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Effect of Fire Derived Ash and Detritus on Aquatic Ecology and Near Stream Ecosystems
Research Advisor: Eric Jorgensen, Ph.D.(580)436-8545 email Jorgensen.Eric@epa.gov
Management and restoration of riparian buffers and attendant near stream communities is increasingly being used as a means to improve stream water quality. Fire occurs both naturally and is used as a tool to manage vegetation. While much is known about fire ecology at the soil surface and in terms of increased nutrient availability for terrestrial plants use, little is known about the direct effects of fire derived ash and detritus, such as is deposited through runoff, on aquatic chemistry and ecology. Better understandings of these effects will provide land use managers with better tools and prescriptions for fire use and control.