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Purpose <p>Our study investigates how low-intensity surface fires affect the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the quality of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in boreal forest soils. DOC, a crucial and labile carbon (C) pool, is highly sensitive to disturbances such as wildfires, yet its post-fire dynamics remain poorly understood in boreal ecosystems. By examining the immediate effects of these fires on DOM content and composition our research aims to deepen our understanding of soil carbon cycling and stability in a rapidly warming boreal region.</p> Methods <p>We compared DOC concentrations, δ<sup>13</sup>C<sub>DOC</sub> isotope composition, and DOM ultraviolet–visible absorbance properties from soil water collected in burned and unburned control plots during the first growing season following a low-intensity prescribed burning in a Finnish boreal Scots pine forest.</p> Results <p>The low-intensity surface fire removed aboveground vegetation and partially burned the organic topsoil, creating a layer of pyrogenic materials. In burned soils, while total soil C stocks remained unchanged, DOC concentration decreased, and DOC showed an enrichment in <sup>13</sup>C, compared to DOC from unburned soils. This shift likely results from the loss of soluble C, reduced microbial biomass, and the addition of newly formed pyrogenic C. Burned soils also displayed DOM with higher aromaticity and molecular weight, suggesting a more stable and recalcitrant C pool in the soil water of fire-affected areas.</p> Conclusion <p>Our results highlight that low-intensity surface fires immediately alter soil DOM content and chemical composition in boreal forests, thereby affecting DOC fluxes within soils and to adjacent aquatic ecosystems. These post-fire DOC dynamics have implications for freshwater quality and regional carbon budgets. Considering the role of low-intensity fires as a major natural disturbance in the boreal forests of Northern Europe, their role and implications should be integrated into forest management strategies to help regulate DOC levels in surface waters.</p>

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Short-term effects of low-intensity surface fires on dissolved organic matter from boreal forest soils

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年5月21日

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  • Mathilde Rebiffé,
  • Lukas Kohl,
  • Egle Köster,
  • Markku Keinänen,
  • Frank Berninger,
  • Kajar Köster

摘要

Purpose

Our study investigates how low-intensity surface fires affect the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the quality of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in boreal forest soils. DOC, a crucial and labile carbon (C) pool, is highly sensitive to disturbances such as wildfires, yet its post-fire dynamics remain poorly understood in boreal ecosystems. By examining the immediate effects of these fires on DOM content and composition our research aims to deepen our understanding of soil carbon cycling and stability in a rapidly warming boreal region.

Methods

We compared DOC concentrations, δ13CDOC isotope composition, and DOM ultraviolet–visible absorbance properties from soil water collected in burned and unburned control plots during the first growing season following a low-intensity prescribed burning in a Finnish boreal Scots pine forest.

Results

The low-intensity surface fire removed aboveground vegetation and partially burned the organic topsoil, creating a layer of pyrogenic materials. In burned soils, while total soil C stocks remained unchanged, DOC concentration decreased, and DOC showed an enrichment in 13C, compared to DOC from unburned soils. This shift likely results from the loss of soluble C, reduced microbial biomass, and the addition of newly formed pyrogenic C. Burned soils also displayed DOM with higher aromaticity and molecular weight, suggesting a more stable and recalcitrant C pool in the soil water of fire-affected areas.

Conclusion

Our results highlight that low-intensity surface fires immediately alter soil DOM content and chemical composition in boreal forests, thereby affecting DOC fluxes within soils and to adjacent aquatic ecosystems. These post-fire DOC dynamics have implications for freshwater quality and regional carbon budgets. Considering the role of low-intensity fires as a major natural disturbance in the boreal forests of Northern Europe, their role and implications should be integrated into forest management strategies to help regulate DOC levels in surface waters.