Influence of fire on soil temperatures of pine forests of the middle taiga, central Siberia, Russia

Abstract

Temperatures of sandy podzols of middle taiga pine forests with moss and lichen ground cover were analyzed which had been exposed to ground fires of low to medium intensity. In general, temperatures in lichen and moss plots of the pine forests under study, are close to each similar, but in the first year after a fire a noticeable contrast was observed. The reasons are an increase in the amplitude of daily temperatures on the soil surface and stronger heating of upper mineral layers. Temperatures in the mineral layer with depths up to 30 cm depend on the thickness of the forest floor. Analysis of the results show that the duration of post-fire effects in pine forests with sandy podzols is determined by a number of factors: the intensity of the fire, the degree of erosion of the ground cover and litter, and the recovery rate of these components.