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High soil temperature data archive

Status
Ongoing
A firefighter standing on the far side of a pile of burning slash

The purpose of this archive is to provide users with soil temperature datasets collected during prescribed fires and wildfires across the Western US. These data reflect over two decades of data collection by various Forest Service scientists. These data archives are provided to users for research, soil heating modeling testing and general understanding of fire’s impact on soil resources. While much of this data has been published in peer reviewed articles, not all the data has been previously available.

Soil heating during wildfires, prescribed fires, or slash-pile burns affects the soil and, in some cases, can irreversibly alter the soil. These direct (first-order) fire effects often result in significant long-term biological, chemical, physical, and hydrological effects (secondary fire effects).

The magnitude and duration of soil heating determine the depth of heat penetration. There are well-established critical temperature thresholds for specific secondary fire effects on soil. In general, soil temperatures in the range of 60-80°C for short periods of time are lethal to plant seeds, plant roots, and plant tissue. At temperatures approaching the range of 120-160°C, microbial life is extinguished.

At higher temperatures, often irreversible physical, chemical, mineral, and hydrologic changes begin to occur to the soil. Temperature thresholds have been identified for numerous physical, chemical and biological properties, such as the formation of water repellent soils that reduce infiltration potential between 175-280°C. Nitrogen is volatilized between 300-500°C.

Map of high soil temperature data archive data locations in the western US, highlighting the contributing scientists and EPA ecoregions

This data is available to download under the 'Data by Scientist' tab. The High Soil Temperature Data Archive is organized by the scientist that originally collected the data. A brief description of each dataset is provided within each scientist’s folder in a ‘ReadMe’ file as well as any peer reviewed articles in which the data was used. Please see the map of site locations for geographic information.

Citation: Robichaud PR, Massman WJ, Lesiecki ML. 2018. High soil temperature data archive from prescribed fires and wildfires database. Ft. Collins, CO: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. Available at https://research.fs.usda.gov/rmrs/projects/high-soil-temperature-data-archive.

We acknowledge that this data was difficult to collect and assemble and, as such, would like to thank all those who contributed. A special thanks to Matt D. Busse, Sally Haase (retired), Deborah S. Page-Dumroese, Matt Lesiecki, and Stephen Sackett (retired).

Funding for this project was provided, in part, by the Joint Fire Science Program under agreement 15-1-05-11 with Rocky Mountain Research Station.

Busse

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The Busse folder contains 5 datasets. Each file has a worksheet with site preconditions such as bulk density and soil moisture, when available. All the data has been published with citations and brief dataset descriptions below:

BB1 = Burn Box 1

  • Published: Busse, M.D., K.R. Hubbert, G.O. Fiddler, C.J. Shestak, and R.F. Powers. 2005. Lethal soil temperatures
    during burning of masticated forest residues. Int. J. Wildland Fire 14:267-276.
    The data file contains raw temperature data for three reps of dry soil and three reps of wet soil. Column
    headings: TRT 5 – 0, the first number is the depth of fuel and the second is the depth of the
    thermocouple (inches).
  • Missing data: None.
  • The data are organized by clock time. So, for Dry Rep 3, the 1, 3, and 5 inch fuel depths started
    simultaneously. The 0 inch (forest floor only) treatment started the following morning. The data begin
    in row 2357. The length of time each was recorded varied as well.

BB2 = Burn Box 2

  • Published: Busse, M.D., Shestak, C.J., Hubbert, K.R., and Knapp, E.E. 2010. Soil physical properties regulate lethal
    heating during burning of woody residues. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 74:947-955.
    doi:10.2136/SSSAJ2009.0322.
  • The data are organized by each site (representing a soil type) on separate worksheets. Within each
    worksheet the data run through each replicate from left to right. Because replicates were run on
    separate days, each replicate includes moisture contents.
  • Missing Data: Occasionally, data are missing due to wire or logger failures and are noted in the file.

FRS = Fuel Reduction Study (mastication of fuels and subsequent prescribed burning)

  • Published: Knapp, E.E., Varner, J.M., Busse, M.B., Skinner, C.N., and Shestak, C.J. 2011. Behavior and effects of
    prescribed burning of masticated fuel beds. Int. J. Wildland Fire 20:932-945. doi:10.1071/WF10110.
  • Two sites were studied: Challenge, and Whitmore. The data files include time before and after the
    burns.
  • At Challenge, blocks 1, 2 and 3 each had twelve trees measured at three depths. Block 3 had an added
    variable of raking the forest floor away from the bole of half the trees (6). Block 4 only had nine trees
    measured but had additional thermocouples placed on top of the fuels and at 2 cm. Note that the
    measurement interval is different for thermocouples at the surface and for those at depth.
  • Whitmore had six trees measured on three of the four blocks. Block 1 had thermocouples on the soil
    surface and at 1 and 2 inches. Blocks 3 and 4 had an additional thermocouple at 4 inches. Note that the
    measurement interval is different for thermocouples at the surface and those at depth.
  • Missing Data: None

TPBS = Tahoe Pile Burn Study

  • Published: Busse, Matt D., Carol J. Shestak and Ken R. Hubbert. 2013. Soil heating during burning of forest slash
    piles and wood piles. In. J. Wildland Fire 22:786-796. doi:10.1071/WF12179.
  • Data are organized by site and each was a bit different. Details are included in the manuscript.
  • Missing Data: None

Dumroese

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Measured soil information for all three experiment locations (Lubrecht Experimental Forest, Priest River Experimental Forest, and Pringle Falls Experimental Forest) can be found in the “Summary_soildata” file. The soil temperature data from each location can be found in the folders with their respective names.

