Thinning and Prescribed Burn Seasonality and Return Interval Effects on Soil Properties in a Mixed Red Pine Stand in Northern Wisconsin.

The Lake States region was largely shaped by fire prior to European settlement. Due to this fact and the growing usage of fire as a management tool it is both necessary and advantageous to foresters etc… to determine the effects of fire on our soil resource. This study investigates the effects of thinning and prescribed fire (and the combination) on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. The study has also incorporated different return intervals for the prescribed fire (1, 2, 3, and 4 years). Initial results indicate that most soil properties that are altered are those that are impacted by soil organic matter.