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Nutrient emissions from prescribed fire in Lake Tahoe Basin: Implications from field and laboratory observations
Date
2010Type
ThesisDepartment
Natural Resources and Environmental Science
Degree Level
Master's Degree
Abstract
Prescribed fire is a common management practice for reducing excessive forest fuel
loading to minimize the risk of wildfire. However prescribed fire may impact air and
water quality by releasing nutrients from soils and vegetation upon combustion. This
study assesses the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) release as affected by fuel moisture during
a prescribed fire near Incline Village (NV) following mechanical thinning. The field
component of this study involved a pre- and post-fire fuel inventory to estimate C and
(in)organic N losses and chemical speciation under fall fuel moisture conditions. The lab
component of the study further investigated effects of moisture on nutrient release and
speciation by artificially wetting fuels followed by combustion in a custom designed
combustion chamber allowing for direct measurement of amounts and composition of
nutrients released into the air. Results from the field show changes to moisture content as
a result of the burn, and relate moisture conditions to fuel, C and N reductions. Changes
to extractable N are also included. The combustion experiment showed that increasing
fuel moisture causes increases in total particulates, including C and N species, and
gaseous NH3 emissions for several fuel types, with soils showing the only trend for
gaseous NOx emissions. Nutrient emission factors were highest for litter and leaves
especially at the higher moisture levels. Our findings help land managers to better
understand how fuel moisture affects fuel consumption and nutrient release from
prescription fire. This will allow managers to create management practices that maximize
fuel reductions while minimizing environmental impacts within the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Permanent link
http://hdl.handle.net/11714/4375Additional Information
Committee Member | Johnson, Dale W.; Chen, Antony L.W. |
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Rights | In Copyright(All Rights Reserved) |
Rights Holder | Author(s) |