Straw mulch is commonly applied to land after high-severity wildfires because of its effectiveness in reducing post-fire runoff and erosion. However, information about the effect on vegetation recovery is still scarce and usually limited to the first 2 years after wildfire. In this study, the effects of straw helimulching on vegetation recovery and species composition were assessed in 30 experimental plots established in four shrubland areas in north-west Spain 5 years after wildfire. The influence of the treatment on biomass accumulation in the medium term was also assessed. The relationships between soil burn severity, site characteristics (altitude, aspect, soil depth and percentage of stoniness) and the vegetation variables (total vegetation cover, weighted mean height of vegetation, total fuel load and litter and duff load) were also explored. Overall, the mulching treatment did not have significant effects on the variables studied. In the mulched plots, no non-native species were recorded 5 years after the wildfire. Site characteristics significantly affected the vegetation complex, but soil burn severity did not have any residual effect. The study findings indicate that straw helimulching has neutral effects on vegetation cover and composition in coastal shrublands in NW Spain in the medium term.

秸秆覆盖通常用于高强度野火后的土地，因为它可以有效减少火灾后的径流和侵蚀。但是，关于植被恢复影响的信息仍然很少，通常仅限于野火发生后的前两年。在这项研究中，野火发生5年后，在西班牙西北部四个灌木丛地区建立的30个实验区中，评估了秸秆包边对植被恢复和物种组成的影响。还评估了中期处理对生物量积累的影响。还研究了土壤燃烧严重性，场地特征（海拔，纵横比，土壤深度和石质百分比）与植被变量（植被总覆盖率，植被加权平均高度，总燃料负荷以及枯枝落叶负荷）之间的关系。总体而言，覆盖处理对所研究的变量没有显着影响。在覆盖的土地上，野火发生5年后未记录任何非本地物种。场地特征严重影响了植被，但是土壤烧伤的严重程度没有任何残留影响。研究结果表明，从中期来看，秸秆除草对西班牙西北沿海灌木丛的植被覆盖和组成具有中性影响。