Impact of Slash Pile Size and Burning on Ponderosa Pine Forest Soil Physical Characteristics

Abstract

Abstract Slash-pile burns associated with restoration thinning treatments may change soil characteristics resulting in broad implications for ecosystem functions, processes, and management. This study explores the impacts of size and burning of slash piles on various soil physical characteristics. At the Arboretum in Flagstaff, Arizona, the experiment consisted of burned, unburned, and control plots crossed with large and small sizes of slash piles. Slash from the unburned plots was removed and chipped for disposal elsewhere. The specific soil physical characteristics measured include water infiltration rate, soil moisture content, bulk density, and porosity. The results show no differences in water infiltration rates in the soils under the different treatments, leading us to conclude that burning slash piles did not form a hydrophobic layer in the soil. Soil bulk densities are lower, albeit insignificantly, in unburned pile plots than in burned pile and control plots. Hence, management decisions should r...