Science of the Total Environment 328 (2004) 237–246 0048-9697/04/$ - see front matter  2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.01.026 Relative influence of wildfire on soil properties and erosion processes in different Mediterranean environments in NE Spain Giovanni Pardini*, Maria Gispert, Gemma Dunjo ´ Soil Science Unit, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, 17071 Girona, Spain Received 7 August 2003; accepted 13 January 2004 Abstract Abandonment of terraced soils and increased brushland cover has increased wildfire occurrence to almost an annual rate in the Cap de Creus Peninsula, NE Pyrenees Range, Province of Girona, Spain. A wildfire occurred in August 2000 and affected an area of 6760 ha of shrubs and cork trees, whereas still cultivated plots were only slightly affected. Five stations of erosion measurements, corresponding to five different environments (frompresentcultivation to late abandonment) were destroyed by the passage of fire, and were promptly replaced to allow to monitoring post- fire effects on soil erosion. Selected soil properties were determined monthly before the fire and during 6 months after the fire at a monthly rate. Runoff and sediment yield together with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in runoff water and organic carbon losses in eroded sediments (EOC) were evaluated throughout 2000. The last stage of abandonment, stands of cork trees, had the highest soil stability. Nevertheless, evidence of unfavourablesoilconditions was detected at the shrub stage, when Cistus monspeliensis cover was the dominant opportunistic plant. This stage was considered to be a critical threshold leading either to degradation or regeneration processes according to fire frequency. A drastic change in soil properties, erosion and nutrient depletion occurred after the fire in all the environments. Statistics enabled to state that environments differed significantly in main soil properties. By statistically comparing the measured variables between the environments before and after the fire, DOC was found to be the soil parameter showing the highest significance between environments. Absolute values of erosion were low with respect to other Mediterranean environments although the shallow nature of these soils might deserve special attention because of a comparatively higher risk of degradation.  2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Terraced soils; Abandonment; Wildfire; Cistus monspeliensis; Erica arborea; Shrub; Quercus suber; Forest; Soil properties; Runoff; Erosion; Nutrient depletion 1. Introduction The gradual abandonment of terraced soils in Mediterranean countries over the last centuries has increased land degradation, especially when land *Corresponding author. Tel.: q34-972-418430; fax: q34- 972-418399. E-mail address: giovanni.pardini@udg.es (G. Pardini). management after farmland abandonment fails (Lasantaetal.,2000).Thisisthegeneraloutstand- ing characteristic of the Cap de Creus Peninsula in NE Spain. When cultivated hillside soils are abandoned, the evolution towards a stable environment depends both on the soil conditions at the moment ofabandonmentandpostabandonmentforestman-