Fire Effects on Soil Properties in Forest Ecosystems

Wildfire and prescribed fire profoundly reshape the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of forest soils. Intensity, duration and frequency of burning govern the degree of heat penetration, organic matter combustion and ash deposition, which in turn alter soil structure, aggregate stability and porosity. High‐severity fire often volatilises nutrients, increases soil hydrophobicity and reduces water infiltration, exacerbating erosion and runoff. In contrast, low‐intensity surface fires can enhance soil pH and release mineral nutrients that promote vegetation regrowth. Fire‐driven changes in soil organic carbon stocks and nitrogen pools influence long‐term carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling, with implications for global climate feedbacks. Belowground microbial communities also respond dynamically: bacterial and fungal taxa vary in heat tolerance, growth rates and functional traits, leading to shifts in decomposition rates, enzyme activities and symbiotic associations critical for seedling establishment. Recovery trajectories depend on fire severity, soil type, vegetation cover and post‐fire management, such as fuel reduction and reforestation. Understanding these interlinked processes is essential for predicting ecosystem resilience, guiding prescribed burning strategies and refining earth system models under changing fire regimes.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have quantified fire‐induced shifts in soil carbon dynamics across broad bioclimatic gradients, revealing that dryland ecosystems experience disproportionately large losses or gains in soil organic carbon relative to humid forests. Integrated field experiments and statistical modelling indicate that declines in biomass inputs after fire drive these changes, and that many ecosystem models underestimate carbon fluxes in arid regions. Trait‐based approaches to soil bacterial communities have identified fast‐growing taxa as dominant in the first year post‐fire, with community composition returning to pre‐fire proportions by five years. These bacterial traits correlate with carbon dioxide fluxes, suggesting strong functional resilience in microbial‐mediated carbon turnover. Genome‐resolved analyses have further shown that burn severity selects for heat‐resistant Actinobacteria and reduces ectomycorrhizal fungi, while viruses remain active and contribute to biogeochemical cycling through auxiliary metabolic genes. Together, these findings link shifts in microbial taxonomy to ecosystem functions and underscore the importance of severity gradients in governing soil recovery and carbon storage.

Fire Effects on Soil Properties in Forest Ecosystems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in fire effects on soil properties in forest ecosystems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Soil organic carbon (SOC): The carbon component of soil organic matter derived from decomposed plant and microbial residues.

Hydrophobicity: The degree to which soil particles repel water, often increased by combustion of organic compounds.

Ectomycorrhizal fungi: Symbiotic fungi that form sheaths around tree roots and facilitate nutrient exchange.

Basal respiration: The rate of carbon dioxide production by soil microbes under standard conditions, indicative of microbial activity.

Pyrogenic carbon: Charred organic material produced during fire, which can be stable and affect soil carbon pools.

Microbial biomass: The living component of soil organic matter, comprising bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms.

References

1. A review of the effects of forest fire on soil properties. Journal of Forestry Research (2022).
2. Soil carbon storage capacity of drylands under altered fire regimes. Nature Climate Change (2023).
3. Experimentally determined traits shape bacterial community composition one and five years following wildfire. Nature Ecology & Evolution (2023).
4. Wildfire-dependent changes in soil microbiome diversity and function. Nature Microbiology (2022).
5. Soil microbiome feedbacks during disturbance-driven forest ecosystem conversion. The ISME Journal: Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology (2024).
6. Elevated methane flux in a tropical peatland post-fire is linked to depth-dependent changes in peat microbiome assembly. npj Biofilms and Microbiomes (2024).
7. Effects of burn severity on organic nitrogen and carbon chemistry in high-elevation forest soils. Soil & Environmental Health (2023).