Revising Restoration: Tracking plant and soil succession and recovery following brush pile burning in Midwestern woodlands Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

When performing habitat restoration work, it is important to evaluate whether the utilized methods provide the most benefit and the least harm toward the environment. Midwestern US woodlands are often managed by cutting woody, invasive species and clearing debris by piling it and burning it in place. These brush-pile burns expose soils to extremely high temperatures. Once burns conclude, the land previously covered with woody debris remains unvegetated for years, resulting in a “burn scar.” Despite the widespread use of brush-pile burning as a management strategy, it is under-researched, and the effects of such burns are not well known due to conflicting findings between different studies. In this study, an 8-9 year chronosequence of burn scars from one suburban site (The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL, USA) and one urban site (Forest Glen Woods, Chicago, IL, USA) were analyzed to track the effects of brush-pile burning on plant communities and soil properties, as well as post-burn recovery. We found that soil nitrate (NO3^-) and phosphate (PO4^3-) concentrations increased due to brush pile burning, but the effect was relatively ephemeral. Increased soil pH and decreased microbial biomass caused by burning did not return to control levels over the chronosequence. Our findings suggest that brush-pile burning may have a stronger effect on vegetative cover and species richness of spring ephemerals than other vegetation. Plant communities overlapped between controls and burned areas at both sites, but there was significantly less variation in the plant communities of recently burned plots, which then increased over the chronosequence. The results of our study indicate that brush-pile burning has a significant effect on both plant communities and soil properties. While nutrient dynamics may recover over time, pH, and microbial biomass experience long-term effects that may require remediation post-burn.

Table of Contents

Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Methodology............................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Study Sites............................................................................................................................................................................. 7

Soil collection...................................................................................................................................................................... 10

pH Analysis......................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Nutrient Analysis................................................................................................................................................................. 11

Vegetation Surveying.......................................................................................................................................................... 11

Statistical Analysis.............................................................................................................................................................. 12

Results....................................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Soil Properties..................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Burn Scar Vegetation.......................................................................................................................................................... 15

Vegetative Cover................................................................................................................................................................. 16

Species Richness................................................................................................................................................................. 18

Burn Scar Communities...................................................................................................................................................... 19

Discussion................................................................................................................................................................................. 21

Effect Magnitude and Direction.......................................................................................................................................... 21

Effect Duration.................................................................................................................................................................... 23

Site-Specific Differences..................................................................................................................................................... 27

Study Limitations................................................................................................................................................................ 28

Implications for Management............................................................................................................................................. 29

References................................................................................................................................................................................ 32

Figure 1…………………………………………………………………………………………...2

Figure 2…………………………………………………………………………………………...3

Figure 3…………………………………………………………………………………………...7

Figure 4…………………………………………………………………………………...…...9-10

Figure 5………………………………………………………………………………...…...…...14

Figure 6………………………………………………………………………………...…...…...15

Figure 7………………………………………………………………………………...…...…...17

Figure 8………………………………………………………………………………...…...…...18

Figure 9………………………………………………………………………………...…...…...20

Table 1….…………………………………………………………………………………...…...13

Table 2….…………………………………………………………………………………...…...16

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Environmental Studies
Degree	B.S.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Environmental Studies Environmental Sciences Environmental Management
Palavra-chave	Restoration ecology Soil Biogeochemistry Invasive species Forest management Brush pile burning
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Saikawa, Eri, Emory University
Committee Members	Keogh, Carolyn, Emory University Midgley, Meghan, The Morton Arboretum Wegner, John, Emory University

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