Annual Macroelement Transfer From PinusBanksiana Lamb. Forest to Soil

1974 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 470-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil W. Foster
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Glacial Outwash ◽  
Annual Total ◽  
Total Potassium

The annual amounts of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg in litter-fall, throughfall, and stemflow were measured in a 30-year-old jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) stand on a coarse glacial outwash soil in northern Ontario. Litter from ground vegetation and from the pine overstory was estimated. The nutrient content of precipitation was measured and the quantity of nutrients in leaf wash determined.Tree litter was the most important source of N, P, Ca, and Mg for the forest floor (51–69% of the total depending on the element), whereas throughfall supplied most K (54% of the total). Ground vegetation litter contributed significant amounts of nutrients (7–23% of the total depending on the element) but stemflow added little (1–8% of the total). Potassium in throughfall was derived mainly from leaf wash whereas N, P, Ca, and Mg in throughfall were derived primarily from precipitation entering the ecosystem. This jack pine forest floor received an annual total of 30 kg/ha of N, 22 kg/ha of Ca, 19 kg/ha of K, 3 kg/ha of Mg, and 2 kg/ha of P from the processes studied. Most of the nutrients in these totals were returning to the forest floor from the vegetation.

An index for tracking sheltered forest floor moisture within the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System

2005 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 169 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. M. Wotton ◽  
B. J. Stocks ◽  
D. L. Martell
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Moisture Index ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Weather Index ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
Overstory Trees

The Duff Moisture Code (DMC) component of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index (FWI) System is used by fire management agencies across Canada as an indicator of the susceptibility of the forest floor to lightning fire ignition. However, this model was developed for the moisture content of the forest floor away from the sheltering influences of overstory trees, an area where lightning strikes usually ignite the forest floor. Through destructive sampling of the forest floor in a mature jack pine stand in northern Ontario over several summers, the moisture content of the forest floor in sheltered areas close to the boles of dominant overstory trees was found to be significantly lower than in other less heavily sheltered areas of the stand. Observations from a network of in-stand rain gauges revealed that rainfall penetration through the canopy (throughfall) was correlated with both open rainfall amount and the duration of a storm. Observed throughfall amounts were used to develop a throughfall relationship for extremely sheltered locations (within ~0.5 m of the boles) in a mature jack pine stand. This throughfall model was used, along with differences in forest floor drying rate, to develop a new duff moisture index for strongly sheltered areas of the forest floor. Calculated values of this new moisture model, which has the same daily weather observation requirements as the FWI System’s DMC model, were found to match observed moisture contents quite well.

Reactions of 15N-labelled urea with jack pine forest-floor materials

1985 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 699-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.W. Foster ◽  
E.G. Beauchamp ◽  
C.T. Corke
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Pine Forest

scholarly journals Aspects of ecological development in managed stands of jack pine and black spruce in northern Ontario: Understory vegetation and nutrient relations

2005 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
S L Hunt ◽  
A M Gordon ◽  
D M Morris
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Understory Vegetation ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Nutrient Pools ◽  
Site Type ◽  
Stand Basal Area

This study investigated relationships between understory vegetation and nutrient pools in managed stands of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) and black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] BSP) in the Lake Nipigon region of northern Ontario. The species composition, biomass, and nutrient pool sizes in the understory vegetation, as well as biomass and nutrient pools in trees and soils, were determined in 16 managed stands ranging in age from 10 to 53 years since establishment and one mature, natural stand. Patterns of above-ground biomass accumulation in understory vegetation varied with overstory tree species and general site type (dry, sandy soils, or mesic, finer-textured soils). Understory vegetation contributed little (0.3 to 2.6%) to total above-ground organic matter (live biomass plus forest floor) but accounted for higher proportions of total above-ground nutrient pools (e.g., 0.7 to 3.4% of N; 3.2 to 11.7% of K) and net primary productivity (1.2 to 21.2%). The species composition of the understory vegetation was strongly related to stand basal area as well as to concentrations of nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) in the forest floor and mineral soil. The greatest amount of change in vegetation community composition occurred from the pre-to post-canopy closure stages of stand development; fewer differences were observed among stands of a given species and site type 35 to 50 years after establishment. The effects of silvicultural practices were detected in certain stands 35 years after establishment; for example the most severely treated (bladed and thinned) jack pine stand differed from other stands of similar age and soils with its Cladina/Vaccinium-dominated understory, and large amounts of biomass in the moss/lichen stratum. The understory vegetation communities in other managed jack pine stands, by 35 to 50 years, were similar to that of the mature, natural stand, indicating resilience to silvicultural disturbances. Silviculture may have lasting effects on understory vegetation biomass and species composition through its effects on stand basal area, overstory species, and soil nutrients. This research serves as baseline information for further studies into the ecology of managed stands in northern Ontario. Key words: understory, nutrients, managed forests, jack pine, black spruce, canonical correspondence analysis

