Influence of Prescribed Burning on Infiltration and Sediment Production in the Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Nevada

Abstract

On arid and semiarid rangelands, areas between woody plants are named dune interspaces. Soil and litter accumulate under plants to form mounds which are called coppice dunes. The loss of soil-protecting litter after burning pinyon-juniper communities in eastern Nevada decreased rates of water infiltration on coppice dune soil at field capacity and increased sediment production from coppice dunes with the soil dry and at field capacity. Differences in infiltration rates and sediment production of dune interspace soil were related to preburn soil morphological differences, not to burning. Vesicular soil crusts and surface-soil bulk density of coppice dunes were not increased by burning. Coppice soil organic matter was not significantly lower on burned areas, although mean values were slightly lower than those on unburned areas. Soil-water repellency was decreased by burning. Burning is not expected to increase runoff or soil loss substantially on similar areas with coarse-textured soils, because post-burn infiltration rates on coppices in these tests exceeded rainfall rates expected from natural storms.