Fire Effects on Soil Properties

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Edited by: Paulo Pereira, Jorge Mataix-Solera, Xavier Úbeda, Guillermo Rein, Artemi Cerdà

eBook - February 2019 - eRetailers

Research on the effects of fire on the physical, biological and chemical properties of soil.

Wildland fires are occurring more frequently and affecting more of Earth's surface than ever before. These fires affect the properties of soils and the processes by which they form, but the nature of these impacts has not been well understood. Given that healthy soil is necessary to sustain biodiversity, ecosystems and agriculture, the impact of fire on soil is a vital field of research. + Full description

Fire Effects on Soil Properties brings together current research on the effects of fire on the physical, biological and chemical properties of soil. Written by over 60 international experts in the field, it includes examples from fire-prone areas across the world, dealing with ash, meso and macrofauna, smouldering fires, recurrent fires and management of fire-affected soils. It also describes current best practice methodologies for research and monitoring of fire effects and new methodologies for future research. This is the first time information on this topic has been presented in a single volume and the book will be an important reference for students, practitioners, managers and academics interested in the effects of fire on ecosystems, including soil scientists, geologists, forestry researchers and environmentalists.

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News

Sales in Australia and New Zealand only. Elsewhere, this title is available through CRC Press (external link).

Reviews

"A lasting effect was my enriched appreciation for the fundamental importance of fire to Earth’s ecosystems and to the historical relationship humans have with the natural world."
Adam Frew, Austral Ecology 45(5), August 2020

Details

Hardback | February 2019 | $195.00
ISBN: 9781486308132 | 400 pages | 270 x 210 mm
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Illustrations, Photographs

ePDF | February 2019
ISBN: 9781486308149
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

ePUB | February 2019
ISBN: 9781486308156
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

Features

First time that comprehensive and current information on the impact of fire on soils has been presented in a single volume

Written by more than 60 international experts on fire effects on ecosystems

Presents current best practice research methodologies and new methods for future research

Includes examples from fire-prone regions across the world

Preface
List of contributors

Part 1: Review of fire effects on soil properties
1 The sedimentary record: the very early acquisition of fire by hominins
2 Laboratory fire simulations: plant litter and soils
3 Ash and soils: a close relationship in fire‑affected areas
4 Texture, mineralogy and structure
5 Soil water repellency
6 Erosion
7 Carbon
8 Nutrient processes
9 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
10 Microbiology
11 Meso and macrofauna
12 Recurrent fires
13 Smouldering fires and soils
14 Management of fire-affected soils

Part 2: Methods used to study the effects of fire on soils
15 Soil heating
16 Fire severity assessments in both the laboratory and the field
17 Experimental methods and scales in smouldering wildfires
18 Unveiling the effects of fire on soil organic matter by spectroscopic and thermal degradation methods
19 Methods used in the study of slash‑and‑burn fires
20 Techniques for mapping the effects of fire on soil
21 Remote sensing techniques applied to post-fire regeneration

Annex I
Index

View the full table of contents (PDF, 63kb)

Authors

Paulo Pereira is Professor of Environmental Science at the Mykolas Romeris University in Vilnius, Lithuania. He has researched the effects of fire on ecosystems for more than 10 years and organised international conferences and courses in this field. Paulo has also edited several special issues on fire effects on ecosystems for well-regarded journals.

Jorge Mataix-Solera is Professor of Soil Science at the University Miguel Hernández in Elche, Spain. His research focuses on the effects of fires on soil properties, and he has collaborated extensively with researchers from the USA, Australia, Israel, Slovak Republic, UK, Brazil and Italy. He is one of the Executive Editors of SOIL and is President of the Spanish Society of Soil Science.

Xavier Úbeda is a senior lecturer at the University of Barcelona, Spain. He has over 25 years of experience in the study of fire effects on soil properties, hydrology and soil erosion. His main interest is the effect of prescribed fires on soil properties and he has organised many conferences on the effects of fire and forest management practices.

Guillermo Rein is Professor of Fire Science at the Imperial College, London, and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Fire Technology. He leads the research group Imperial Hazelab and his research focuses on wood ignition, designing structures that resist fire and the spread of wildfires.

Artemi Cerdà is Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Valencia, Spain. He was previously a staff member of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research, and has conducted research at Bar-Ilan University, Palermo University, Wageningen University, Amsterdam University, Swansea University and the United States Forest Service. He is an expert on soil erosion and soil hydrology on fire-prone land.

Contributors:
Nelson Abrantes, Inmaculada Aguado, Gonzalo Almendros, Valdemir Antoneli, Victoria Arcenegui, David Badía, Gema Bárcenas-Moreno, Igor Bogunovic, Anne Karine Boulet, Eric Brevik, Isabel Campos, Artemi Cerdà, Eirik Christensen, Emilio Chuvieco, José de la Rosa, Jorge de las Heras, Stefan Doerr, Ferran Estebaranz-Sánchez, Cristina Fernández, António José Dinis Ferreira, Carla Sofia Santos Ferreira, Teresa Fonturbel, Marcos Francos, José González-Pérez, Francisco González-Vila, Mercedes Guijarro, Carmen Hernando, Yuqi Hu, Xinyan Huang, Enrique Jiménez, Marco Jiménez-González, Nicasio Jiménez-Morillo, Patricia Jiménez-Pinilla, Jan Jacob Keizer, Heike Knicker, Patrick Lane, Inês Amorim Leitão, Manuel Lucas-Borja, Javier Madrigal, Eva Marino, Clara Martí, Laura Martínez, Susana Martínez, Juan Martínez-Murillo, Jorge Mataix-Solera, Fabio Luiz Melquiades, Agustín Merino, Raquel Montorio Llovería, Daniel Moya, Miriam Muñoz-Rojas, Petter Nyman, Patricia Pereira, Paulo Pereira, Nuria Prat-Guitart, Guillermo Rein, Francesco Restuccia, Cristina Santín, Muhammed Agung Santoso, Gary Sheridan, Cathelijne Stoof, Naama Tessler, Edivaldo Tomaz, Xavier Úbeda, Jose Antonio Vega, Lea Wittenberg.