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Soils and Woody Debris

Displaying 11 - 20 of 97

Expanding our understanding of nitrogen dynamics after fire: how severe fire and aridity reduce ecosystem nitrogen retention

Year of Publication
2024
Publication Type

Fires release large pulses of nitrogen (N), which can be taken up by recovering plants and microbes or exported to streams where it can threaten water quality. The amount of N exported depends on the balance between N mineralisation and rates of N uptake after fire. Burn severity and soil moisture interact to drive these rates, but their effects can be difficult to predict.

Soil microbiome feedbacks during disturbance-driven forest ecosystem conversion

Year of Publication
2024
Publication Type

Disturbances cause rapid changes to forests, with different disturbance types and severities creating unique ecosystem trajectories that can impact the underlying soil microbiome. Pile burning—the combustion of logging residue on the forest floor—is a common fuel reduction practice that can have impacts on forest soils analogous to those following high-severity wildfire.

Smoldering of Wood: Effects of Wind and Fuel Geometry

Year of Publication
2024
Publication Type

Large and downed woody fuels remaining behind a wildfire’s flame front tend to burn in a smoldering regime, producing large quantities of toxic gases and particulate emissions, which deteriorates air quality and compromises human health. Smoldering burning rates are affected by fuel type and size, the amount of oxygen reaching the surface, and heat losses to the surroundings.