Ra. Burke et al., EFFECT OF FIRE ON SOIL-ATMOSPHERE EXCHANGE OF METHANE AND CARBON-DIOXIDE IN CANADIAN BOREAL FOREST SITES, J GEO RES-A, 102(D24), 1997, pp. 29289-29300
During the spring and summer of 1994 we monitored soil-atmosphere exch
anges of methane and carbon dioxide at upland sites in the Canadian bo
real forest near the northern study area (NSA) of the Boreal Ecosystem
-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS). The effects of fire on methane and carbon
dioxide exchange in black spruce stands developed on clay soils were e
valuated by measuring fluxes with dark chambers in unburned stands and
stands burned in 1994, 1992, and 1987. Similar measurements were made
in jack pine stands developed on sandy soils, one unburned and the ot
her burned in 1989. All of the sites were net sinks of atmospheric met
hane with median fluxes ranging from -0.3 to -1.4 mg CH4-C m(-2) d(-1)
. Median fluxes of carbon dioxide from the forest floor to the atmosph
ere ranged between 1 and 2 g C m(-2) d(-1). Both ecosystem characteris
tics (e.g., soil and vegetation type) and burning history (time since
burn and fire intensity) appear to have some effect on atmospheric met
hane consumption and carbon dioxide emission by these forest soils. In
general, the jack pine sites were stronger methane sinks and had lowe
r carbon dioxide emissions than the black spruce sites. After a few ye
ars of recovery, the burned sites tended to be slightly stronger metha
ne sinks than unburned controls. Our results suggest that soil CO2 eff
luxes from upland black spruce stands may not be immediately impacted
by fire, possibly maintained at preburn levels by microbial decomposit
ion of labile compounds released as a result of the fire. By 2 years p
ostfire there appears to be a significant reduction in sail CO2 flux,
due to the loss of tree root and moss respiration and possibly to the
depletion of fire-related labile compounds. The observed recovery of s
oil respiration rates to preburn levels by 7 years postburn is probabl
y due to the respiration of regrowing vegetation and the combined effe
cts of elevated soil temperatures (about 4 degrees to 5 degrees C warm
er than unburned sites) and improved litter quality on soil microbial
activities. We estimate that soil CO2 emissions from recently burned b
oreal forest soils in the northern hemisphere could be of the order of
0.35 Pg C yr(-1), which is in good agreement with a previous estimate
that was derived in a different manner.