Post-fire Effects on Environment

A special issue of Fire (ISSN 2571-6255).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 15438

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Applied Science, Federation University Australia, Ballarat, Australia
Interests: forest fire; wildfire; soil properties; water quality; air quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Massive fires, specifically wildfires, are considered amongst the distressing ecological catastrophe that occurs around the globe because of their fierce nature, extensive property and forest damage caused, debris deposition, the threat to human and animal lives, and massive economic loss caused, including the significant impacts on the climate and various compartments of the environment. This is considered a key ecosystem modifier affecting the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the forest soil and the surface water quantity and quality. Compared to low-intensity fires, high-intensity wildfires with complete combustion of organic matter generate severe, negative impacts on the environment in tropical, temperate, and boreal areas. Fires affects the pH, organic matter content, nutrient availability, cation exchange capacity, texture, bulk density, aggregate stability, water repellency, and the microbial community in the soil and alters the hydrological balance. Even though the quality is reduced in many areas depending on the intensity and duration of the fire, the quantity of post-fire streamflow is significantly enhanced. The fires also affect the snow packs, sediment load, and metal content in the surface water systems, apart from air pollution and ozone production. The impacts of fire smoke on wildlife such as carbon monoxide poisoning, respiratory distress, and cardiovascular disease have already been identified. In general, we can say fires significantly influence the environment. Ongoing climate change, caused by current global warming, coupled with anthropogenic activities, create higher temperatures and prolonged droughts that exacerbate the incidence and severity of fires in the fire regimes, significantly affecting the environment. This highlights the significance of investigating the impacts of fire on all the compartments of the environment. 

We are pleased to invite you to submit a paper for the Journal of Fire for a special issue entitled “Post-fire Effects on Environment”. Both Research and Review papers are welcome for possible publication in this issue. This special issue is being edited by: Dr. Joji Abraham, Federation University/Tronox Mining Australia. The topics of interest for this issue include:

  • Impacts of fire on the soil
  • Impacts of fire on the surface water system (streams, lakes, and rivers)
  • Impacts of fire on the potable water quality
  • Impacts of fire on estuaries and coastal areas, and
  • Impacts of fire on the air quality

I look forward to receiving your contribution.

Dr. Joji Abraham
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • air quality
  • climate change
  • controlled fire
  • ecosystem
  • forest ecology
  • forest fire
  • global warming
  • prescribed burn
  • soil properties
  • water quality
  • wildfire

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2722 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Fire Intensity on the Biochemical Properties of a Soil Under Scrub in the Pyrenean Subalpine Stage
by Andoni Alfaro-Leranoz, David Badía-Villas, Clara Martí-Dalmau, Marta Escuer-Arregui and Silvia Quintana-Esteras
Fire 2024, 7(12), 452; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7120452 - 1 Dec 2024
Viewed by 425
Abstract
Fire causes changes in many soil attributes, depending on multiple factors which are difficult to control in the field, such as maximum temperature, heat residence time, charred material incorporation, etc. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of a gradient [...] Read more.
Fire causes changes in many soil attributes, depending on multiple factors which are difficult to control in the field, such as maximum temperature, heat residence time, charred material incorporation, etc. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of a gradient of fire intensities on soils at the cm scale. Undisturbed topsoil monoliths were sampled under scrubs in the subalpine stage in the Southern Pyrenees (NE Spain). They were burned, under controlled conditions in a combustion tunnel, to obtain four charring intensities (CIs), combining two temperatures (50 and 80 °C) and two residence times (12 and 24 min) reached at 1 cm depth from the soil. Unburned soil samples were used as a control. All soils were sampled, cm by cm, up to 3 cm deep. The following soil properties were measured: soil respiration (basal, bSR and normalized, nSR), β-D-glucosidase (GLU), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSPs), soil organic carbon (SOC), labile carbon (DOC), recalcitrant organic carbon (ROC), total nitrogen (TN), soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and soil water repellency (SWR). Even at low intensities, GLU, SOC and total GRSP were significantly reduced and, conversely, SWR was enhanced. At the higher CIs, additional soil properties were significantly reduced (MBC and C/N) or increased (DOC, ROC, nSR, easily extractable GRSP). This study demonstrates that there is a differential degree of thermal sensitivity in the measured biochemical soil properties. Furthermore, these properties are more affected at 0–1 cm than at 1–2 and 2–3 cm soil thicknesses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-fire Effects on Environment)
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13 pages, 1817 KiB  
Article
Impact of Fire Recurrence and Water Stress on the Root Nucleolar Activity of Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) Individuals Whose Seeds Were Harvested in Post-Fire Naturally Regenerated Stands
by Ana Carvalho, Inês Margarida Lopes, Stéphanie Ribeiro, Teresa Fonseca and José Lima-Brito
Fire 2024, 7(11), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7110386 - 28 Oct 2024
Viewed by 665
Abstract
The main role of the nucleolus is ribosomal biogenesis, but it also responds to stress with changes in number, area, and/or morphology. Nucleoli with transcriptionally active ribosomal RNA genes are selectively stained by silver nitrate. Hypothesising that fire recurrence and/or polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced [...] Read more.
