** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE GOAL OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO QUANTIFY THE EFFECTS OF WILDFIRE AND POST-FIRE LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON SOIL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES, BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES, AND VEGETATION RECOVERY. ACHIEVING THIS GOAL WILL FACILITATE IMPROVED POLICY AND MANAGEMENT DECISIONS THAT WILL REDUCE SOIL ERODIBILITY, IMPROVE SOIL NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY, AND ENCOURAGE VEGETATION REGENERATION IN AREAS IMPACTED BY WILDFIRES. THIS RESEARCH IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WILDFIRE ACTIVITY HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY IN RECENT YEARS IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES RESULTING IN WIDESPREAD POST-FIRE LAND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES, WHICH HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN TO RECOUP ECONOMIC VALUE FROM BURNED FORESTS, IMPROVE FOREST SAFETY, EXPEDITE RECOVERY OF SOIL HEALTH, PROMOTE REVEGETATION, AND RESTORE FOREST AND AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS. HOWEVER, LIMITED RESEARCH ON POST-FIRE LAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES HAS LED TO UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE EFFICACY OF THE AVAILABLE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES. MOREOVER, OUR PRELIMINARY DATA HAS LED TO UNEXPECTED RESULTS, INDICATING THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL RESEARCH TO INFORM DEVELOPMENT OF DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS FOR POST-FIRE LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES. TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL, WE WILL ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING THREE OBJECTIVES:DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF VARIOUS POST-FIRE LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (E.G., EMERGENCY STABILIZATION, SALVAGE LOGGING, REVEGETATION, HERBICIDE APPLICATION) IN IMPROVING SOIL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND SOIL HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, INCLUDING INFILTRATION CAPACITY, SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY, AND SOIL WATER STORAGE.QUANTIFY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF POST-FIRE LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN REDUCING EROSION AND IMPROVING SOIL FERTILITY (CARBON AND NITROGEN).QUANTIFY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF POST-FIRE LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN IMPROVING OVERALL SOIL PRODUCTIVITY BY ASSESSING VEGETATION RECOVERY.