Prescribed burning has negligible effects on the plant-soil system in Pinus sylvestris L. forests of the European Alps.

ABSTRACT: The current increase in large wildfires is a socio-economic and ecological threat, particularly in populated mountain regions. Prescribed burning is a fuel management technique based on the planned application of fire to achieve land management goals; still, little is known about its potential impacts on tree physiology and soil properties in the European Alps, where it has never been applied. In spring 2022, we tested the effects of prescribed burning for fire hazard reduction in a dry conifer forest dominated by Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). We generated an intensity gradient by manipulating surface fuels at the base of selected trees and evaluated prescribed burning effects on branch hydraulic conductivity, wood anatomy and soil physico-chemical properties in the short- and mid-term

SUBMITTER: Gamba R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11982388 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature