Prescribed fire effects on soil chemical properties in wind-damaged coastal forests

Abstract

Coastal forests in the southeastern United States are vital carbon sinks that provide essential ecosystem services. However, decades of fire suppression and increasing hurricane activity have led to altered vegetation structures, increased fuel loads, and overall ecosystem degradation. Prescribed fires have been reintroduced as a management strategy to restore these ecosystems, but frequent hurricane-induced wind damage complicates fuel distribution and fire application, impacting carbon cycling and soil chemical properties in ways that remain unclear. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the changes in soil chemical properties and carbon dynamics following prescribed fires in hurricane-impacted coastal forests. We conducted quantitative and qualitative assessments of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and soil organic matter (SOM) before, immediately after, and up to one year post-fire at two sites along the Gulf of Mexico: Perdido River Preserve in Florida and Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Alabama.