Effects of base cation fertilization on soil and foliage nutrient concentrations, and litter-fall and throughfall nutrient fluxes in a sugar maple forest

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 542-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.W. Fyles ◽  
B. Côté ◽  
F. Courchesne ◽  
W.H. Hendershot ◽  
S. Savoie
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Fertilizer Response ◽  
Foliar Concentrations ◽  
Cycling System

Application of base cation fertilizers is widely used to ameliorate decline symptoms in hardwood forests in southern Quebec, but little is known about the effects of fertilization on nutrient cycling. Control and fertilized plots in a sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.) dominated stand were monitored over a 4-year period to determine the effects of fertilization on exchangeable soil base cations in soil, foliar nutrient concentrations, and fluxes of N, K, Ca, and Mg in litter fall and throughfall. Fertilization had a large, immediate effect on exchangeable K, whereas effects on Ca and Mg were delayed and restricted to the organic forest floor, presumably because of the lower solubility of the limestone-based Ca and Mg components of the fertilizer. Fertilization raised pH in the organic forest floor the second and third years after application but had no effect in the B horizon. Foliar K, Ca, and Mg were elevated in the year of fertilization, but foliar concentrations of Ca and Mg did not differ from, or were lower than, controls in following years. Litter-fall K flux was increased by fertilization, but litter-fall Ca and Mg fluxes and all through-fall base cation fluxes were unaffected. In control plots, nutrient concentrations in soil remained relatively constant throughout the study, but foliar concentrations and, in particular, litter-fall fluxes varied widely from year to year. This natural variation caused control plots to shift from a state of deficiency in N, Ca, and Mg to a nutrient-sufficient state between the first and second years of study. Fertilization effects are superimposed on a naturally variable nutrient cycling system, and controls on this variability must be understood if fertilizer response is to be accurately predicted.

Forest floor mass and nutrients in two chronosequences of plantations: Jack pine vs. black spruce

1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Krause
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Pine Plantations ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Natural Forests

The purpose of this study was to determine whether change of forest cover had an effect on the development of the organic surface horizons, particularly on those variables that influence nutrient cycling and forest productivity. Jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) and black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.) plantations were selected from among the youngest to oldest (2–16 yr) within a 100 km2 area in southeastern New Brunswick. Natural forests were also included as benchmark sites. The forest floor and tree foliage was sampled and trees measured on 0.05-ha plots. The forest floor samples were used to determine organic mass, nutrient contents and pH. In pine plantations, organic matter accumulated rapidly during the period of exponential tree growth, but leveled off at about 45 Mg ha–1. This was within the range of benchmark sites with mixed conifer-hardwood cover. In spruce plantations, the forest floor mass ranged upward to 77 Mg ha–1. Development was strongly influenced by the nature of the previous forest. Spruce forest floors were on average more acid and had lower nutrient concentrations, particularly N and Ca. The observed differences suggest that nutrients are recycled more rapidly in the pine plantations, partly explaining the superior growth of the latter. Key words: Forest floor, Kalmia angustifolia L., Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P., Pinus banksiana Lamb., nutrient cycling, plantation forest

scholarly journals Status of soil acidification in North America

2006 ◽  
Vol 52 (Special Issue) ◽  
pp. S3-S13 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.E. Fenn ◽  
T.G. Huntington ◽  
S.B. McLaughlin ◽  
C. Eagar ◽  
A. Gomez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Forest Soils ◽  
Soil Acidification ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
San Bernardino Mountains ◽  
Wide Range

Forest soil acidification and depletion of nutrient cations have been reported for several forested regions in North America, predominantly in the eastern United States, including the northeast and in the central Appalachians, but also in parts of southeastern Canada and the southern U.S. Continuing regional inputs of nitrogen and sulfur are of concern because of leaching of base cations, increased availability of soil Al, and the accumulation and ultimate transmission of acidity from forest soils to streams. Losses of calcium from forest soils and forested watersheds have now been documented as a sensitive early indicator and a functionally significant response to acid deposition for a wide range of forest soils in North America. For red spruce, a clear link has been established between acidic deposition, alterations in calcium and aluminum supplies and increased sensitivity to winter injury. Cation depletion appears to contribute to sugar maple decline on some soils, specifically the high mortality rates observed in northern Pennsylvania over the last decade. While responses to liming have not been systematically examined in North America, in a study in Pennsylvania, restoring basic cations through liming increased basal area growth of sugar maple and levels of calcium and magnesium in soil and foliage. In the San Bernardino Mountains in southern California near the west coast, the pH of the A horizon has declined by at least 2 pH units (to pH 4.0–4.3) over the past 30 years, with no detrimental effects on bole growth; presumably, because of the Mediterranean climate, base cation pools are still high and not limiting for plant growth.

