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Prescribed Fire and Herbicide Effects on Soil Processes During Barrens Restoration
Author(s) -
Rhoades Chuck,
Barnes Thomas,
Washburn Brian
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
restoration ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1526-100X
pISSN - 1061-2971
DOI - 10.1046/j.1526-100x.2002.01046.x
Subject(s) - environmental science , agronomy , growing season , water content , prescribed burn , plant community , soil respiration , soil water , festuca rubra , ecological succession , ecology , biology , soil science , geotechnical engineering , engineering
Prescribed fire has become a common tool of natural area managers for removal of non‐indigenous invasive species and maintenance of barrens plant communities. Certain non‐native species, such as tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea ), tolerate fire and may require additional removal treatments. We studied changes in soil N and C dynamics after prescribed fire and herbicide application in remnant barrens in west central Kentucky. The effects of a single spring burn post‐emergence herbicide, combined fire and herbicide treatments, and an unburned no‐herbicide control were compared on five replicate blocks. In fire‐plus‐herbicide plots, fescue averaged 8% at the end of the growing season compared with 46% fescue cover in control plots. The extent of bare soil increased from near 0 in control to 11% in burned plots and 25% in fire‐plus‐herbicide plots. Over the course of the growing season, fire had little effect on soil N pools or processes. Fire caused a decline in soil CO 2 flux in parallel to decreased soil moisture. When applied alone, herbicide increased plant‐available soil N slightly but had no effect on soil respiration, moisture, or temperature. Fire‐plus‐herbicide significantly increased plant‐available soil N and net N transformation rates; soil respiration declined by 33%. Removal of non‐native plants modified the chemical, physical, and biological soil conditions that control availability of plant nutrients and influence plant species performance and community composition.