‐Rodríguez G (2015) Pyrogenic organic matter production from wildfires: a missing sink in the global carbon cycle. Global Change Biology 21, 1621–1633.
| Pyrogenic organic matter production from wildfires: a missing sink in the global carbon cycle.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 25378275PubMed |
Shakesby RA (2011) Post-wildfire soil erosion in the Mediterranean: review and future research directions. Earth-Science Reviews 105, 71–100.
| Post-wildfire soil erosion in the Mediterranean: review and future research directions.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Silins U, Bladon KD, Kelly EN, Esch E, Spence JR, Stone M, Emelko MB, Boon S, Wagner MJ, Williams CH, Tichkowsky I (2014) Five‐year legacy of wildfire and salvage logging impacts on nutrient runoff and aquatic plant, invertebrate, and fish productivity. Ecohydrology 7, 1508–1523.
| Five‐year legacy of wildfire and salvage logging impacts on nutrient runoff and aquatic plant, invertebrate, and fish productivity.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Smith HG, Sheridan GJ, Lane PN, Nyman P, Haydon S (2011) Wildfire effects on water quality in forest catchments: a review with implications for water supply. Journal of Hydrology 396, 170–192.
| Wildfire effects on water quality in forest catchments: a review with implications for water supply.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Sobek S, Durisch-Kaiser E, Zurbrügg R, Wongfun N, Wessels M, Pasche N, Wehrli B (2009) Organic carbon burial efficiency in lake sediments controlled by oxygen exposure time and sediment source. Limnology and Oceanography 54, 2243–2254.
| Organic carbon burial efficiency in lake sediments controlled by oxygen exposure time and sediment source.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Soil Survey Staff (2016) Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Web Soil Survey. Available online at: https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/. [verified 1 December 2016].
Sollins P, Swanston C, Kleber M, Filley T, Kramer M, Crow S, Caldwell BA, Lajtha K, Bowden R (2006) Organic C and N stabilization in a forest soil: evidence from sequential density fractionation. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 38, 3313–3324.
| Organic C and N stabilization in a forest soil: evidence from sequential density fractionation.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Tranvik LJ, Downing JA, Cotner JB, Loiselle SA, Striegl RG, Ballatore TJ, Kortelainen PL (2009) Lakes and reservoirs as regulators of carbon cycling and climate. Limnology and Oceanography 54, 2298–2314.
| Lakes and reservoirs as regulators of carbon cycling and climate.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Wagenbrenner JW, Robichaud PR (2014) Post‐fire bedload sediment delivery across spatial scales in the interior western United States. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 39, 865–876.
| Post‐fire bedload sediment delivery across spatial scales in the interior western United States.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Westerling AL, Hidalgo HG, Cayan DR, Swetnam TW (2006) Warming and earlier spring increase western US forest wildfire activity. Science 313, 940–943.
| Warming and earlier spring increase western US forest wildfire activity.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 16825536PubMed |
