Long-term effects of a forest amelioration experiment

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Jandl ◽  
F Starlinger ◽  
M Englisch ◽  
E Herzberger ◽  
E Johann
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Roe Deer ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Stem Volume ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Significant Treatment ◽  
Stand Conversion ◽  
A Site

We evaluated the soil chemistry, plant species composition, and forest growth rate on a site where a site amelioration project had been realized 30 years earlier. The initial goal of the project was the improvement of a site that had been degraded by litter raking. We wanted to know which amelioration method produced a sustainable result and how different treatments might be rated by today's standards. Treatments included fertilization, underplanting with N-fixing plants, and a combination of both. The amelioration was combined with stand conversion by means of natural regeneration and spruce underplanting. In all treatments, a spruce-dominated stand replaced the secondary pine stand. The biomass of the formerly recalcitrant forest floor (143 Mg·ha–1) was reduced by 30 to 50% in treated plots, thereby reducing the total soil pool of C, N, and exchangeable cations. The mineral soil of treated plots was enriched with N, Ca, and Mg. An increase in pH was restricted to the forest floor. The C pool of treated soils was much smaller than that of the control plots. However, the loss from the soil was at least partly offset by increased growth rates of the aboveground tree biomass. In treated plots, the stem volume was more than twice that of control plots (38.3 m3). Soil chemical data and the composition of the ground vegetation suggest that even the control plots have changed compared with pre-treatment conditions. Comparison of different blocks of the experiment suggests that the exclusion of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) by fencing was the most significant treatment required for successful stand conversion. Prior to fencing, deer browsing inhibited the establishment of a new stand.

scholarly journals Ground Vegetation Modeling through Functional Species Groups and Patches in the Forest Floor

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-33
Author(s):  
Л.Г. Ханина ◽  
L.G. Khanina
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Plant Functional Groups ◽  
Middle Taiga ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Spatial Unit ◽  
Field Investigations

We have developed a system of plant functional groups for modeling dynamics of forest ground vegetation. Ecological and coenotic traits of species together with species life form and biomass values were used to classify species into the functional groups. Ground vegetation patches dominated by species of different plant functional groups were distinguished in the forest floor. We have characterized biomass of these patches by applying of statistical analysis of published data and results of our own field investigations combined into the database "Biomass". Biomass of vascular plants and bryophytes quite well differs between the patches. Variations of above and below ground biomass of vascular plants are minimal within the types of forest floor patches as compared to their variations within the plant functional groups and forest types. Database "Elements" on element concentrations of herbaceous species and cryptogams was also developed on the basis of results of field investigations in the North and the Middle Taiga. The functional groups of species well differ on the concentration of elements in plants forming a group. We have proposed a conceptual model of dynamics of ground forest vegetation; a model compatible with the individual-based EFIMOD model of forest growth and elements cycles in forest ecosystems. Spatial unit of the ground vegetation model is the same as spatial unit of the EFIMOD (0.5×0.5 м); it is a patch of the forest floor dominated by species from one or more functional groups.

Helicopter Liming to Help Restore Acidified Forest Soil Productivity 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin McCavour ◽  
Shannon Sterling ◽  
Kevin Keys ◽  
Edmund Halfyard
Keyword(s):  
Acid Deposition ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Red Spruce ◽  
Molar Ratio ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Early Results ◽  
Chemical Response

<p>Decades of acid deposition across northeastern North America has caused excess leaching of soil base cations (Ca<sup>2+</sup>, Mg<sup>2+</sup>, K<sup>+</sup>) and increases in bioavailable aluminum (Al<sup>3+</sup>) that, in combination, have resulted in widespread decreases in potential forest productivity. Despite major reductions in SO<sub>2</sub> and NO<sub>x</sub> emissions since the 1990s, forest soils across the region have shown few signs of recovery from acid deposition impacts and it could take decades or centuries for natural recovery to occur. As a result, affected forests are stressed, less productive, and more prone to climate change-induced damage. Helicopter liming of upland forests may be an effective way to jump-start the soil recovery process. Here we report on early results (one-year) from a helicopter liming trial in Nova Scotia, Canada where 10 tonnes/ha of dolomitic limestone was applied to approximately 8 ha of mature red spruce (<em>Picea rubens</em>) and mature tolerant hardwood (<em>Acer spp</em>. and <em>Betula spp.</em>) forest. Data are presented on (i) the effectiveness of helicopter liming in forests; (ii) the initial chemical response of forest floor organic and mineral soil horizons; and (iii) the initial chemical response of red spruce foliage, maple foliage, and ground vegetation. Preliminary results showed that despite non-uniform lime distribution, there were significant increases (<em>P </em>< 0.05) in Ca<sup>2+</sup>, Mg<sup>2+</sup>, pH, and base saturation (BS), and significant decreases in total acidity in forest floor organic horizons in both the mature red spruce and tolerant hardwood stands; however, there were no significant changes in Al<sup>3+</sup>. The initial chemical response in sugar maple and red spruce foliage showed significant increases in the Ca/Al molar ratio .  The initial response in ground vegetation (Schreber’s moss; <em>Pleurozium schreberi </em>and wood fern; <em>Dryopteris intermedia</em>) showed significant increases in Ca<sup>2+</sup> and decreases in K<sup>+</sup> for both species; however, Schreber’s moss also showed significant increases in Mg<sup>2+</sup> and Al<sup>3+</sup> while wood fern did not. These early chemical results are promising and further support the use of helicopter liming as an effective tool to combat lingering effects from acid deposition in acidified forests.</p>

