The Role of Fire Disturbance on Runoff and Erosion Processes - a Long-Term Approach, Mt. Carmel Case Study, Israel

The Mediterranean ecosystem of Mt. Carmel, Israel, is subjected to an increasing number of forest fires of various extents and severities. The impacts of forest fires on runoff and erosion are widely documented and include increased peak flows and soil loss until the return of a vegetation cover. Most studies, however, treat fire as a single event, whereas the present study is aimed at exploring the long-term effects of repeated forest fires on eco-geomorphic processes. The study integrates the results of plot-based, detailed analysis of post-fire runoff and erosion with vegetation recovery analysis, at a temporal-spatial scale which includes the effect of reburning. Our results indicate that forest fires lead to a significant increase in runoff and sediment yields, particularly during the first two years following the disturbance, up to five orders of magnitude higher than from the adjacent unburnt control plots.