Abstract
Changes on soil physical and chemical properties following the forest fire in Kosung area in Kangwon province were examined. Twenty seven sampling plots[16 burned (8 low intensity fire, 8 high intensity fire) and 11 unburned plots] from Pinus densiflora community were chosen and soil samples from three depths(0-5, 5-15, 15-25 cm) under the forest floor were collected. Forest fire in the area affected soil chemical properties. Soil pH, available phosphorus, base saturation, K, Ca, and Mg on the surface soil(0-5cm) in the burned areas compared with the unburned areas were increased, while soil properties on the subsurface soil(5-25 cm) were not changed. Organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and exchangeable cations following the high in tensity fire on the surface soil were generally lower than those in the low intensity fire areas. This indicates that these nutrients on high intensity fire areas may be volatilized. The results suggest that the fire effects on soil chemical properties were confined mainly to the surface soil and were different between the high and the low intensity fire types.
