Variations in Soil Detachment Rates after Wildfire as a Function of Soil Depth, Flow Properties and Root Properties

Wildfire affects hillslope erosion through increased surface runoff and increased sediment availability, both of which contribute to large post-fire erosion events. Relations between soil detachment rate, soil depth, flow and root properties, and fire impacts are poorly understood and not represented explicitly in commonly used post-fire erosion models. Detachment rates were measured on intact soil cores using a modified tilting flume. The cores were mounted flush with the flume-bed and a measurement was made on the surface of the core. The core was extruded upward, cut off, and another measurement was repeated at a different depth below the original surface of the core. Intact cores were collected from one site burned by the 2010 Fourmile Canyon (FMC) fire in Colorado and from one site burned by the 2010 Pozo fire in California. Each site contained contrasting vegetation and soil types. Additional soil samples were collected alongside the intact cores and were analyzed in the laboratory for soil properties (organic matter, bulk density, particle-size distribution) and for root properties (root density and root-length density).

Author: U. S. Department of the Interior

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Publication Date: Apr 28, 2014

Number of Pages: 48 pages

Binding: Paperback or Softback

ISBN-10: 1497499844

ISBN-13: 9781497499843