Data from Pringle falls are organized into two files: High Severity, and Low Severity. Each file has several worksheets named with the scientist’s plot naming convention. Data from Lubrecht are organized by texture, and season of burn, noted in each file name.

Massman

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From 2001 to 2006 Massman collected data to measure the effects of different fuels reduction treatments on the soils of the Manitou Experimental Forest, Colorado. The data includes profiles of temperature, heat-flux, water content, and CO2 at different depths in the soil and a horizontal transect surface radiation. Fuels reduction treatments included slash-piles, broadcast/lop-and-scatter areas, chipped areas, and control areas. The slash-piles and several broadcast/lop-and-scatter areas were burned. The different treatments and measurements were distributed among six pseudo-replicate plots.

Files with temperature data for each rep are in the parent folder ‘Data’. The ‘Other Data’ folder includes the temperature data along with any other water content, CO2, heat flux, etc., measurements that may have been taken.

Rep 1: Burned 11 January 2002.

Published: Massman, W.J. and Frank, J.M., 2004, August. An in situ investigation of the influence of a controlled burn on the thermophysical properties of a dry soil. In In: 26th Conference on Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. Paper 1.8. Boston, MA: American Meteorological Society. Online: https://ams. confex. com/ams/pdfpapers/79501. pdf.

Missing Data: None

Rep 2: Burned 26 April 2004

Published: Massman, WJ, JM Frank, SJ Mooney. 2010. Advancing Investigation and Physical Modeling of First-Order Fire Effects on Soils. In: Fire Ecology Volume 6, Issue 1, 2010.   doi: 10.4996/fireecology.0601036. P 36-54.

Missing Data: Blank cells where missing or errors occurred

Rep 3: Never burned. No data.

Rep 4: Burned 17 November 2004

Not Published.

Missing Data: None

Rep 5&6: Burned November 2001

Published: Massman, WJ, JM Frank, WD Shepperd, and MJ Platten. 2003. In situ soil temperature and heat flux measurements during controlled burns at a southern Colorado forest site. In: (Eds. Omi, PN, and LA Joyce) Fire, fuel treatments, and ecological restoration: Conference proceedings; 2002 16-18 April; Fort Collins, CO. USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-29, 69-87.

Missing Data: None

Butters Burn: Burned November 2008

Not published. Was conducted as an informal experimental burn. Bulk Density is provided. 

Missing Data: Blank cells where errors occurred

See also https://www.fs.usda.gov/rds/archive/Product/RDS-2007-0002/

Frank, J.M.; Massman, W.J. 2007. Effects of fuels reduction treatments on the soil temperature, heat-flux, water content, and CO2 at Manitou Experimental Forest. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2007-0002

Robichaud

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Temperature data from 4 fires are organized by fire. For example, Little Hogback, Lolo Peak, and Strychnine are each separate fires that occurred in the 2017 fire season. Cougar Fire occurred in 2018.

Within each folder a separate excel files for each fuel transect measured at that fire is identified. Most often each fire has two transects measured, but some only have one.

Each excel file has three worksheets: Pre-Cond (Pre-Conditions), Chart (graphed temperature data), and Data (raw temperature data).

Temperatures were measured with a high-temperature probe unit developed at the Rocky Mountain Research Station. Thermocouples are located at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 cm below the soil surface.

Little Hogback Fire: Burned August 2017

  • Not Published
  • Missing Data: Transect 2, Depth 6 had wiring issue. Data was adjusted but still may not be accurate.

Lolo Peak Fire: Burned September 2017

  • Not Published
  • Missing Data: Transect 1, Depth 5 is missing.

Strychnine Fire: Burned September 2017

  • Not Published
  • Missing Data: Transect 2, Depth 1 had wiring error thus no data.

Cougar Fire: Burned August 2018

           Not Published

           Missing Data: None

Sackett-Haase

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The soil temperature data provided by Weise is from approximately 30 years of temperature sampling as part of are search program directed by Stephen Sackett and Sally Haase.

The Excel summary spreadsheet is all the pre-condition type information that is associated with each of these burns. The actual temperature datasets are soil temperatures only, with some information at the top of the worksheet sheet. Because they are many files and each one was downloaded from a separate data logger, each profile has its own separate excel file.

The ‘Site ID’ follows the burn number and the soil profile, for example 2204 means RX burn 22, soil 4. Unless otherwise indicated the temperatures were always under mature Pine (Ponderosa, Sugar, or Jeffry) if indicated that it was a “pole’ or “dog hair” it just means that their DBH’s were less than 18 inches. Some of the temperatures occurred at “mid duff” or ‘low duff’ depths. Those thermocouples were bent upwards out of the soil and into the duff. Some of the early burn thermocouple depths are estimates, however as the research project progressed the thermocouple depth measurements became more accurate.

These data have not been published in any document other than PSW-GTR-131.

Missing Data: Noted in files when present.

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Last updated December 10, 2024
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