Effects of a wildfire on soil nutrients and vegetation in an Aleppo pine forest, on Mount Carmel, Israel

Increases in pH and electrical conductivity EC were observed, while organic matter decreased immediately after the fire. Total N in soil on the burned plot decreased significantly and remained lower for the 2 yr of the study. A significant rise in NH₄ ⁺-N concentration in the soil was observed in early winter, 4 months after the fire, while NO₃-N was at its maximum 10 months after the fire, during late spring. Water soluble P increased also for a short period, 2 months after the fire. Regeneration rate by the Pinus halepensis forest was lower than expected, despite enrichment with available nutrients, probably due to less than normal rainfall totals and longer dry spells after the 1985 fire. -from Authors