Facts
Name: POSTFIRE_Care, Post-fire management strategies oriented to preseve and improve soil quality
Funder: Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad
Reference: CGL2016-75178-C2-1-R
Total cost: 87,000.00 €
Duration: 01/01/2017 - 31/12/2019
Coordinator: Jorge Mataix-Solera (University Miguel Hernández)
Funder: Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad
Reference: CGL2016-75178-C2-1-R
Total cost: 87,000.00 €
Duration: 01/01/2017 - 31/12/2019
Coordinator: Jorge Mataix-Solera (University Miguel Hernández)
Summary
Soil is a basic component of the forest ecosystem, which must be preserved and protected. Forest fires are a natural factor in our ecosystems but in the last 5 decades they have experienced a change in their natural regime, provoking in some cases serious environmental, economic and social damage. The management of areas affected by fires is crucial for their recovery, and sometimes post-fire actions may have more effect on the soil than the fire itself. This must be studied and corrected. The four teams, which present this proposal, have spent decades studying the effect of forest fires and prescribed fires in soils and more recently on the effect of different post-fire managements. Following the results of the last project we have new issues that we must address in order to advise better targets in post-fire management policies. We plan to continue with the previous studies and address the effort to work on issues that are still pending such as: To study when and what is the best
manner to extract the burned wood; to study when, the combination of mulch treatment just after the fire avoids soil degradation, or, in which cases (depending on soil type) this action should be strongly discouraged. On the other hand and in order to avoid further accumulation
of fuel in a few years when natural regeneration is very good, we intend to study the effect of thinning (reduction of the vegetation density) on soil properties, studying when is the best time to do so (in the medium- or long-term) and how to do it to prevent the soil quality being affected. Finally, and following our previous studies on the effects of prescribed fires, we consider it necessary to address more in depth the study of the effect that the recurrence of prescribed fires can have on soils, since in some cases depending on previous land use, such recurrence can cause negative effects on some properties, as well as to study new management such as a prescribed fire and cattle-introduction sequence. In all cases it is to be compared with "no action" as a reference or control and to study how the effects of these treatments can be minimized by the application of protective treatments on the soil such as "mulch". It also aims to advance the use of indicators related to microbiology to verify its effectiveness by measuring soil health and on the other side to study how different managements can cause changes in the structure of the soil microbial communities, essential for good maintenance of the ecosystem.
The project involves groups from the Universities of Seville, Elche, Valencia and Barcelona, with the participation of some foreign researchers so we will study areas in Andalucía, Valencia and Catalonia. The coordinated project is divided into two sub-projects. From the 3 parts that divide the Work Plan (activities), there is one, dedicated to the study of the effect of thinning (clear-cutting) where all groups are involved. In the other 2, although each is carried out mainly by teams of a subproject, there are tasks that the participation and collaboration of members from the other subproject is necessary.
manner to extract the burned wood; to study when, the combination of mulch treatment just after the fire avoids soil degradation, or, in which cases (depending on soil type) this action should be strongly discouraged. On the other hand and in order to avoid further accumulation
of fuel in a few years when natural regeneration is very good, we intend to study the effect of thinning (reduction of the vegetation density) on soil properties, studying when is the best time to do so (in the medium- or long-term) and how to do it to prevent the soil quality being affected. Finally, and following our previous studies on the effects of prescribed fires, we consider it necessary to address more in depth the study of the effect that the recurrence of prescribed fires can have on soils, since in some cases depending on previous land use, such recurrence can cause negative effects on some properties, as well as to study new management such as a prescribed fire and cattle-introduction sequence. In all cases it is to be compared with "no action" as a reference or control and to study how the effects of these treatments can be minimized by the application of protective treatments on the soil such as "mulch". It also aims to advance the use of indicators related to microbiology to verify its effectiveness by measuring soil health and on the other side to study how different managements can cause changes in the structure of the soil microbial communities, essential for good maintenance of the ecosystem.
