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<br />Scott, D.F., and Van Wyk" D.B., 1990, The effects of wildfire on soil wettability and <br />hydrological beha~iour of an afforested catchment: Joumal of Hydrology, v. <br />121, p. 239-256. <br />Thi5 study reported some of the complex hydrological responses' hat resulted during the <br />first year after a high intensity wildfire on a South African rese arch catchment in the <br />Jonkershoek State Forest. Prior to burnlng, approximately half of the catchment was <br />vegetated with fynbos (the indigenous ~crub vegetation of South Alrica) and the remainder <br />afforested with Pinus radiata for tinber harvesting. Soils were charac terized by friable, sandy <br />to silty loams (with approximately 10% clay content), derived from sandstone colluvium, <br />minor shale lenses, and deeply wea:hered granite. Researchers evallated pre..fire and post- <br />fire stream flow and sediment datI in conjunction with tests for water repellency in the <br />burned catchmem and in an unburned control. Widespread rc:pellency after the fIre <br />occurred primarily below the surface. Some shallow, post-fire repe[ency occurred in areas <br />of fynbos vegetation, whereas seongly repellent conditions (up to lSOmm itl depth) were <br />found in burned soils of the pine plantation (the deepest and most severe repellency <br />occurred beneath slash piles). Prior to burnlng, the latter soils alw exhibited some mild, <br />infrequent water repellency asso,:iated with deep litter accumulations and fl!1gal mycelia. <br />Although weekly stream flow value:; increased very little, quick flow volumes and peak flow <br />rates increased by 201 % and 290%, respectively. "Pulses of rain" as small as Smm generated <br />surface runoff during low imen sity storms of long duration. T his runoff occurred as <br />saturation overland flow in wettabk soils with subsurface water-reF ellem layers. Four-fold <br />increases in bedload and suspended sediment yields were attributed to the increased stream <br />energy and overland flow. The author concluded that the natur ~ of fire-.lnduced water <br />repellency was related to vegetation type and soil heating. He also r. oted that, in contrast to <br />previous studies of burned South African fynbos catchments, pos'-fire sedi:nent yields in <br />this study were much higher. He s Llggested that these differences v'ere due to variations in <br />burn intensity and parent material 0 f the soils. The lower sediment yields occurred following <br />low intensity prescribed bums in catchments dominated by granite-d :rived soils, whereas the <br />this study involved a high intensity wildfire on sandstone derived soil s. <br /> <br />Teramura, A.H., 1973, Relationllhips between chaparral age and watl~r repellency: <br />Fullerton, California State University, M.A. thesis, 18 p. <br />The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of stand age l pon water repellency in <br />the chaparral of Southern California. Particular emphasis was place 1 upon the contribution <br />of incorporated organic material in the soil to the intensity of wate! repellency with respect <br />to dominant shrub species forming the vegetative cover. Results of water drop penetration <br />time testing indicated an increase ir:. wal:er penetration times with in :reasing stand age. The <br />author indicates that this naturally-occurring repellency may accumulate over time, and is <br />directly related to the plant cover and the time between fires. T\!o explanations for this <br />phenomenon, one based on microbial degradation of litter and tt e other based on plant <br />physiology with maturity, are proposed. Further, the author indicltes that Ihe amount of <br />incorporated organic matter ben~ath the canopy in comparis(.n to th,~ water drop <br />penetration time remains relatively uniform between species and be tween sit.:s. Therefore, <br />water repellency cannot be explained by simply expressing the total amount of incorporated <br />organic matter in the soil.. Altbough organic matter may be the primary source of <br />hydrophobic substances, only a small artlount of the total oxidizable organic matter contains <br />substances capable of induclng water repellency. <br /> <br />36 <br />