Immobilization of Nitrogen-15-Labelled Urea in a Jack Pine Forest Floor

1985 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 448-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. W. Foster ◽  
E. G. Beauchamp ◽  
C. T. Corke
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Pine Forest

Addition of organic matter and elements to the forest floor of an old-growth Acersaccharum forest in the annual litter fall

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 462-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. K. Morrison
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Turnover Time ◽  
Residence Times ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Element Transfer

Litter fall and its content of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu were measured monthly over a 5-year period in an old-growth Acersaccharum Marsh, stand on a till site in central northern Ontario. Determined were the following: the amount, and the temporal and spatial distributions, of organic matter and elements deposited annually in the different litter fractions; the proportion of elements conserved within the tree phytomass through retranslocation versus that shed in the annual litter fall; and the residence time of litter-transported elements in the forest floor. Element transfer through the annual litter fall was also compared with that by other vectors of transport to the forest floor. Over the study period, total litter fall averaged 3730 kg•ha−1•year−1 (dry weight), with 78% consisting of leaves, 8% of flowers and fruits, and the remaining 14% mainly of twigs, branches, and bark slough. Annual element depositions (kg•ha−1) averaged as follows: N, 40.6; P, 1.8; K, 9.1; Ca, 37.6; Mg, 3.9; S, 3.0; Fe, 0.57; Mn, 2.67; Zn, 0.28; and Cu, 0.03. Turnover time of the forest floor was calculated as 7.4 years. Residence times (years) of elements in the forest floor were as follows: N, 18.3; P, 18.3; K, 1.5; Ca, 6.1; Mg, 6.8; S, 5.1; Fe, 257.2; Mn, 4.8; Zn, 18.1; and Cu, 5.8. Although the turnover time of forest-floor organic matter did not differ appreciably from values reported for A. saccharum forests elsewhere, residence times for elements suggested somewhat slower cycling, probably as a result of reduced uptake related to the advanced age of the stand. Potassium, followed by S, P, and N, were all conserved to a high degree by A. saccharum trees through retranslocation to the tree's perennial parts prior to leaf fall; Cu, Mn, and Mg were conserved to a lesser degree; Zn, Ca, and Fe were conserved very little. In comparing the leaching loss of elements from foliage with quantities conserved through retranslocation and quantities shed in the annual litter fall, the relative orders of magnitude do not give cause for concern that A. saccharum trees risk appreciable leaching losses of base cations, including K, from foliage as a result of acidified precipitation, at least at levels experienced in central northern Ontario during the early 1980s.

Effects of bigleaf maple on soils in Douglas-fir forests

1990 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy S. Fried ◽  
James R. Boyle ◽  
John C. Tappeiner II ◽  
Kermit Cromack Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Calcium Magnesium ◽  
Forest Floors

Soil chemical and physical properties, forest floor weights, nutrient content and turnover rates, and litter fall weights and nutrient content under bigleaf maple (Acermacrophyllum Pursh) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii) were compared on five sites on the eastern margin of the Oregon Coast Range. Litter fall weight and nutrient content were significantly greater under maple on every site for every macronutrient and for most micronutrients. Forest floor biomass and nutrient content were extremely variable, much more so than litter fall, and there were no consistent differences between the two species. However, turnover rates for forest floor biomass and nutrients were significantly faster under maple for every nutrient at every site. Bulk density of mineral soil was also highly variable with significant differences at only two sites. Soil under maple was consistently higher in nitrogen, and less consistently, in potassium. There were no consistent trends in amounts of calcium, magnesium, or phosphorus. Soil organic carbon content under maple was significantly greater than under Douglas-fir on four of five sites. These differences may result from the more rapid turnover of forest floors under maple trees.

