Impact of wildfires on the soil

Live Broadcast

Background

Latin America and the Caribbean, like other regions of the world, faces the problem of major forest fires every year. This complex phenomenon endangers the lives of people and social environments (rural populations, urban- rural interface centers and firefighting services), as well as seriously affecting the environment, rural development and different sectors of the local and regional economy.

Impact of fires on the soil

• The effects of fire on soils are highly variable, ranging from negligible to long- lasting.
• The effects of fire on soils can be both direct, through heating, and indirect, for example, through the addition of ash or changes in vegetation cover.
• Fire impacts on soils include changes in physical (e.g., stability and water repellency), chemical (e.g., pH, organic matter and nutrient content) and biological (e.g., microbial activity and composition) properties.

Forest fires are a global problem that requires collective and coordinated action to prevent and combat them by creating resilient landscapes and societies. Various reports, including the report of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission, indicate that in Latin America and the Caribbean there is a lack of formal and non- formal education on integrated fire management, which limits the capacity of communities to respond and adapt to this phenomenon.

Participants

This event is aimed at a wide range of audiences, such as technicians and extensionists, scientists, members of communities of practice, students, farmers, decision makers, public institutions, researchers and anyone interested in the subject.

Methodology

Technical discussion

The discussion is based on a short paper that introduces the topic, provides general background and highlights key issues to be considered in order to reach a common understanding on the proposed objectives.

Participants who wish to contribute to the discussion can connect to the Soil Community of Practice Platform and send their contribution by e-mail to [email protected].

The online discussion with a moderated management will be open between October 02 and October 20, 2023.

Webinar panelists

Laura Bertha Reyes Sánchez National Autonomous University of Mexico, International Union of Soil Science Past-President 2023-2024. What does it mean to lose soil and why educate to conserve it?

Carmen Sánchez-García Postdoctoral Researcher. Wildland Fire Research Center. Department of Geography, Swansea University, United Kingdom. After the fire: chemical characteristics of ashes and their impacts

Jorge Mataix-Solera President of the Spanish Society of Soil Science. Soil Science and Environmental Technologies Group (GETECMA). Department of Agrochemistry and Environment. Miguel Hernández University, Spain. The role of soil in forest fires: examples of impacts and responses in different biomes.

Agustín Merino García Coordinator of the International Doctoral Program in Agriculture and Environment for Development. Environmental and Sustainable Forestry Management Unit. Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The need to involve the population in soil conservation and restoration in fire-affected areas through education and training.

Sol Ortiz García Director General for Policy, Prospecting and Climate Change. Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development of Mexico. The role of the agricultural sector in the reduction of forest fires: the case of Mexico #Miparcelanosequema