The Impact of Historical Charcoal Burning on Soil Properties.

Charcoal burning to produce fuel for the iron industry was a widespread practice in forests of the northeastern U.S. in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.  The soils at charcoal burning sites were physically disturbed by human activities and enriched in charcoal, which was burned in pits that were buried in soil and sod to restrict oxygen flow, and then removed by raking.  This study aims determine the impact of charcoal burning on soil chemical and physical properties centuries after those activities ceased.  Properties considered were soil horizon development, carbon storage, bulk density, and cation exchange capacity.  This study reveals that charcoal-enriched anthropogenic soils have distinct chemical and physical properties compared to the native soils.