Litter Fall and Nutrient Cycling in the Forest Floor of Birch and Aspen Stands in Interior Alaska

1975 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 626-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Van Cleve ◽  
Laraine L. Noonan
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Chemical Elements ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Turnover Time ◽  
Quaking Aspen ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Average Percentage ◽  
Paper Birch ◽  
Short And Long Term

During a 4-year period the biomass and mass of selected chemical elements were measured in litter fall from young, intermediate, and mature age classes of quaking aspen and paper birch in interior Alaska.Average annual deposition of biomass and mass of Mg, Fe, and Mn were consistently greater in birch than in aspen stands of similar age. Mass of Ca was consistently greater in aspen stands (range 4.02 to 4.80 g m−2) than in birch stands (3.18 to 3.45 g m−2) regardless of age class. Trends in mass of chemical elements returned to the forest floor in litter fall were generally reflected in the average percentage composition of the organic matter.Turnover time for forest-floor biomass was about the same for both the 50- and 120-year age classes of birch (16.7 years) and of aspen (12.7 years to 13.0 years). For both species Fe had the maximum turnover time in the forest floor (167 to 280 years), with K (6.9 years to 9.7 years) and Zn (5.5 years to 11.6 years) having minimum times.Linear correlations between biomass and mass of selected nutrient elements in litter fall provide an efficient means of conducting short- and long-term assessments of differences in nutrient content of litter within and between forest vegetation types.

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.

Decomposition, litter fall, and forest floor nutrient dynamics in relation to fire in eastern Ontario jack pine ecosystems

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 1496-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. Weber
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Equilibrium Conditions ◽  
Age Class ◽  
Eastern Ontario

Decomposition, litter fall, and nutrient and organic matter turnover rates were determined in five eastern Ontario jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) stands having various burning histories, including wildfire. The stands included a 65-year-old age-class (stand No. 1), two stands within this age-class that were treated with nonlethal understorey fires in 1962 and 1963 (stand Nos. 2 and 3, respectively), a 21-year-old age-class (stand No. 4), and an 8-year-old age-class (stand No. 5) created by experimental burning plots within the 21-year-old age-class. Overstorey and understorey litter decomposition was assessed separately using the litterbag (1-mm mesh size) technique over a 2-year period. Overstorey litter weight loss did not vary among stands and understorey litter lost significantly more weight (P < 0.05) in the older age-classes (stands 1,2, and 3) compared with the younger stands (stands 4 and 5). Litterbag nutrient dynamics between overstorey and understorey were significantly different (P < 0.05) for P, K, and Cain all stands. Magnesium and N dynamics were the same in both litter types on all treatments, as was Fe, except in the 65-year-old stand where significantly more Fe was accumulated in understorey litter (P < 0.04) at the end of the litterbag exposure period. Three-year averages of annual litter fall ranged from 119 kg•ha−1•year−1 in the 8-year-old age-class to 4182 kg•ha−1•year−1 in the older stands. Nutrient inputs through litter fall reflect the developmental stage occupied by the younger stands along a continuum leading to equilibrium conditions of the 65-year-old age-class. Forest floor nutrient and organic matter residence times (or annual fractional turnover) were longest (least amount cycled) in the 8-year-old stand (57.6 years for organic matter), indicating harsh environmental controls over nutrient dynamics. Recovery for the 21-year-old age-class to turnover rates approaching equilibrium conditions (10-year residence time for organic matter) was rapid, demonstrating ecosystem stability in its interaction with fire. Detrimental effects on ecosystem processes can be expected if a stand-replacing fire recurs during early stages of jack pine ecosystem development.

Formation and Loss of Humic Substances During Decomposition in a Pine Forest Floor

2003 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 899-909
Author(s):  
Robert G. Qualls ◽  
Akiko Takiyama ◽  
Robert L. Wershaw
Keyword(s):  
Humic Substances ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Pine Forest
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