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Research Paper
Title: Soil heating in chaparral fires: effects on soil properties, plant nutrients, erosion, and runoff
Author: DeBano, Leonard F.; Rice, Raymond M.; Eugene, Conrad C.
Date: 1979
Source: Res. Paper PSW-RP-145. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 21 p
Station ID: RP-PSW-145
Description: This state-of-the-art report summarizes what is known about the effects of heat on soil during chaparral fires. It reviews the literature on the effects of such fires on soil properties, availabilty and loss of plant nutrients, soil wettability, erosion, and surface runoff. And it reports new data collected during recent prescribed burns and a wildfire in southern California. From the data, stylized curves that characterize soil heating during light, moderate, and intense chaparral fires were developed. The information is useful in estimating the effects of fire on soils in chaparral ecosystems.
Key Words: chaparral; brush fires; soil heating; heat effects
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Citation
DeBano, Leonard F.; Rice, Raymond M.; Eugene, Conrad C. 1979. Soil heating in chaparral fires: effects on soil properties, plant nutrients, erosion, and runoff Res. Paper PSW-RP-145. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 21 p.