scholarly journals Carbon and nitrogen stocks in Norwegian forest soils — the importance of soil formation, climate, and vegetation type for organic matter accumulation

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (12) ◽  
pp. 1459-1473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Line Tau Strand ◽  
Ingeborg Callesen ◽  
Lise Dalsgaard ◽  
Heleen A. de Wit
Keyword(s):  
Forest Soil ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Spruce Forests ◽  
Podzolic Soils ◽  
C Stocks ◽  
C And N

Relationships between soil C and N stocks and soil formation, climate, and vegetation were investigated in a gridded database connected to the National Forest Inventory in Norway. For mineral soil orders, C and N stocks were estimated to be 11.1–19.3 kg C·m−2 and 0.41–0.78 kg N·m−2, respectively, declining in the following order: Gleysols > Podzols > Brunisols > Regosols. Organic peat-type soils stored, on average, 31.3 kg C·m−2 and 1.10 kg N·m−2, whereas shallow Organic folisols stored, on average, 10.2 kg C·m−2 and 0.34 kg N·m−2. For Norway’s 120 000 km2 of forest, the total of soil C stocks was estimated to be 1.83 Gt C, with a 95% CI of 1.71–1.95 Gt C. Podzolic soils comprise the largest soil group and store approximately 50% of the forest soil C. Sixty percent of the soil C stock in Podzolic soils was stored in the mineral soil, increasing with temperature and precipitation. Poorly drained soil types store approximately 47% of the total forest soil C in Norway. Soils with water saturation have large C stocks mainly in the forest floor, suggesting that they are more susceptible to forest management and environmental change. Soil C stocks under pine and spruce forests were similar, although pine forests had larger C stocks in the forest floor, while spruce forests had the highest C stocks in the mineral soil compartment. C stocks in the forest floor increase from dry to moist ground vegetation, while ground vegetation nutrient classes reflect better the C and N stocks in the mineral soil.

Long-term effects of repeated N fertilization and straw application in a jack pine forest. 2. Changes in the ericaceous ground vegetation

1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 1984-1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.E. Prescott ◽  
J.W. Kumi ◽  
G.F. Weetman
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Total N ◽  
N Loading ◽  
Straw Application

The cover of the ericaceous shrub Kalmiaangustifolia L. in a jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) forest was reduced after repeated fertilization with N or N–P–K, or a single application of straw. Kalmia reductions were greatest in plots that received the highest total N loading (1344 kg N•ha−1), but were also apparent in plots that received 672 kg N•ha−1. The reductions could not be attributed to shading, since tree volume response was small in the plots that received the highest N loading. There was an overall reduction in the amount of ground vegetation in the fertilized plots, so the decline could not be attributed to increased competition from invading species. There was a general negative relationship between the abundance of Kalmia and N availability in the forest floor, in fertilized and straw-amended plots. The reductions in Kalmia cover were still apparent 14 years after the last fertilization and 24 years after the straw application, as was higher N availability. Treatments such as repeated N fertilization or organic amendments that increase N availability in the forest floor may be an option for control of Kalmia in conifer plantations.