The main role of the nucleolus is ribosomal biogenesis, but it also responds to stress with changes in number, area, and/or morphology. Nucleoli with transcriptionally active ribosomal RNA genes are selectively stained by silver nitrate. Hypothesising that fire recurrence and/or polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced water stress would cause nucleolar changes in Pinus pinaster roots, nucleolar parameters were analysed upon the germination of seeds harvested in post-fire naturally regenerated stands with different fire regimes. An unburned stand was used as a control. The nucleoli number varied from 1 to 15 among stands and PEG treatments, but a mode of five or six nucleoli was found. The number of nucleoli per interphase (N) increased (p < 0.001) with fire recurrence (stand effect). Increasing PEG concentration (treatment effect) decreased the nucleoli number, notably in the stand with the highest fire recurrence. The nucleolar area decreased (p < 0.001) with increased nucleoli number, fire recurrence, and/or PEG concentration. Fire recurrence and water scarcity are forecasted for future climate scenarios. As demonstrated earlier, these factors could influence protein synthesis or the cell cycle’s regularity, which are crucial processes for root growth and pine seedling establishment. Furthermore, this work revealed that nucleolar parameters could be suitable biomarkers for pine stress studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-fire Effects on Environment)
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20 pages, 3819 KiB  
Article
Research on Wildfires, Soil Erosion and Land Degradation in the XXI Century
by António Bento-Gonçalves, António Vieira and Sarah Moura dos Santos
Fire 2024, 7(9), 327; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7090327 - 20 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1498
Abstract
This study carries out a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of scientific production on wildfires, soil erosion and land degradation, with the aim of understanding trends, critical gaps in scientific knowledge and research patterns. A total of 1400 articles published between 2001 and 2023 were [...] Read more.
This study carries out a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of scientific production on wildfires, soil erosion and land degradation, with the aim of understanding trends, critical gaps in scientific knowledge and research patterns. A total of 1400 articles published between 2001 and 2023 were analyzed with bibliometric tools (Bibliometrix and VOSviewer), revealing a steady growth in the number of publications over time. International collaboration between countries such as the United States, Spain, China and Portugal is evident, highlighting the global approach to tackling these issues, as well as the mobility and collaboration between scientists. Analyzing the conceptual structure through the co-occurrence of keywords reveals central themes such as “soil erosion” and “wildfire”, indicating areas of primary focus in research. This study highlights the continuing importance of these themes and the need for global collaboration to tackle the environmental challenges affecting forest ecosystems, and particularly the soil layer, caused by wildfires, which affect wildlands all over the world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-fire Effects on Environment)
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20 pages, 7982 KiB  
Article
Impact of Forest Fires on the Trees and Wood Quality—A Case Study for a Beech Stand
by Elena Camelia Mușat
Fire 2024, 7(9), 325; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7090325 - 18 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1121
Abstract
Wood quality has been an ongoing concern for science, having become increasingly important in the current context, in which the demand for wood is increasing and forest fires are more frequent and violent. This study aims to evaluate the quality of wood in [...] Read more.
