Effects of Fire on Soil Microbes

and Structure

Nathaniel Tisdell

Types of Wild Fire

Crown

Types of Wild Fire

Brush

Types of Wild Fire

Ground

Factors Affecting Soil

Intensity
Duration
Leading to Severity

Factors Affecting Soil

Intensity
Heat of Fire

Duration
Length of heating

Severity
Amount of ecological
damage

Factors Affecting Soil

Depth of Heat Transfer

Thermal Diffusivity
Changes with
Moisture Content

Water Boiling Point

Vaporization begins
at 95C

Depth of Heat Transfer

Surface Temp During Fire
200300C
With Heavy Fuel 500-700C

5cm
Temp.<150C

20 - 30cm
No change in temp.

Duration
Biggest variable

Microbial Death
Intensity
Heat of Fire

Duration
Length of heating
Clostridium botulinum thermal death
graph
Spores
Food Industry

Factors Affecting Soil

Intensity
Heat of Fire

Duration
Length of heating

Severity
Amount of ecological
damage

Duration of Fire
Biggest variable
High heat, fast fire
Little soil heat transfer

Duration affects depth of

heat
Depth affects more
biomass

Effects of Heat

Microbes
Carbon
Hydrophobicity
Aggregate Stability

Microbes: Immediate Effects

High temps
Complete sterilization of topsoil (0-5cm)
50% biomass reduction in 5-10cm
Pollutants produced by combustion
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins
Dibenzofurans
polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)

Modifies/Removes substrate

Moisture Content
Higher moisture, higher decline of biomass C
Better Heat conduction

Fungi more sensitive to heat than bacteria

Microbes: Long-Term Effects

Limited studies Most done with prescribed
burns
Some suggest increased heterogeneity
Aerobic Heterotrophs stimulated
Cyanobacteria depressed

Fungi
Pyrophilous fungi
Quickly recolonize after low to moderate severity

Ascomycetes associated with recent burns

Other fungi take longer to recolonize

Carbon: CO2
2008 Emissions
5,839 million metric tons

Forest Fire Emissions

290 million metric tons

Forest Fires Contribute 5% CO2 Emissions

Carbon: the Cycle

Carbon: Fuel
Combustion
Starts at 200C
Complete at 460C

C6H12O6+6O2->6CO2+6H2O
Organic Carbon

Incomplete combustion
Myriad of other products

Carbon: Byproducts
Pyrolysis
Heating Organics without O2
Occurs at moderate temp during wild-fire
220C 37% carbon lost
Rest pyrolysed

Produces Aromatic Rings

Removes Oxygenated Subgroups
Decreases Chain Length

Carbon: Byproducts
High temp pyrolysis
250C - 500C
Black Carbon Production
Pure Carbon in Different forms

Very high temp produces graphite

If O2 present, high temp produces CO2

Hydrophobicity
Vaporization of Organics
from litter
Move down on temp gradient
Condense at cooler layer

175-200C
Strong Repellency

280-400C
Repellency destroyed

Hydrophobicity

Hydrophobicity: Chemistry
Compounds without Oxygen groups
Minimize H-bonding/polarity

No defined chemical structure

Infinite variety of carbon rearrangements

Hydrophobicity: Practicality
Water Run-Off
Infiltration limitations
Erosion
Bare Soil
Saturated
Run-off

Spatial variability on site

Hydrophobicity: Hydrology
Uniform and Flat
Capillary Barrier
Wetting front slows through repellant layer
Infiltration speed increases as repellant layer
becomes wet
Shallow layer better at restricting infiltration

Hydrophobicity: Hydrology
Heterogeneous and Micro topography
Produces wetting fingers
Rill Formation
Rain Drop Erosion

Hydrophobicity: Wetting Fingers

Hydrophobicity: Rill Formation

Hydrophobicity: Rills

Hydrophobicity: Rills

Hydrophobicity: Rain Drop Erosion

Erosion Prevention
Obstacles
Logs, mesh fences
Minimize overland movement

Mulching
Reseeding

Hydrophobicity: Indirect Remediation

Masking Symptoms
Surfactants
Decrease surface tension

Adding Clay minerals

Masks Hydrophobic molecules

Biological
Introduce drought tolerant plants

Physical
Cultivation
Compaction
Aeration

Hydrophobicity: Direct Remediation

Reducing hydrophobic input/increasing
decomposition
Chemical
Liming
Increase pH, activates microbial communities

Slow Release Fertilizers

Promote Soil Biological Activity

Hydrophobicity: Direct Remediation

Reducing hydrophobic input/increasing
decomposition
Biological
Enriching specific bacterial populations
Wax degraders

Stimulating Earthworms
Mixing Soil
Microbial Priming Effect

Hydrophobicity: Direct Remediation

Reducing hydrophobic input/increasing
decomposition
Physical
High topsoil moisture
Irrigation
Reduce Drying

Treatment
Expensive over large areas
Not performed unless land is of high value

Hydrophobicity: Longevity
Depends on Severity of Fire
Low to Moderate
Short duration
Ex. Late spring burn in SW Oregon
Nearly normal infiltration in rainy season

Aggregate Stability (AS)

Typically associated with OM
Biofilms, Hyphae
Water repellency increases AS to a point
Combustion decreases AS

Clay structure
Heating can fuse clays together
Forms silt/sand fractions

Bibliography

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