Immediate effects of prescribed burning on mineral soil nitrogen in ponderosa pine of New Mexico

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986 · Soil Sci.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5713135

Kovacic, D A; Swift, D M; Ellis, J E; Hakonson, T E

Three 0.1-ha ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws) sites were burned in the fall of 1981. The burn was mainly a ground fire. Burn intensity was 980, 1760, and 2280 kJ s/sup -1/ m/sup -1/ on sites 1, 2, and 3, respectively. We analyzed the mineral soils on each of these sites for total N, NO/sub 2//sup -/ + NO/sub 3//sup -/-N and NH/sub 4//sup +/-N prior to prescribed burning, 1 d postburn, and 30 d postburn. On the most intense burn, NH/sub 4//sup +/-N levels increased threefold from preburn (10 ppm) to 1 d postburn (32 ppm), but declined somewhat 30 d following the burn (24 ppm). Concentrations of NO/sub 2//sup -/ + NO/sub 3//sup -/-N on site 3 rose from 1 ppm preburn and 1 d postburn to 5 ppm 30 d postburn. There were no significant differences in soil total N after burning. Immediate postburn inorganic N values for ponderosa pine mineral soils have not been previously reported in the literature. It is important to investigate burned soils immediately after burning to better understand sequential processes involved in postfire inorganic N dynamics.

• Research Organization: Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-76SR00819
• OSTI ID: 5713135
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Soil Sci.; (United States) Journal Volume: 141:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510100* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMISTRY
CONIFERS
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
FEDERAL REGION VI
FIRES
FORESTS
NEW MEXICO
NITROGEN
NITROGEN CYCLE
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
PINES
PLANTS
SOIL CHEMISTRY
SOILS
TREES
USA