Forest fire impacts on water quality: Taşköprü case

Abstract

Wildfires can significantly influence surface water quality by altering soil structure, vegetation cover, and hydrological processes. This study examines the physicochemical effects of a surface and crown fire that occurred in 2020 within a 1,508-hectare pure black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold) forest in the Taşköprü district of Kastamonu, Türkiye, on stream water quality. Over a 12-month monitoring period, water samples were collected biweekly from both fire-affected and control streams. Key water quality parameters were analyzed. The results revealed statistically significant differences in pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), and turbidity between the two sites (p<0.05), while DO did not differ significantly. Notably, turbidity was markedly higher in the fire-affected site (9.48 NTU) compared to the control site (5.23 NTU). Conversely, EC and TDS values were lower in the fire-affected stream (211.7 µS/cm and 105.9 mg/L, respectively) than in the control stream (255.3 µS/cm and 127.7 mg/L). A very strong positive correlation was found between EC and TDS (r > 0.98) at both sites, while significant positive correlations were also observed between pH and EC/TDS in the fire-affected stream The increase in turbidity and shifts in solute concentrations indicate that wildfire-induced vegetation loss and surface runoff contributed to sediment and nutrient loading. These findings underscore the importance of water and land management practices in post-wildfire conditions and contribute to the existing literature on fire-induced changes in water quality in Türkiye.