Decomposition Rates for Hand-Piled Fuels
| Title | Decomposition Rates for Hand-Piled Fuels |
| Publication Type | Report |
| Year of Publication | 2017 |
| Authors | Wright, CS |
| Series Editor | Evans, AM |
| Tertiary Authors | Restaino, JC |
| Series Title | Research Note |
| Document Number | 574 |
| Pagination | 18p. |
| Date Published | 02.17 |
| Institution | US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station |
| City | Portland |
| Keywords | decay-rate constant, fuels management, hand piles, techincal reports and journal articles |
| Abstract | Hand-constructed piles in eastern Washington and north-central New Mexico were weighed periodically between October 2011 and June 2015 to develop decay-rate constants that are useful for estimating the rate of piled biomass loss over time. Decay-rate constants (k) were determined by fitting negative exponential curves to time series of pile weight for each site. Piles at the Washington site (k = 0.027/year) decomposed significantly more slowly than piles at the New Mexico site (k = 0.064/year). Significant differences in k for each site may be a function of a between-site variation in pile composition (with or without large woody material), the environmental dissimilarities between sites (Mediterranean climate regime in Washington vs. monsoonal climate regime in New Mexico), or a combination of factors. |