Wood quality has been an ongoing concern for science, having become increasingly important in the current context, in which the demand for wood is increasing and forest fires are more frequent and violent. This study aims to evaluate the quality of wood in trees affected by fires and the negative impact of these phenomena on the speed of wood degradation, as a result of weakening the trees due to the action of stress factors. The study was carried out using modern techniques on beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.) remaining in an area affected by a litter fire in 2017. Measurements were taken with the Arbotom Rinntech sound tomograph, the IML Resi F-500S resist graph, and the Pressler core sampler to observe the quality of the wood inside the trees. It was found that all the trees were in various stages of decay, the tomograms being able to characterize the severity of decay only in the case of fully decayed wood as a result of the action of xylophages fungi, whose harmful influence is more pronounced when the injuries sustained by the trees are higher. Although the trees attempted to close the fire wounds through their own defense mechanisms, the destructive action of the fungi intensified with time. After the forest fires, for an effective assessment of the wood’s internal quality, the resist graph can be used. For valuable trees, one could use the tomograph, but the measurements have to be taken only by qualified operators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-fire Effects on Environment)
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21 pages, 10559 KiB  
Article
Post-Fire Vegetation (Non-)Recovery across the Edges of a Wildfire: An Unexplored Theme
by Ivo Rossetti, Giulia Calderisi, Donatella Cogoni and Giuseppe Fenu
Fire 2024, 7(7), 250; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7070250 - 13 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1499
Abstract
Wildfires have a significant influence on ecosystems globally, shaping vegetation, biodiversity, landscapes, soil properties, and other ecosystem processes. Despite extensive research on different aspects of wildfires, the edges of burned areas remain understudied, even though they involve complex dynamics. In this study, we [...] Read more.
Wildfires have a significant influence on ecosystems globally, shaping vegetation, biodiversity, landscapes, soil properties, and other ecosystem processes. Despite extensive research on different aspects of wildfires, the edges of burned areas remain understudied, even though they involve complex dynamics. In this study, we analyzed the post-fire vegetation recovery across the edges of a large wildfire in a Mediterranean area. The investigations were focused on patches of woodlands that, in a previous study, showed a normalized burn ratio (NBR) decline one year after the fire. Field vegetation surveys were carried out in areas characterized by different NBR recovery rates and in areas outside the burned area as controls. Five hypotheses were tested, identifying delayed tree mortality as a key factor linked to NBR decline, particularly in low-severity fire zones in proximity to the fire edges. Delayed mortality, observed predominantly near the edges, may also affect unburned or less severely burned patches within the main fire perimeter, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring. As these areas play a crucial role in the post-fire succession and vegetation dynamics, understanding the second-order effects of a fire is imperative for effective ecosystem management. This study underscores the importance of the long-term assessment of fire impacts, emphasizing the necessity of field surveys alongside remote sensing. Continued observation is essential to elucidate the enduring impacts of wildfires and to facilitate informed restoration strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-fire Effects on Environment)
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18 pages, 8799 KiB  
Article
A Preliminary Case Study on the Compounding Effects of Local Emissions and Upstream Wildfires on Urban Air Pollution
by Daniel L. Mendoza, Erik T. Crosman, Tabitha M. Benney, Corbin Anderson and Shawn A. Gonzales
Fire 2024, 7(6), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7060184 - 29 May 2024
Viewed by 1552
Abstract
Interactions between urban and wildfire pollution emissions are active areas of research, with numerous aircraft field campaigns and satellite analyses of wildfire pollution being conducted in recent years. Several studies have found that elevated ozone and particulate pollution levels are both generally associated [...] Read more.
