Fire effects on soil erosion and deposition on hillslopes in the oak savannas

Abstract

Fire was a natural occurrence in many ecosystems of the Southwest Borderlands before Euro-American settlement. However, natural fire frequencies and the burning characteristics of the fires have been altered since the early 1900s, largely because of past livestock grazing practices, which removed significant portions of the fire-carrying herbaceous vegetation, and past fire suppression policies of land management agencies (Edminster et al. 2000, Fule and Covington 1995). These practices and policies have resulted in overcrowding of tree overstories on many sites, with the trees more susceptible to insects, disease, and wildfire. Mesquite (Prosopis spp.) and other woody plants have invaded otherwise productive grassland ecosystems in many instances. As a consequence of these conditions, land management agencies, with support from collaborating universities, private-sector organizations, and local stakeholders, are exploring the possibilities of re-introducing "more natural" fire regimes into many of the ecosystems in this region. Included among these ecosystems are the oak savannas, a plant community situated between the higher-elevation and more densely stocked oak woodlands and lower-elevation desert grassland-shrub vegetation.

Citation

Ffolliott, Peter F.; Gottfried, Gerald J.; Kauffman, Aaron T.; Stropki, Cody L.; Chen, Hui. 2010. Fire effects on soil erosion and deposition on hillslopes in the oak savannas. Hydrology and Water Resources in Arizona and the Southwest. 40: 1-6.