Effects of fire on vegetation, soil and hydrogeomorphological behavior in mediterranean ecosystems

Abstract

In the Mediterranean context, wildfire has ceased to be a natural ecological factor and has become an anthropic factor of frequent and intense occurrence. Fires cause environmental alterations based the disappearance or modification of the vegetation cover, soil changes and soil hydrogeomorphological behavior. These transformations are mainly concentrated in the immediate aftermath of the fire and are closely linked with fire frequency, fire severity and the period of the year in which the fires occur. A systematic outline of the effects of fire and the factors implicated in the post-fire environmental dynamic is offered. The role of remote sensing methods on fire effects is well known; this chapter also refers to experiences and works on monitoring temporal patterns of vegetation recovery and mapping erosion-sensitive areas © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.