title: Prescribed burning and clear-cutting effects on understory vegetation in a Pinus canariensis stand (Gran Canaria).
abstract: Prescribed fires are a powerful tool for reducing fire hazards by decreasing amounts of fuel. The main objective is to analyze the effects of prescribed burning on the understory vegetation composition as well as on the soil characteristics of a reforested stand of Pinus canariensis. The study attempts to identify the effects of the preburning treatment of cutting understory vegetation on the floristic parameters of the vegetation community. This study was carried out for two years following a prescribed fire in a Canarian pine stand. Cutting and burning treatment affected species composition and increased diversity. Burnt and cut plots were characterized by a diverse array of herbaceous species and by a lower abundance of Teline microphylla (endemic legume), although burning apparently induced its germination. Cut treatment was more consistently differentiated from the control plots than burnt treatment. Soil K decreased after both treatments, pH slightly decreased after cutting, while P and Ca increased after fire. From an ecological point of view, prescribed burning is a better management practice than cutting the woody species of the understory. However, long-term studies would be necessary to evaluate the effects of fire intensity, season and frequency in which the prescribed burning is applied.
authors.affiliation: Invasive Species: Interisland Research Group (EIGI), Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUETSPC), Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez s/n, La Laguna 38206, Spain.
authors.forename: José Ramón
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Arévalo
authors.affiliation: Invasive Species: Interisland Research Group (EIGI), Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUETSPC), Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez s/n, La Laguna 38206, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0957-5487
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fernández-Lugo
authors.affiliation: Invasive Species: Interisland Research Group (EIGI), Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUETSPC), Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez s/n, La Laguna 38206, Spain.
authors.forename: Celia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: García-Domínguez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Geografía, Facultad de Geografía e Historia, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 35003, Spain.
authors.forename: Agustín
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naranjo-Cigala
authors.affiliation: Seguridad y Control de Riesgos, Estructura de Teleformación, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 35003, Spain.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grillo
authors.affiliation: Área de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad de León, León 24071, Spain.
authors.forename: Leonor
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3710-0817
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Calvo
mesh_terms: D017753:Ecosystem; D004777:Environment; D005390:Fires; D028223:Pinus; D013030:Spain