Mapping Soil Carbon in Wildfire-Affected Areas of the McKenzie River Basin, Oregon, USA
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Date
2024-01-09
Authors
Katz, Sydney
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Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Large-scale wildfires are increasing in frequency and are likely to become more severe under future Pacific Northwest climate scenarios. The effects of wildfires on soil organic carbon (SOC) remain difficult to estimate because soil heterogeneity limits generalizations. We sampled a burn severity gradient (unburned, low, high) of the Holiday Farm Fire (McKenzie River, Oregon, 2020) in a detailed scheme to account for intra-site variation. We measured total SOC, mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC, stable), particulate organic carbon (POC, unstable), and pyrogenic carbon (PyC, fire-derived). Compared to unburned, the low severity site had higher MAOC and significantly lower POC. We found lower PyC in burned sites, indicating combustion of this pool. There was remarkable variation within each site, but the consistent high levels of MAOC in low severity areas support prescribed burning as a technique to mitigate wildfire risk while limiting losses or increasing SOC compared to high severity fires.
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Keywords
carbon, climate change, land management, Oregon, soil, wildfire