Effect of different temperatures on the physio-chemical properties of Aleppo oak ash litter under laboratory conditions

Forest fire and leaf litter is one of the effective factors influencing soil nutrient. Fire intensity and duration can affect the properties of ash and surface soil. The aim of this study was to investigate the physio- chemical properties of ash after the heating of Aleppo oak (Quercus infectoria Oliv.) litter at various temperatures under laboratory conditions. In order to collect litter, Khavmire Abad district in Marivan forest was selected such that litter samples were taken under the crown of the 8 Aleppo oak trees. Trees were selected on a transect parallel to the contour lines, 30 m interval. Leaf litter has milled first and then the samples were prepared in four treatments (milled litter and three treatments heated at 200, 400 and 600 °C). The results showed that the color of ash was dark brown, gray and light gray in temperatures of 200, 400 and 600 °C, respectively. The amount of pH, EC, P, Ca, K and Mg increased significantly with increasing temperature, while OC and TN first increased until 200°C and then decreased significantly. The reduction of nutrient concentrations in the ash of Aleppo oak was: N> C> P> K> Mg> Ca. In sum, temperature can significantly affect the availability of nutrients in ash of Aleppo oak after heating. In addition, different temperatures had significant effects on the amount of nutrients and ash color.