Wildfires are increasingly recognized as a critical driver of ecosystem degradation, with post-fire hydrological and soil impacts posing significant threats to biodiversity, water quality, and long-term land productivity. In fire-prone regions, understanding how varying fire intensities exacerbate runoff and erosion is essential for guiding post-fire recovery and sustainable land management. The loss of vegetation and changes in soil properties following fire events can significantly increase surface runoff and soil erosion. This study investigates the effects of varying fire intensities on runoff and sediment yield in the Kheyrud Educational Forest. Controlled burns were conducted at low, moderate, and high intensities, along with an unburned plot serving as the control. For each treatment, three replicate plots of 2 m2 were established. Runoff and sediments were measured over the course of 1 year under natural rainfall. In addition, key soil physical properties, including bulk density, penetration resistance, and particle size distribution (sand, silt, and clay fractions), were assessed to better understand the underlying mechanisms driving hydrological responses. The results revealed that bulk density and penetration resistance were lowest in the control and highest for the high-intensity fire treatment. A significant correlation was observed between bulk density, penetration resistance, and both runoff and sediment production. However, no significant correlation was found between runoff and soil texture (sand, silt, and clay content). Fire intensity had a pronounced effect on runoff and sediment, with the lowest levels recorded in the control and low-intensity fire treatment, and the highest in the high-intensity fire treatment. The total annual erosion rates were 0.88, 1.10, 1.57, and 2.24 tons/ha/year for the control, low-, moderate-, and high-intensity treatments, respectively. The study demonstrates that high-intensity fires induce substantial changes in soil structure and vegetation cover, exacerbating runoff and sediment loss. To mitigate post-fire soil degradation, proactive forest management strategies are essential. Preventive measures-such as reducing fuel loads (e.g., removing uprooted trees in beech stands), minimizing soil compaction and vegetation damage during logging operations, can help reduce the ecological impact of wildfires. These findings provide a scientific basis for adaptive management in fire-prone forests, addressing urgent needs to balance ecological resilience and human activities in wildfire-vulnerable landscapes.

Rainfall-induced soil erosion is a significant environmental issue that can lead to soil degradation and loss of vegetation. The estimated global annual loss increased by 2.5% over 11 years, from 35 billion tons in 2001 to 35.9 billion tons in 2012, mainly due to spatial changes. Indonesia is predicted to be among the largest and most intensively eroded regions among countries with higher soil erosion, regarded as hot-spots higher than 20 Mg yr-1 ha-1. Due to climate change, natural rainfall patterns in the tropical regions have been subject to change, with a lower number of rainy days and increased intensity of precipitation. Such changes trigger more soil erosion due to heavier rainfall kicking up dried soil particles that are exposed in the bare embankments. Unfortunately, there is no prevention available in developing countries due to the lack of availability and high prices of mitigation techniques such as terraces and covering areas with geotextiles or blankets. Erosion control blankets (ECBs) have emerged as a potential solution to mitigate soil erosion. This research article aims to evaluate the effectiveness of sugar-palm-fiber-based ECB in reducing soil erosion caused by natural rainfall. The study investigates the effectiveness of sugar-palm-based ECB in protecting against erosion at the designated embankment. During the three months of typical rainy seasons (February to April 2023), total eroded mass (kg) was collected and measured from two adjacent microplots (10 m2 each), one covered with ECB and the other one left as uncovered soil (bare soil). The results indicate that eroded mass is proportional to rainfall, with coefficients of 0.4 and 0.04 for bare soil and ECB-covered embankments, respectively. The total soil loss recorded during the monitoring period was 154.6 kg and 16.7 kg for bare and ECB-covered soil, respectively. The significantly high efficiency of the up to 90% reduction in soil losses was achieved by covering the slope with sugar-palm-fiber-based ECB. The reason for this may be attributed to the intrinsic surface properties of sugar palm fiber ropes and the soil characteristics of the plot area. Sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) fiber has higher lignocellulosic contents that produce a perfect combination of strong mechanical properties (higher tensile strength and young modulus) and a higher resistance to weathering processes. Although the cost of production of handmade sugar-palm-fiber-based ECB is now as high as 4 EUR, further reductions in cost production can be achieved by introducing machinery. Compared to typical ECBs which have smaller openings, sugar-palm-based ECB has larger openings that allow for vegetation to grow and provide it with a lower density. As such, we recommend improvements in the quality of palm-fiber-based ECB via the introduction of further automation in the production process, so that the price can be reduced in line with other commercially available natural fibers such as jute and coir.