The project involves groups from the Universities of Seville, Elche, Valencia and Barcelona, with the participation of some foreign researchers so we will study areas in Andalucía, Valencia and Catalonia. The coordinated project is divided into two sub-projects. From the 3 parts that divide the Work Plan (activities), there is one, dedicated to the study of the effect of thinning (clear-cutting) where all groups are involved. In the other 2, although each is carried out mainly by teams of a subproject, there are tasks that the participation and collaboration of members from the other subproject is necessary.
People
GEA (University Miguel Hernández)
MED_Soil (University of Seville)
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GRAM (University of Barcelona)
SEDER (UNIVERSITY OF VALENCIA)
GEA (University Miguel Hernández)
Jorge Mataix-Solera (coordinator)
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Nicasio T. Jiménez Morillo
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Heike Knicker
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José M. de la Rosa Arranz
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M. Pilar Burgos Doménech
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Ignacio Francisco Girón Moreno
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Rafael López Núñez
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Alba Carmona Navarro
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Arturo J. Pascual Granged
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Jorge García Moreno
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University of Zurich
Publications
Alanís, N., Hernández Madrigal, V.M., Cerdà, A., Muñoz-Rojas, M., Zavala, L.M., Jordán, A. 2017. Spatial gradients of intensity and persistence of soil water repellency under different forest types in central Mexico. Land Degradation & Development, 28: 317-327. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2544.
Blánquez, A., Ball, A.S., González-Pérez, J.A., Jiménez-Morillo, N.T., González-Vila, F., Arias, M.E., Hernández, M. 2017. Laccase SilA from Streptomyces ipomoeae CECT 3341, a key enzyme for the degradation of lignin from agricultural residues? PLoS ONE, 12 (11), art. no. e0187649. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187649.
Jiménez-Morillo, N.T., Spangenberg, J.E., Miller, A.Z., Jordán, A., Zavala, L.M., González-Vila, F.J., González-Pérez J.A. 2017. Wildfire effects on lipid composition and hydrophobicity of bulk soil and soil size fractions under Quercus suber cover (SW-Spain). Environmental Research, 159: 394-405. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.08.022.
Muñoz-Rojas, M., Abd-Elmabod, S.K., Zavala, L.M., De la Rosa, D., Jordán, A. 2017. Climate change impacts on soil organic carbon stocks of Mediterranean agricultural areas: A case study in Northern Egypt. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 238: 142-152. DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2016.09.001.
Rodríguez, J., González-Pérez, J.A., Turmero, A., Hernández, M., Ball, A.S., González-Vila, F.J., Enriqueta Arias, M. 2017. Wildfire effects on the microbial activity and diversity in a Mediterranean forest soil. Catena, 158: 82-88. DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2017.06.018.
Blánquez, A., Ball, A.S., González-Pérez, J.A., Jiménez-Morillo, N.T., González-Vila, F., Arias, M.E., Hernández, M. 2017. Laccase SilA from Streptomyces ipomoeae CECT 3341, a key enzyme for the degradation of lignin from agricultural residues? PLoS ONE, 12 (11), art. no. e0187649. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187649.
Jiménez-Morillo, N.T., Spangenberg, J.E., Miller, A.Z., Jordán, A., Zavala, L.M., González-Vila, F.J., González-Pérez J.A. 2017. Wildfire effects on lipid composition and hydrophobicity of bulk soil and soil size fractions under Quercus suber cover (SW-Spain). Environmental Research, 159: 394-405. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.08.022.
Muñoz-Rojas, M., Abd-Elmabod, S.K., Zavala, L.M., De la Rosa, D., Jordán, A. 2017. Climate change impacts on soil organic carbon stocks of Mediterranean agricultural areas: A case study in Northern Egypt. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 238: 142-152. DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2016.09.001.
Rodríguez, J., González-Pérez, J.A., Turmero, A., Hernández, M., Ball, A.S., González-Vila, F.J., Enriqueta Arias, M. 2017. Wildfire effects on the microbial activity and diversity in a Mediterranean forest soil. Catena, 158: 82-88. DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2017.06.018.