Interactions between urban and wildfire pollution emissions are active areas of research, with numerous aircraft field campaigns and satellite analyses of wildfire pollution being conducted in recent years. Several studies have found that elevated ozone and particulate pollution levels are both generally associated with wildfire smoke in urban areas. We measured pollutant concentrations at two Utah Division of Air Quality regulatory air quality observation sites and a local hot spot (a COVID-19 testing site) within a 48 h period of increasing wildfire smoke impacts that occurred in Salt Lake City, UT (USA) between 20 and 22 August 2020. The wildfire plume, which passed through the study area during an elevated ozone period during the summer, resulted in increased criteria pollutant and greenhouse gas concentrations. Methane (CH4) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) increased at comparable rates, and increased NOx led to more ozone. The nitrogen oxide/ozone (NOx/O3) cycle was clearly demonstrated throughout the study period, with NOx titration reducing nighttime ozone. These findings help to illustrate how the compounding effects of urban emissions and exceptional pollution events, such as wildfires, may pose substantial health risks. This preliminary case study supports conducting an expanded, longer-term study on the interactions of variable intensity wildfire smoke plumes on urban air pollution exposure, in addition to the subsequent need to inform health and risk policy in these complex systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-fire Effects on Environment)
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17 pages, 2330 KiB  
Article
Species-Abundance Models for the Early Postfire Succession of Subalpine Shrub Grassland
by Wei Wang, Min-Chun Liao and Hsy-Yu Tzeng
Fire 2024, 7(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7010021 - 5 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1925
Abstract
Fire is one of the principal factors influencing subalpine ecosystem succession. Species numbers and plant compositions are used to determine postfire disturbance, vegetation, structural change, and succession. Ecologists also integrate species diversity and mathematical models to enable researchers to obtain increasingly detailed insights [...] Read more.
Fire is one of the principal factors influencing subalpine ecosystem succession. Species numbers and plant compositions are used to determine postfire disturbance, vegetation, structural change, and succession. Ecologists also integrate species diversity and mathematical models to enable researchers to obtain increasingly detailed insights into habitats during post-disturbance restoration processes. This study employed five species-abundance models, namely the niche preemption model, the broken-stick model, the log-normal model, the Zipf model, and the Zipf–Mandelbrot model, to perform fitting analysis on the abundance data of postfire species coverage in shrub grasslands near 369 Hut at Xue Mountain in Shei-Pa National Park, Taiwan. We performed the logarithmic transformation on plant-coverage areas for each period of postfire shrub-grassland succession, and then, based on histograms drawn for species–coverage distribution modes, the test results consistently showed normal distributions (p < 0.05). Species-coverage histograms measuring various periods showed that there were comparatively higher numbers of common species during postfire succession and that the numbers of rare species progressively increased. The fitting results of the five species-abundance models showed that although the most suitable abundance models for each period of postfire succession varied, the majority of these periods demonstrated decent fitting with respect to the Zipf–Mandelbrot model. These findings showed that fuel consumption provided nutrients in a manner that facilitated postfire regeneration. Moreover, dominant species, such as Yushania niitakayamensis, and Miscanthus transmorrisonensis, did not fully occupy growing spaces and resource availabilities; consequently, seeded species were able to grow. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-fire Effects on Environment)
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14 pages, 2885 KiB  
Article
Hyperspectral Reflectance and Chemical Composition of Pre- and Post-Fire Soils from Three 2021 Western USA Megafires
by Yasaman Raeofy, Vera Samburova, Markus Berli, Brad Sion and Hans Moosmüller
Fire 2023, 6(12), 471; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire6120471 - 16 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1982
Abstract
Over the past two decades, wildfire activity in the western USA has increased, especially in California. Wildfires not only affect air quality but also the environment at large, including chemical and physical properties of fire-affected soils, which are of great interest for prediction [...] Read more.
Over the past two decades, wildfire activity in the western USA has increased, especially in California. Wildfires not only affect air quality but also the environment at large, including chemical and physical properties of fire-affected soils, which are of great interest for prediction and mitigation of hydrological consequences. Hyperspectral reflectance can be used to remotely assess the effects of fires on soil and here we use it to characterize soils before and after three 2021 California wildfires (Dixie, Beckwourth Complex, and Caldor fire). We acquired reflectance spectra and compared changes in these spectra with changes in the chemistry of analyzed soils. For all three fires, the results show that 700 nm wavelength reflectance of ash samples collected 1 and 1.5 years after fire decreased between 36% and 76% compared to that of samples collected right after the fires. Additionally, significantly higher visible reflectance has been found for unburned compared to burned soil samples in each region that was studied. Infrared transmission measurements were used to characterize the carbonate content of soil and ash samples demonstrating a mostly positive relationship between carbonate content and visible reflectance, indicating a possible cause and effect between the two. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-fire Effects on Environment)
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13 pages, 1961 KiB  
Article
Inter-Month Nutrients Dynamic and Plant Growth in Calamagrostis angustifolia Community and Soil after Different Burning Seasons
by Ziyang Xu, Hongmei Zhao, Guoping Wang, Jinxin Cong, Dongxue Han, Long Sun and Chuanyu Gao
Fire 2023, 6(10), 405; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire6100405 - 20 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1654
Abstract
Presently, as human activity and climate warming gradually increase, straw burning leads to more accidental burning in neighbouring wetlands, which threatens wetland carbon stores. Plants are important carbon fixers in wetlands, converting carbon dioxide to biomass through photosynthesis and releasing carbon into the [...] Read more.
