Physicochemical properties in the post-pyrogenic soils from the forests of Central Russia

Abstract

The paper deals with an eight years monitoring of physicochemical properties of leached chernozem from mixed and broad-leaved forest of the Lipetsk region of European Russia exposed to large-scale fire in 2010. It was revealed that in 2011 the year following the forest fire, the soil had higher pH (7.21 in mixed forest compared to 6.01 of reference soil) and lower hydrolytic acidity, which decreased from 2.69 (reference soil) up to 0 [mmol(eq)/100 g of soil] compared to 2010. Due to fire, the humus content and exchangeable cations concentration decreased, particularly, from 6.08 up to 4.43 % and from 39.2 up to 37.6 [mmol (eq) / 100 g of soil]. Since in the period from 2011 to 2017 there was a drop in the content of alkaline-hydrogenated nitrogen (Nalk.-hyd) (from 24.1 up to 18.2), we found an increase in the content of mobile compounds P2O5 (from 7.78 (reference soil) up to 8.72). The content of exchangeable potassium (K2O) went up from 18.5 up to 19.2 in 2011, compared to the reference areas.