Paper Details

Abstract

Frequent forest fires are a notable feature of subtropical chir pine forests during the dry months, occurring after heavy needle fall disrupting nutrients availability to plant. Focusing on this, the study was conducted to investigate the impact of forest fires on soil nutrients in the sub-tropical chir pine forests through chrono-sequential approach. We assessed and compared various parameters including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic matter, water holding capacity (WHC), nitrate (NO₃⁻), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and organic nitrogen in four distinct patches based on their fire history: B0 (Unburned), B2 (Burned two years ago), B5 (Burned five years ago), and B15 (Burned fifteen years ago). After collection of five samples from each patch at three stratified depths (0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, and 20–30 cm), followed by laboratory analysis, the study employed a two-way ANOVA with type-III sum of squares to partition variances. The study utilized post hoc test with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparison and assessed effect size with partial eta squared. Results from this study revealed that all the parameters reflected varying trends across sites and depths. The findings also reflected that the partial or complete combustion of organic matter incorporates ash into the soil matrix, significantly impacting several soil properties, such as electrical conductivity and pH levels. These differences are not only statistically significant but also of considerable practical importance, underscoring the dynamic nature of soil nutrients in response to fire events. The study concludes with a significant finding regarding the profound impact of forest fires on soil nutrients in the Chir Pine zone. Based on these findings, the paper recommends implementing effective restoration strategies in post-fire scenarios to address the nutrient loss in these forest ecosystems.

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