Soil nitrogen: Effect of Burning Patterns on Vegetation in the Fish Lake Burn Compartments

This study examines the effects of long-term prescribed burning treatments on vegetation structure and composition, productivity, and nutrient cycling in upland oak savanna and woodland vegetation. The basis for the study is an ongoing, experimental prescribed burning program begun in 1964 at Cedar Creek, and a similar program operating since 1962 on the adjacent Helen Allison Savanna property (owned by The Nature Conservancy). These prescribed burning programs are designed to subject upland oak communities (and some old fields) to different burn frequencies and patterns of burning, with the ultimate objectives of 1) restoring and maintaining the historically important savanna and open woodland vegetation, and 2) providing information about the effects of different burning patterns on vegetation structure and composition. This study addresses the latter of these two purposes and expands on it by also investigating possible influences of fire on resource availability (nutrients, water, and light) and net primary productivity. This study represents a continuation and expansion of experiments 015 and 094.

本研究旨在探究长期计划火烧（prescribed burning）处理对高地栎类稀树草原（savanna）与疏林植被的群落结构、物种组成、生产力及养分循环的影响效应。本研究的核心基础为两项正在推进的实验性计划火烧项目：其一为1964年在锡达溪（Cedar Creek）启动的长期项目，其二为1962年起在毗邻的海伦·艾莉森稀树草原（Helen Allison Savanna，由大自然保护协会（The Nature Conservancy）所有）开展的同类实验项目。上述计划火烧项目旨在对高地栎类群落（及部分撂荒地）施加不同火烧频率与火烧模式的处理，最终达成两大目标：1）恢复并维持具有历史生态价值的稀树草原与开阔疏林植被；2）获取不同火烧模式对植被结构与物种组成的影响相关研究数据。本研究聚焦于上述第二项目标，并在此基础上拓展研究范畴，额外探究火烧对资源可获得性（养分、水分与光照）及净初级生产力（net primary productivity）的潜在影响。本研究是对015号与094号实验的延续与拓展。