Agriculture and grazing environments

Abstract The increase in world population increases the pressure on soil resources and triggers land degradation. Agricultural and grazing environments are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to this process. Degradation affects importantly soil fertility. Millions of hectares are affected and soil productivity is endangered. This decreases soil ability to provide ecosystem services in quantity and quality. Managers and decision-makers should be open to adopt environmentally-friendly practices and contribute to land degradation neutrality. This chapter focuses on the problems induced by some of the most common soil degradation processes caused by in agriculture and grazing activities. Rev…

sj-docx-1-asw-10.1177_11786221211028185 – Supplemental material for Current Wildland Fire Patterns and Challenges in Europe: A Synthesis of National Perspectives

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-asw-10.1177_11786221211028185 for Current Wildland Fire Patterns and Challenges in Europe: A Synthesis of National Perspectives by Nieves Fernandez-Anez, Andrey Krasovskiy, Mortimer Müller, Harald Vacik, Jan Baetens, Emira Hukić, Marijana Kapovic Solomun, Irena Atanassova, Maria Glushkova, Igor Bogunović, Hana Fajković, Hakan Djuma, George Boustras, Martin Adámek, Miloslav Devetter, Michaela Hrabalikova, Dalibor Huska, Petra Martínez Barroso, Magdalena Daria Vaverková, David Zumr, Kalev Jõgiste, Marek Metslaid, Kajar Koster, Egle Köster, Jukka Pumpanen, Caius Ribeiro-Kumara, Simone Di Prima, Amandine Pastor, Cornelia Rumpel, Manuel Seeger, Ioannis Daliakopou…

Land management impacts on soil properties and initial soil erosion processes in olives and vegetable crops

Abstract This research aims to assess the impacts of soil use management on runoff, soil losses, and their main soil controls in vegetable cropland (CROP), tilled olives (OT), and grass-covered olive orchards (OGC) on Leptosol in Croatia. Soil analysis and rainfall simulation experiments were conducted to quantify runoff (Run), soil, and nutrient losses. Bulk density (BD) was significantly higher at OT plots, in addition to the CROP plots. Water-stable aggregates (WSA), mean weight diameter (MWD), and soil organic matter (OM) were significantly higher in OGC plots compared to the other land uses. Run and soil loss (SL) were significantly higher in CROP and OT plots compared to the OGC plots…

Mapping Ash CaCO3, pH, and Extractable Elements Using Principal Component Analysis

Abstract Ash cover in fire-affected areas is an important factor in the reduction of soil erosion and increased availability of soil nutrients. Thus it is important to understand the spatial distribution of ash and its capacity for soil protection and to provide nutrients to the underlying soil. In this work, we aimed to map ash CaCO3, pH, and select extractable elements using a principal component analysis (PCA). Four days after a medium to severe wildfire, we established a grid in a 9 ×27 m area on a west facing slope and took ash samples every 3 m for a total of 40 sampling points. The PCA carried out retained five different factors. Factor 1 had high positive loadings for ash with elect…

The Impact of Vineyard Abandonment on Soil Properties and Hydrological Processes

Current Wildland Fire Patterns and Challenges in Europe: A Synthesis of National Perspectives

Changes in climate, land use, and land management impact the occurrence and severity of wildland fires in many parts of the world. This is particularly evident in Europe, where ongoing changes in land use have strongly modified fire patterns over the last decades. Although satellite data by the European Forest Fire Information System provide large-scale wildland fire statistics across European countries, there is still a crucial need to collect and summarize in-depth local analysis and understanding of the wildland fire condition and associated challenges across Europe. This article aims to provide a general overview of the current wildland fire patterns and challenges as perceived by natio…