Effect of slash burning on some soils of the Douglas-fir region

The studies summarized in this paper indicate that effects ofslash burning vary with different soils and locations in theDouglas-fir region and also within an individual clear-cut andslash-burned area. Although severe burning damages some soilproperties, the soil surface affected by severe burning usuallyrepresents only a small portion of the total area logged andburned. As low-grade materials are utilized more fully, a reduc-tion can be expected in the volume of heavy tuck left afterlogging. This will decrease even more the small amount of soilsurface damaged by severe burning.
In weighing the effects of slash burning on soil properties,consideration must first be given to the relative amounts of light-ly burned, severely burned, and unburned soil surface. This isnecessary to avoid the possibility of assigning to an entire area,the effects of only the most severe burning treatment.
It is also emphasized that findings of these studies apply onlyto intentional slash burns and should not be construed as apply-ing to areas affected by repeated wildfires.