FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN. DISTURBANCE AND REGENERATION IN DECIDUOUS AND CONIFER FORESTS. 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
ERHARD SCHULZ1, HUSSEIN ALMOHAMAD2, ATTILA BENCSIK3, HOREA CACOVEAN4, MATHIAS HALL5
1 Institut für Geographie und Geologie, Universität Würzburg, Germany, e‐mail: erhard.schulz@mail.uni‐wuerzburg.de
2 Department of Geography, Quassim University, Saudi Arabia, e‐mail: H.Almohamad@qu.edu.sa
3 Department of Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Petrology, University of Szeged, Hungary, e‐mail: bencsika@u.szeged.hu
4 Office for Pedologic and Agrochemical Studies, 400483 Cluj‐Napoca, Romania, e‐mail: turda75@yahoo.com
5 Landratsamt Hohenlohe, Forstamt.74643 Künzelsau, e‐mail: Mathias.hall@hohenlohekreis.de
ABSTRACT. Fire on the Mountain. Disturbance and Regeneration in Deciduous and Conifer Forests. 20 Years of Experience. Two test and monitoring sites in SW Germany (Forchtenberg) and Leghia (NW Romania) furnish insights to the regeneration modes after fire, clearing, burning, and cultivation -slash and burn – in a deciduous forest or after wildfire in a conifer stand. Forest maps and archivalia helped to reconstruct the forest history of the last 250 years of the Forchtenberg site, which as a heritage still influences the present situation. We could document the autonomous co- evolution of vegetation and soil over two decades. It was done by transects and mapping as well as by soil analysis and micromorphology. The role of soil animals for the weathering of charcoals became evident. The evolution of vegetation and soil after a wildfire could be studied on the Leghia site and compared with the Forchtenberg results. As the Leghia site was not cleared after the fire, it enabled us to follow the stages of decay and of regeneration, where conifers do not play a role. Moreover, one could investigate the effects of grass- and pasture fire, still active in the region. It also evidenced the necessary differentiation of charred material into wood- and grass coal. The indicator values of topsoil/soil surfaces are presented as well as those of charred material for the regeneration stages. Finally, we will discuss the fire risk in deciduous forests under a changing climate.
Keywords: Forest disturbance, succession types, forest history, slash and burn, wild fire, charcoal taphonomy, fire risk.