Annual burning affects soil pH and total nitrogen content in the CERA oak woodlands

Abstract

When considering prairie restoration, researchers and conservationists must consider all aspects of the prairie environment, taking into account, not only the complex relationships of the grasslands, but also acknowledging the relationships between surrounding ecosystems. In our study we observed the effects of burning on the soil conditions in the experimental plots at the Conard Environmental Research Area (CERA) oak woodlands in central Iowa. We examined the variation in pH, total nitrogen and percent organic matter of the soils, as well as the emergence of seeds in greenhouse seed banks comprised of soil from both the burned and unburned plots. By studying these factors, we investigated whether or not fire has a significant effect on the composition of soil from woodland areas. We found no significant differences between soil conditions in the burned and unburned plot. However, upon discovering that not all burned plots were treated uniformly, we discovered a significant difference between the soil conditions of plots burned annually since 1997 and the plots which went unburned in the year 2000.