PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #16: Fire Ecology.
Tuesday, August 7, 2001. Presentation from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM. Exhibition Hall
146
Prescribed fire effects on nutrient losses via leaching and volatilization along glade-forest ecotonal boundary.
ECKARD, T.1, BUKAVECKAS, P.1, 1
ABSTRACT- Prescribed fire is a common technique used by managers of natural areas to increase native herbaceous growth and maintain unique habitats. Recovery of vegetation depends in part on the changes in nutrient dynamics caused by fire. Within the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest (KY, USA) controlled burns were conducted during Spring 2000 at three glade openings. This study assessed nutrient losses via leaching and combustion at glade edges and forest interior sites. Zero-tension lysimeters were used to collect soil water leachate and quantify dissolved nutrient losses. Combustion losses were quantified through pre- and post-burn sampling of leaf litter and woody debris. Fire had no significant effect on P or N losses via leaching in edge or forest plots. Combustion resulted in significant mass loss of leaf litter from forest sites but no detectable mass loss in edge sites. Woody debris accounted for a small percentage of total fuel load and, thus, contributed less to nutrient loss via volatilization. Nitrogen losses through combustion are related to inputs from deposition to quantify ecosystem recovery rates.
KEY WORDS: fire ecology, nutrient cycling, volatilization, soil water leachate