Forest fires are a major ecological disturbance, increasingly influenced by anthropogenic activities, including land-use change and abandonment, and the effects induced by rising temperatures. These factors are altering global fire regimes, particularly threatening natural areas of conservation interest. According to the 2025 Report by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), about 35 % of the total burnt area in the EU affected the Natura 2000 Network.
In this context, the FLER_MeCoFor project aims to improve knowledge on the functional effects of fire disturbance in coastal pine forests in the Apulia region (Southern Italy). The research was conducted in the Special Area of Conservation (SAC-IT9130006), where several wildfires have occurred since 1960.
This study specifically evaluated the fire severity impacts on soil following the most recent wildfires that occurred in 2017 and 2020, at two different sites (Galaso and Patemisco). Before sampling (April 2024), areas of different levels of fire severity were selected by the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) computed using pre- and post-fire Sentinel 2 images at 10 m spatial resolution. At plots representing three different fire severity levels and at paired unburned plots, organic (O-layer) and mineral soil (S-layer) samples were collected (depth 0-5 cm) to determine several soil properties.
Results showed that fire severity differently influenced various physical, chemical, and biological properties. Notably, at both sites, the most marked effect was on the O-layer, particularly in Patemisco, where high-severity plots lacked this layer, suggesting a loss of this carbon pool. Data analysis further revealed that soil recovery may depend not just on time since fire but also on fire severity.
Therefore, effective post-fire land management strategies are crucial to restoring soil properties, preserving carbon pools, and mitigating long-term ecosystem disturbances.