Effects of prescribed fire on rates of decomposition and nitrogen mineralization in a ponderosa pine ecosystem

Abstract

The effects of a prescribed fire in a ponderosa pine ecosystem on the rates of decomposition and nitrogen mineralization (including ammonification and nitrification) in the forest floor and mineral soil horizons were evaluated. The prescribed fire immediately increased the rates of nitrogen mineralization and nitrification in the forest floor of all burned plots and in the mineral soil of one plot. The rates of decomposition, as measured by CO2 evolution, in both the forest floor and mineral soil were not significantly different immediately after the burn when expressed on an organic matter basis. The rates of nitrogen mineralization in the forest floor and mineral soil were higher 6 and 10 months after the burn. The rate of decomposition (as measured by respiration) was lower in the forest floor but not in the mineral soil 6 and 10 months after the burn. Volatile organics that may inhibit rates of nitrogen mineralization may have been consumed by prescribed fire.