Forest fires, organic soil carbon and global warming.

Abstract

Prescribed burning is a widely accepted practice in forest management. This is true despite the possibility that such burning may contribute to global warming by inducing soil loss not only from standing biomass but also from the soil. Very little research has been undertaken of the effects of burning soil carbon and, by connection, global warming. This study is meant to partially fill this void. For the study, the carbon content of soil in four burn plots and corresponding control plots at UMBS in Pellston, Michigan was measured and analyzed. Specifically, carbon content of the O, A, and E soil horizons on these plots was determined through weighing of samples and use of a CHN analyzer, and the significance and magnitude of difference observed between control and burn plots was analyzed using analysis of variance and regression. Results show a statistically significant difference between the soil carbon content of control and burn plots. Specifically, they reveal a significantly lower soil carbon content on burned plots than on control plots. Forest managers should be aware of this effect of forest burning on soil carbon, since it may be significant if the burning occurs worldwide.