The soil beneath shrubs before and after wildfire: implications for revegetation
Blank RR, Young JA, Allen FL. 1995. The soil beneath shrubs before and after wildfire: implications for revegetation. Pages 173-177. In Roundy BA, McArthur ED, Haley JS, Mann DK (ed): Proceedings: Wildland Shrub and Arid Land Restoration Symposium. Las Vegas, NV. October 19-21, 1993. U.S. Department of Agriculture: Forest Service--Intermountain Research Station. Ogden, UT. General Technical Report INT-GTR-315
This paper presents the results of a study conducted to examine the physical and chemical attributes of soil and the soil seedbed pre and post wildfire. Wildfires are frequent in sagebrush steppe and have become more frequent with the invasion of cheat-grass. Research was conducted approximately 50 km north of Reno, NV in vegetation dominated by Artemisia tridentata (Big sagebrush), Purshia tridentata (Antelope bitterbrush) and Bromus tectorum (Downy brome). The authors found wildfires to considerably alter the fabric of the soil seedbed by causing compaction of mineral grains; carbonizing plant litter; causing a loss of fluorescent compounds in sagebrush litter; coating mineral particles with organic compounds; and cleaving micaceous (i.e. mica containing) minerals. The authors are continuing studies to elucidate the effects of these factors on post-wildfire revegetation.
- Type
- Conference Proceeding Paper
- Authors
- Blank, R.; Young, J.; Allen, F.
- Units
- MOJA
- Keywords
- Artemisia tridentata (Big Sagebrush Big Sagebush), Asteraceae (Sunflowers), Asterales, Botany, Bromus tectorum (cheat grass downy brome), Germination, Hydrophobicity, Nitrate, Plant Studies, Plumas National Forest, poaceae, Soil chemical attributes, Soil physical attributes, Soil seedbed attributes, Vascular Plant, Vegetation Survey