Immediate effects of prescribed burning on C-related topsoil properties in Central Pyrenees
2016
Armas-Herrera, CM | Badía-Villas, D | Martí-Dalmau, C | Ortiz-Perpiñá, JO | Girona-García, A | Mora, JL
Prescribed burning, i.e. the deliberate use of fire under specific conditions, is a management tool for recovering pasturelands affected by shrub encroachment. The objective of this work is to determine the immediate effects of prescribed burning on topsoil properties related to C cycle in soils covered with dense scrubs (Echinospartum horridum) in Tella (Huesca, Central Pyrenees, Spain). Soils were sampled in triplicate immediately before and after burning at 0-1 cm, 1-2 cm and 2-3 cm depths. We analysed the content of total oxidizable C (TOC); the content and mineralization rates of labile and recalcitrant C pools C, as inferred from incubation assays (141 days); microbial biomass C (MBC); and the Beta-D-glucosidase (GL) activity. All studied soil properties were significantly affected by fire, varying in terms of intensity and affected depth. Fire produced a significant decrease in TOC (-41 per cent on average), similarly affecting the upper 3 cm of soil. The content of labile C decreased considerably (-87 per cent on average) at depths up to 3 cm, but its mineralization rate increased (plus 150 per cent on average). The MBC was particularly affected at 0-1 cm (-53 per cent), while GL activity showed significant decreases throughout the upper 3 cm (-49 per cent on average). These results show a strong impact on the studied soil properties just after burning. Monitoring the evolution of these soils is necessary to assess their resilience in the short and medium terms, and check the sustainability of controlled burning for pasture management in the Pyrenees
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