Post-fire assessment of soil physicochemical properties in Tamgout Forest, Northern Algeria

Understanding how fires affect forest ecosystem components is crucial for predicting vegetation recovery and guiding forest management. Yet information on wildfire consequences for soil properties remains limited in Algeria. This study investigated the impact of wildfire on the physicochemical and structural properties of forest soil in the Tamgout area, northern Algeria. Soil samples were collected along a post-fire chronosequence (2, 10, and 18 years) and compared to an unburned soil (control). ANOVA analysis revealed significant fire-induced changes in key soil properties, including moisture content (M), texture, electrical conductivity (EC), total Nitrogen (TN), organic carbon (OC), organic matter (OM), and mineral content (K+, Ca2+, Na+, Fe, and Mn). In contrast, no significant differences were observed in pH, CaCO3, and Mg2+ contents. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed marked spectral shifts in mineral bands, particularly in the mid-infrared region, distinguishing burned from unburned soils. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis further demonstrated progressive crystallographic alterations, including peak broadening, reduced intensity, and microstructural degradation in fire-affected soils, indicating mineral disorder and reduced crystallinity. These findings highlight the long-term effects of fire on soil composition, structure, and other parameters that play a critical role in forest resilience, ecosystem recovery, and biodiversity conservation in Mediterranean woodland environments.