Fire and Soils in a Changing World

Fire is a natural ecological process that shapes many ecosystems, however, the distortion of the natural fire regimes can provoke significant additional impacts. Land use changes in the last decades driven by human activity, and changes in climate due to global warming have led to projections of increased fire recurrence and corresponding socioeconomic and environmental impacts. During the last decades, an impressive bulk of research has been produced addressing fire impacts on soils, but the most recent shifts indicate more severe wildfires, as well as novel occurrences in non-fire-prone areas, which are less adapted and more vulnerable to this perturbation, highlights the need of translating the current knowledge to other conditions.

FuegoRED is a research network created in 2007 aiming for a more direct knowledge transfer between scientists and society. The X FuegoRED 2022 International Congress was held in Évora (Portugal), in October 2022. This Special Issue targeted this specific FuegoRED event but was open to additional research contributions on the effect of fires on the soil system and post-fire management.

The Spanish Journal of Soil Science (Impact Factor of 2.0 and Citescore of 2.2) has now launched a new Special Issue to mark the XI FuegoRED 2024 International Congress - Environmental Impacts of Fire on Forest Ecosystems Across the Globe

Keywords: wildfires, megafires, prescribed fires, soil system, post-fire managements