Ms Minerva García-Carmona, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Spain. Global Symposium on Soil Erosion (GSER19), 15 - 17 May 2019 at FAO HQ.

1. Influence of mosses on soil hydraulic
conductivity, penetration resistance
and water repellency six years after a
post-fire salvage logging treatment
Minerva García-Carmona, Victoria Arcenegui, Jorge Mataix-
Solera, Fuensanta García-Orenes- Department of Agrochemistry
and Environment, University Miguel Hernández, Spain
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2. 2
Salvage logging treatment:
extraction on burnt wood
Valencia, Spain, 2012
Photo: J. Mataix-Solera

3. Forest Fire in Sierra de Mariola Natural Park, July 2012
- Soils developed over marls
- Salvage logging treatment with heavy machinery, February 2013
- Intense precipitation (50mm), September 2013
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Photo: J. Mataix-Solera

4. 4
Key roles:
- Soil stability
- Protection from erosion
6 years later…
Photos: J. Mataix-Solera

5. Methodology
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Over Mosses
Under Mosses
Bare Soil
SALVAGE
LOGGING
CONTROL
Control (C): 25 points BS + 25 points M
Salvage Logging (SL): 25 points BS + 25 points M
Cover of mosses: 58.8% SL vs. 78.4% C
Photo: J. Mataix-Solera
Google Earth, 2017

6. 6
• Hydraulic conductivity, Kh
Mini-Disk Infiltrometer
• Penetration resistance, PR
Pocket Penetrometer
• Water Repellency, WR
Water Drop Penetration Time (WDPT) test
Methodology
Photos: J. Mataix-Solera

7. 7
Hydraulic conductivity, Kh (mm/h)
Biocrust can influence the
local hydrological cycles by
modifications in soil
porosity, absorptivity,
roughness, aggregate
stability, texture, pore
formation and water
retention.
Main Results

8. 8
Penetration Resistance, PR (kg/cm2)
Higher developmental stages
of the biocrust are related to
higher penetration resistance.
Only 6 years after a
perturbation may not be
enough time to develop a
complex state of the biocrust
Main Results

9. 9
Water Repellency, WR (s)
Hydrophobic characters of the
mosses may help trapping
water near the soil surface.
Main Results

10. Conclusions
• Post-fire salvage logging affected in a medium-term to the percentage
of soil covered by mosses
• Our results did not show significant detrimental consequences regarding
the hydraulic conductivity, penetration resistance and water repellency
parameters as a consequence of the management practice.
• Salvage logging was a very aggressive practice with soils over marls,
but the development of vegetation like mosses forming part of a
biocrust could be protecting the soil in a medium-term.
• We recommend to forest managers to take into account this natural
recovery in order to do not affect them if any post-fire management is
planned.
• More research is needed in order to identify if mosses are improving
significantly other soil properties.
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