Extended Abstract (92K)P1.7
Fire intensity in moderate drought conditions: effect on topsoil properties in Mediterranean shrubland vegetation
Annalisa Canu, Institute of Biometeorology, Sassari, Italy; and B. Arca, G. Ghiglieri, D. Pittalis, M. Deroma, A. Ventura, and A. Arca
The spatial explicit fire simulator system FARSITE was used in order to predict the following information on fire severity: fire line intensity, fire heat per unit area, reaction intensity, and rate of spread. The analysis was carried out in a human caused fire occurred in moderate environmental conditions, during the 2006 summer season. The burned area is characterized by the sub-arid Mediterranean climate and mainly covered by the typical shrubland Mediterranean vegetation. Despite the moderate drought conditions, the high values of wind speed affect the rate of spread in the burned area. In order to study the effect of the fire severity on the physico-chemical properties of the soil, pedological samples were collected in the area of Monte Doglia, inside the Regional Natural Park of Porto Conte, North West of Sardinia, Italy. The soil samples were collected from various depths (0-5, 5-15 and 15-25 cm) and from sites where the vegetation cover was composed by different Mediterranean maquis species (Chamaerops humilis L., Pistacia lentiscus L. and Calicotome spinosa L.), both in burned and in unburned plots. The soil organic matter content (SOM), the total and available element concentrations (K, Mg, Na, Mn, Fe) and the texture were then determined in laboratory. Different statistical parameters were calculated to describe the relationships between fire intensity and soil properties in relation to burned and unburned soils and to different species composition.
Poster Session 1, Formal Poster Reviewing with Icebreaker Reception
Tuesday, 23 October 2007, 5:30 PM-7:30 PM, Wingwood
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