Fire Impacts on Soil Physical and Chemical Properties of Oak Forest in Badreh Region- Ilam Province

Fire is a big threat to natural resources in the world and is an important factor in changing the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of fire on the physical and chemical properties of the soil in oak forest of Badreh located in 70 km of Ilam province and to compare it with unburnt (control) areas. Soil sampling carried out in two topsoil (0-5cm) and subsoil (5-20cm) depths. Five plots in 50×50m dimension designed in burnt and unburnt forests and in each plot 5 soil samples were collected randomly from topsoil and subsoil and were transferred to the laboratory to soil physical and chemical analyses. According to the results fire increased the amount of sand and silt by 15.56%, 15.18% respectively, compared with unburnt forest. But, the percentage of clay decreased under burn condition. Fire declined aggregate stability in soil 0-5 and 5-20cm depths by 10.61 and 17.81 respectively. The most CEC content (20.98 cmol/kg) and the least one (16.56 cmol/kg) was observed in unburnt forest comparison with burnt forest respectively. Burned increased soil organic carbon but by increasing soil depth decreased it. In the study area, fire affected significantly K and P available in forest soil. To sum up, fire changed soil physical and chemical properties of oak forest in Badreh region in Ilam Province as well as this phenomenon increased essential nutrient elements resulting from soil fertility improvement in the study area.