Presently, as human activity and climate warming gradually increase, straw burning leads to more accidental burning in neighbouring wetlands, which threatens wetland carbon stores. Plants are important carbon fixers in wetlands, converting carbon dioxide to biomass through photosynthesis and releasing carbon into the soil as plants die off. Nitrogen and phosphorus limitation in wetlands is a key factor affecting plant growth, and different burning seasons have different effects on mitigating this limitation. To further elucidate the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus distribution on wetland inter-month nutrient dynamics after different burning seasons, we selected a Calamagrostis angustifolia wetland in the Sanjiang Plain that was burned in spring and autumn, respectively, and conducted a monthly survey from May to September. We found that the leaf nitrogen content in September at spring burning sites was 3.59 ± 2.69 g/kg, which was significantly lower than that in July, while the difference at the unburned sites was only 0.60 ± 3.72 g/kg, and after the autumn burning, soil nitrogen and phosphorus contents remained higher than at the unburned sites in August, being 0.55 ± 1.74 g/kg and 0.06 ± 0.12 g/kg, respectively. Our results indicate that spring burning immediately increased the nitrogen and phosphorus contents in soil and plants but that these effects only lasted for a short time, until June. In comparison, autumn burning had a long-term effect on soil nitrogen and phosphorus levels and significantly increased the aboveground biomass. Thus, we recommend that conducting autumn burning before the commencement of agricultural burning not only reduces combustible accumulation to prevent fires but also promotes nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in wetlands, and the increase in plant biomass after autumn burning also enhances the carbon fixation capacity of the wetland. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-fire Effects on Environment)
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24 pages, 2317 KiB  
Article
Identification Methodology for Chemical Warehouses Dealing with Flammable Substances Capable of Causing Firewater Pollution
by Maxim Kátai-Urbán, Tibor Bíró, Lajos Kátai-Urbán, Ferenc Varga and Zsolt Cimer
Fire 2023, 6(9), 345; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire6090345 - 1 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1518
Abstract
Major accidents involving flammable substances can lead to significant environmental damage. The operators of chemical warehouses—in order to prevent and mitigate harmful environmental impacts—based on fire prevention strategies should apply “firewater pollution prevention” (FPP) measures. The identification of affected warehouses already in operation [...] Read more.
Major accidents involving flammable substances can lead to significant environmental damage. The operators of chemical warehouses—in order to prevent and mitigate harmful environmental impacts—based on fire prevention strategies should apply “firewater pollution prevention” (FPP) measures. The identification of affected warehouses already in operation is an important law enforcement task. Therefore, the authors—based on the assessment of firewater run-off scenarios—propose a simple and easy-to-use dangerous establishment identification procedure and methodology based on event tree analysis and indexing preliminary risk analysis approaches. Two independent expert groups validated—in the case of 10 facilities—the index components of the approach. The testing of the applicability of the approach took place in parallel with the analyses of the Hungarian operator’s practice. The research results—covering the inspection of 24 facilities—can assist the operators in the effective and unified implementation of FPP measures. In the case of 14 facilities, it was necessary to introduce FPP measures, which highlight the need to improve the law enforcement compliance of identified operators. The investigation results can also contribute to increases in the fire and environmental safety performance of chemical warehouses, which ensures a higher level of environmental protection and people’s health near chemical warehouses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-fire Effects on Environment)
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