Research Article Open Access

Formation of Post-Fire Water Repellent Layers on Nothofagus glauca (Hualo) Forests, After the Historical “Las Máquinas” Wildfire in South-Central Chile

Pablo A. Garcia-Chevesich1, Eduardo Martínez1, Alejandro García1, Miguel Castillo1, Roberto Garfias1, Daniel Neary2, Roberto Pizarro3, Rodrigo Valdés-Pineda4, Luis González1, Héctor L. Venegas-Quiñones4 and Carlos Magni1
  • 1 University of Chile, Chile
  • 2 Rocky Mountain Research Station, United States
  • 3 University of Talca, Chile
  • 4 University of Arizona, United States

Abstract

The Chilean summer of 2017 was the worst wildfire season by far. Hundreds of wildfires burned a total of more than half a million hectares of forested land (native forests and forest plantations). A significant portion of the burned area was occupied by Hualo (Nothofagus glauca (Phil.) Krasser), a native forest species widely distributed in central Chile. Using the water-drop-penetration-time method, post-fire water repellency was evaluated at different depths (on the mineral soil surface and 5 mm below it) for a Hualo stand. Comparative data were obtained from a neighboring 11-year-old Monterrey pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) plantation. Both stands were located near Santa Olga, one of the towns that were totally consumed by the wildfire. A Chi-Square statistical analysis was used to determine significant differences among stands and soil depths. Results suggested that the abundant Hualo native forest species exhibited strong potentials to form fire-induced water repellent layers. Differences were mainly in depth between the two species. As wildfires in Chile are expected to increase in frequency and intensity, the authors strongly recommend post-fire flood control practices on Hualo-burned drainage areas located upstream from human settlements, as well as erosion and sediment control techniques to avoid post-fire desertification processes.

American Journal of Environmental Sciences
Volume 15 No. 1, 2019, 1-6

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ajessp.2019.1.6

Submitted On: 10 November 2018 Published On: 15 January 2019

How to Cite: Garcia-Chevesich, P. A., Martínez, E., García, A., Castillo, M., Garfias, R., Neary, D., Pizarro, R., Valdés-Pineda, R., González, L., Venegas-Quiñones, H. L. & Magni, C. (2019). Formation of Post-Fire Water Repellent Layers on Nothofagus glauca (Hualo) Forests, After the Historical “Las Máquinas” Wildfire in South-Central Chile. American Journal of Environmental Sciences, 15(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.3844/ajessp.2019.1.6

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Keywords

  • Mediterranean Environments
  • Erosion Risk
  • Forest Firehidrofobicity
  • Pinus radiata