Das nachhaltig verfügbare Holznutzungspotenzial im Schweizer Wald

2016 ◽  
Vol 167 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruedi Taverna ◽  
Michael Gautschi ◽  
Peter Hofer
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Reference Value ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
Additional Time ◽  
Basic Scenario ◽  
Economic Framework ◽  
Forest Growth Model ◽  
New Findings

The sustainably available wood use potential in Swiss forests Based on the most recent simulations created using the Massimo forest growth model, the sustainably available wood use potential in Swiss forests was calculated for five management scenarios for the next three decades as well as for two additional time periods in the future (to monitor the long-term effects). The term “sustainably available wood use potential” covers those wood quantities that could be put on the market, taking into account socio-ecological and economic restrictions on use. The sustainably available wood use potential is provided for production regions, priority functions as well as the assortment and qualities of timber. The previously used factors of the applied “onion” model were checked and modified, if necessary, in order to take new findings and current cost developments into consideration. The calculations for all scenarios come up with a sustainably available wood use potential that is much lower than in earlier investigations. Depending on the scenario and decade, sustainably available wood use potential accounts for less than 50% of the total use potential. The biggest decrease in total use potential was due to economic framework conditions. Turning to Switzerland as a whole, towards the end of the investigation period (2106) those scenarios including a sharp increase in use in the first three decades result in a sustainably available wood use potential that is clearly lower than the reference value used at the beginning of the simulation. In the basic scenario (constant stock) and in the scenario in which the form of management used to date (increasing stock) was simulated, the sustainably available wood use potential at national level remained more or less the same throughout the simulation period, ranging from 5 to 6 million m3 per year.

Nitrogen storage and availability during stand development in a New Zealand Nothofagus forest

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 344-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
P W Clinton ◽  
R B Allen ◽  
M R Davis
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Stand Development ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Net N Mineralization ◽  
Nitrogen Storage ◽  
Nothofagus Forest ◽  
Mature Stands

Stemwood production, N pools, and N availability were determined in even-aged (10, 25, 120, and >150-year-old) stands of a monospecific mountain beech (Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides (Hook. f.) Poole) forest in New Zealand recovering from catastrophic canopy disturbance brought about by windthrow. Nitrogen was redistributed among stemwood biomass, coarse woody debris (CWD), the forest floor, and mineral soil following disturbance. The quantity of N in stemwood biomass increased from less than 1 kg/ha in seedling stands (10 years old) to ca. 500 kg/ha in pole stands (120 years old), but decreased in mature stands (>150 years old). In contrast, the quantity of N stored in CWD declined rapidly with stand development. Although the mass of N stored in the forest floor was greatest in the pole stands and least in the mature stands, N availability in the forest floor did not vary greatly with stand development. The mass of N in the mineral soil (0–100 mm depth) was also similar for all stands. Foliar N concentrations, net N mineralization, and mineralizable N in the mineral soil (0–100 mm depth) showed similar patterns with stage of stand development, and indicated that N availability was greater in sapling (25 years old) and mature stands than in seedling and pole stands. We conclude that declining productivity in older stands is associated more with reductions in cation availability, especially calcium, than N availability.

Long-term effects of fire on the composition and activity of the soil microflora of a subalpine, coniferous forest

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (15) ◽  
pp. 1704-1721 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Bissett ◽  
D. Parkinson
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Bacterial Flora ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Soil Microflora ◽  
Subalpine Forest ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Soil Horizons ◽  
Cellulose Decomposition ◽  
Soil Temperatures

The biomass, community composition, and metabolic activity of soil microorganisms were studied in adjacent burnt and unburnt areas of spruce–fir subalpine forest razed 6 years previously by a moderately severe natural fire. Similar levels of microbial biomass were observed at comparable burnt and unburnt sites, although the ratio of fungal to bacterial biomass was higher in the unburnt soils. The decreased acidity of the surface horizons in the burn probably tended to favor the development of a bacterial flora rather than a fungal flora. Microbial biomass in the burnt sites peaked earlier in the season than in the unburnt sites in response to the warmer soil temperatures and earlier thaw in the spring in the burn area.Significant differences in the species composition of the mycoflora in the organic soil horizons were observed between the burnt and unburnt sites. Apparently, these were related to qualitative differences in the recent litter. Phoma, Cladosporium, and Botrytis, which are usually associated with early stages of decomposition of herbaceous litter, were more common in the burnt soil. The mycoflora of the mineral soil horizons varied considerably from one burn site to another, possibly reflecting the geographical variation in the intensity of the burn. In overall composition, however, the mycoflora in the mineral soil horizons of the burn was not appreciably different from that of the unburnt sites.Higher laboratory rates of respiration and cellulose decomposition were observed for soil samples from the undisturbed forest. However, the rate of decomposition of cellulose in the field was much higher in the burnt sites, probably as a result of the higher soil temperatures in the burn area. Low soil temperature was concluded to be the main factor limiting microbial activities in the study area, and the removal of the insulating plant canopy and increased heat absorption by the ash in the burn area were found to increase decomposition rates, at least at this stage in the succession following the disturbance of fire.

