Effects of forest fire on soil nutrients in Turkish pine (Pinus brutia, Ten) Ecosystems.

Fire is a long-standing and poorly understood component of the Mediterranean forestlands in Turkey. Fire can alter plant composition, destroy biomass, alter soil physical and chemical properties and reduce soil nutrient pools. However, fire can also promote productivity of certain ecosystems by mineralizing soil nutrients and promoting fast growing nitrogen fixing plant species. Fire effects on soils and ecosystems in Turkey and Mediterranean regions are not well understood. This study, uses a retrospective space-for-time substitution to study soil macro-nutrient changes on sites which were burned at different times during the last 8 years. The study sites are in the Fethiye Forest Management Directorate in the western Mediterranean Sea region of Turkey. Our samples show 40% less Soil C, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) at 0-20 cm soil depth two weeks after the fire. Soil C and CEC appear to recover to pre-fire level in one year. Concentrations of Mg were significantly lower on new-burn sites, but returned to pre-fire levels in one year. Total soil N concentrations one and two years after fire were 90% higher than other sites, and total P was 9 times higher on new-burn site than averages from other sites. Some implications of these results for forest managers are discussed.

Biomonitoring of zinc and manganese in bark of Turkish red pine of western Anatolia.

Turkish red pine (Pinus brutia) is a widespread evergreen tree in Mediterranean and Aegean regions of Turkey. The barks of Pinus brutia were tested as a possible biomonitor of Zn and Mn accumulation studied in Western Anatolia, Turkey. Samples collected from industry, roadside, suburban and rural areas from thirty locations in the study area were investigated. The concentration of zinc and manganese were determined in the bark of the red pine by atomic absorption spectrometry. As a result of this study, the following mean concentrations were determined: for Zn between min 8.4 and max 14.1 mg g-1, and for Mn between min 19.1 and max 24.0 mg g-1. It was found that there is no affect of location on the element concentration of both Mn and Zn.