Burning insights: How wildfires reshape the soil microbiome and impact soil health and forest regeneration

Andrea Watts; Charles C. Rhoades; Mike Wilkins; Amelia Nelson

Treesearch

Burning insights: How wildfires reshape the soil microbiome and impact soil health and forest regeneration

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Andrea Watts, Charles C. Rhoades, Mike Wilkins, Amelia Nelson

Year:

2024

Type:

Science Bulletins and Newsletters

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Source:

Science You Can Use (in 5 Minutes), July 2024. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 2 p.

Download (PDF 3.79 MB)

Download (PDF 3.79 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/67855.pdf

Abstract

Archaea, bacteria, fungi, and viruses are organisms that comprise the soil microbiome and play a crucial role in the health of the world’s forests. The soil microbiome is vital in cycling important nutrients needed by vegetation (e.g., nitrogen), stabilizing soil organic matter, and forming essential symbioses with plants, such as the ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) that are obligate symbiotic partners of the conifer tree species that dominate forests of western North America.

Keywords

wildfires, soil health, soil microbiome, forest health, ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF)

Citation

Watts, Andrea; Rhoades, Chuck; Wilkins, Mike; Nelson, Amelia. 2024. Burning insights: How wildfires reshape the soil microbiome and impact soil health and forest regeneration. Science You Can Use (in 5 Minutes), July 2024. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 2 p.