Forest fire effects on soil chemical and physicochemical properties, infiltration, runoff, and erosion in a semiarid Mediterranean region

Abstract

Forest fires are a major environmental concern, especially in the semiarid Mediterranean regions, where the long dry and hot summers and mild winters favor outbreaks of wildfires. The objective of this work was to study the effects of different fire treatments on physical, chemical, and physicochemical properties of Pale rendzina, and their impact on infiltration rate (IR), runoff and soil loss under consecutive rainstorms. After a wildfire in a forest located in northern Israel, soil samples were taken from an area that was directly exposed to fire (direct fire treatment) and from adjacent unburned (unburned soil treatment). Part of the unburned soil was heated in a muffle at 300°C (heated ..