scholarly journals Dynamic of nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon in an alpine forested catchment: atmospheric deposition and soil solution trends

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 41-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaella Balestrini ◽  
Carlo Andrea Delconte ◽  
Andrea Buffagni ◽  
Alessio Fumagalli ◽  
Michele Freppaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Solution ◽  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Chemical Species ◽  
Organic N ◽  
Seasonal Temperature ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Forest Floor Leachates ◽  
Throughfall Deposition

A number of studies have reported decreasing trends of acidifying and N deposition inputs to forest areas throughout Europe and the USA in recent decades. There is a need to assess the responses of the ecosystem to declining atmospheric pollution by monitoring the variations of chemical species in the various compartments of the forest ecosystem on a long temporal scale. In this study, we report on patterns and trends in throughfall deposition concentrations of inorganic N, dissolved organic N (DON) and C (DOC) over a 20-year (1995–2015) period in the LTER site -Val Masino (1190 m a.s.l.), a spruce forest, in the Central Italian Alps. The same chemical species were studied in the litter floor leachates and mineral soil solution, at three different depths (15, 40 and 70 cm), over a 10-year period (2005–2015). Inorganic N concentration was drastically reduced as throughfall and litter floor leachates percolated through the topsoil, where the measured mean values (2 µeq L-1) were much lower than the critical limits established for coniferous stands (14 µeq L-1). The seasonal temperature dependence of throughfall DOC and DON concentration suggests that the microbial community living on the needles was the main source of dissolved organic matter. Most of DOC and DON infiltrating from the litter floor were retained in the mineral soil. The rainfall amount was the only climatic factor exerting a control on DOC and N compounds in throughfall and forest floor leachates over a decadal period. Concentration of SO4 and NO3 declined by 50% and 26% respectively in throughfall deposition. Trends of NO3 and SO4 in forest floor leachates and mineral soil solution mirrored declining depositions. No trends in both DON and DOC concentration and in DOC/DON ratio in soil solutions were observed. These outcomes suggest that the declining NO3 and SO4 atmospheric inputs did not influence the dynamic of DON and DOC in the Val Masino forest. The results of this study are particularly relevant, as they are based on a comprehensive survey of all the main compartments of the forest ecosystem. Moreover, this kind of long-term research has rarely been carried out in the Alpine region.

Organic C and nutrients in surface soils from some primary rainforests, derived grasslands and secondary rainforests on the Atherton Tableland in North East Queensland

Soil Research ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 343 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Maggs ◽  
B Hewett
Keyword(s):  
Metamorphic Rock ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Organic C ◽  
North East ◽  
Exchangeable Ca ◽  
Labile N

Some long term effects of (a) converting rainforest to grassland, and (b) rainforest regeneration on cleared land were investigated by comparing chemical properties of mineral soil (0-10 cm depth) from beneath primary rainforest, derived grassland and old secondary rainforest. Grasslands and secondary rainforest. were on land cleared at least 50 years ago. The study was undertaken on the Atherton Tableland in north east Queensland using soils formed on basalt, granite and metamorphic rocks. Organic C, kjeldahl N and labile N were 15-50% lower (P < 0.05) beneath grassland than primary rainforest for all soils, and were higher beneath secondary rainforest than grassland. Exchangeable Ca varied in a similar way in basaltic soils but did not differ between vegetation types in the other soils. Extractable Al was lower under grassland than either forest type for soils formed on granite and metamorphic rock. Total and organic P concentrations did not differ between primary forest and grassland, but were lowest under secondary rainforest for soils on metamorphic rock.

IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF INSECTICIDE APPLICATION ON PARASITOIDS IN JACK PINE STANDS IN QUEBEC

1972 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter W. Price
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Aerial Application ◽  
Insecticide Application ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Adult Parasitoid ◽  
Pine Stands

AbstractParasitoid populations were sampled before, and for 4 years following, an aerial application of the insecticide phosphamidon to control a sawfly outbreak. Adult parasitoid mortality was high because of spraying, but a reservoir of parasitoids in host cocoons remained to repopulate the treated areas. In moister sites the number of species decreased and their relative abundance changed, but moderate numbers of parasitoids remained 4 years after spraying. In a dry site with little ground vegetation, none of the species present before spraying remained by the fourth year.

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