A qualitative description of soil parameters variation due to a prescribed fire in Portuguese northwestern forests using Fuzzy Boolean Nets — The case study of Cabreira mountain


Autoria(s): Meira Castro, A C; Carvalho, João P.; Meixedo, João Paulo
Data(s)

17/07/2014

17/07/2014

2012

Resumo

In this paper we study the modifications that occurred in some forest soil properties after a prescribed fire. The research focused on the alterations of soil pH, soil moisture and soil organic matter content during a two-year span, from 2008 to 2009. The study site is located in Anjos, Vieira do Minho municipality, a forest site that has suffered from recurrent wildfires for several decades. Furze (Ulex, sp.), broom (Cytisus, sp.), gorse (Chamaespartum tridentatum) and a very few disperse adult pine (Pinus sylvestris) are the predominant vegetation type in the study area. The average height of this shrub vegetation is around 1.5 m. The prescribed fire was conducted by the National Forestry Authority (AFN) in November 2008. Fuzzy Boolean Nets (FBN) were used to evaluate the alteration in soil parameters when compared with adjacent spots where: i) no fire occurrence was registered since 1998; ii) fire occurrence was registered in 2008; and iii) vegetation pruning by mechanical cut was done in Spring six months prior to the prescribed fire event. Results suggest that in the particular case of the studied site, Anjos, the observed soil properties alterations cannot be related with the prescribed fire.

Identificador

0016-7061

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/4836

DOI 10.1016/j.geoderma.2012.02.008

Idioma(s)

eng

Publicador

Elsevier

Relação

Geoderma; Vol. 191

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706112000821

Direitos

openAccess

Palavras-Chave #Fuzzy boolean nets #Controlled fire #Forest soil #Soil parameters variation #Cabreira Mountain (Portugal)
Tipo

article