Leaf nutrient dynamics of two tree species and litter nutrient content in Southern Bakundu Forest Reserve, Cameroon

1997 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas C. Songwe ◽  
F. E. Fasehun ◽  
D. U. U. Okali
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Leaf Age ◽  
Magnesium Concentration ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Leaf Fall ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Terminalia Superba ◽  
Phosphorus And Potassium ◽  
Nitrogen Phosphorus

ABSTRACTThe variations in macronutrient concentrations of the leaves of Terminalia superba and Pycanthus angolensis were studied and the concentrations of nutrients in leaves before abscission were compared with those after abscission. The amounts of nutrients returned to the forest floor were also computed from litter fall data at the start of maximum annual fall in the Reserve. With the exception of potassium in Pycanthus angolensis, there were significant variations in the nutrient concentrations of the two species with the time of year. With increasing leaf age the concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium declined in Terminalia superba while magnesium concentration decreased in Pycanthus angolensis leaves. Furthermore, calcium showed an increasing concentration in Terminalia superba with increase in leaf age. The concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium decreased before leaf fall. Estimated losses in nitrogen phosphorus and potassium before abscission were 44, 53 and 50%, respectively, whereas generally there was an increase (40%) in the concentration of calcium at leaf fall. Magnesium did not follow a definite pattern. The return of calcium through litter fall to the forest floor was the greatest of all the major elements. The distribution and variation of foliar nutrient concentrations in the leaves of Terminalia superba and Pycanthus angolensis and the importance of the amount of litter and the concentration of the various nutrients in the influencing soil fertility are discussed.

A beech bark disease induced change in tree species composition influences forest floor acid–base chemistry

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 875-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Arthur ◽  
K.C. Weathers ◽  
G.M. Lovett ◽  
M.P. Weand ◽  
W.C. Eddy
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Beech Bark Disease ◽  
Acid Base ◽  
Tree Species Composition

Beech bark disease (BBD) has demonstrable ecosystem consequences for eastern US forests stemming from American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) mortality, often leading to increased dominance by its competitor, sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). We hypothesized that this BBD-induced shift in tree species composition leads to changes in soil acid–base chemistry, mediated through differences in leaf litter chemistry of the two species. Using a sequence of plots representing the progression of the disease in the Catskill Mountains, NY, USA, we examined the influence of tree species composition shift on soil chemistry. The BBD impact on tree species composition was confounded by variability in substrate (or nonexchangeable soil) calcium (Ca). While substrate Ca explained much of the variation in acid–base chemistry, increasing BBD was associated with increasing forest floor exchangeable Ca, sum of base cations, base saturation, cation-exchange capacity, and decreasing hydrogen. An apparent threshold effect of substrate Ca on sugar maple litter Ca concentration suggests that underlying soil Ca availability may contribute to the spatial extent and timeframe of BBD-induced shifts in species composition. The species compositional shift is a mechanism contributing to a vegetation effect on soil acid–base status and may partially counteract soil acidification in this acid deposition impacted region.

Base cation distribution and requirement of three common forest ecosystems in eastern Canada based on site-specific and general allometric equations

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (10) ◽  
pp. 1796-1809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvie Tremblay ◽  
Rock Ouimet ◽  
Daniel Houle ◽  
Louis Duchesne
Keyword(s):  
Base Cations ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Allometric Equations ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Tree Biomass ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Cation Content

Base cations (Ca, Mg, and K) are essential nutrients for forest growth. Many studies have reported important decreases in the soils of several forests in eastern North America, partly because of atmospheric acid deposition and forest harvesting. To quantify the impacts of these perturbations on forest base cations, accurate estimation of tree biomass and nutrient content is needed. However, most of tree nutrient contents are calculated with general allometric equations, leading to inaccurate estimates. We thus calculated tree biomass and base cation content for three common forest types in eastern Canada using site-specific allometric equations and compared them with those calculated with general allometric equations and nutrient concentrations of tree compartments taken from the literature. General allometric equations resulted in above-ground tree biomass estimates in the same range as ours (±15%), but the use of nutrient concentrations taken from the literature resulted mainly in overestimation of above-ground tree nutrient content (–13% to +81%), leading to inaccurate wood requirement estimates (–63% to +86%). Therefore, the development of site-specific equations to estimate above-ground tree base cation content is recommended.

Distribution and cycling of macronutrients in a Pinusresinosa plantation fertilized with nitrogen and potassium

1986 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 778-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Bockheim ◽  
J. E. Leide ◽  
D. S. Tavella
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Nutrient Budgets ◽  
Absolute Increase ◽  
Leaching Losses ◽  
Rooting Zone ◽  
Matter Production ◽  
Aboveground Production ◽  
Foliar Concentrations

Fertilization with 100 kg K ha−1 as KCl and 100 kg N ha−1 as NH4NO3 resulted in an 11% increase in aboveground biomass and a 32% increase in aboveground production 4 years following fertilization of a 33-year-old red pine (Pinusresinosa Ait.) plantation in central Wisconsin. The greatest absolute increase in dry matter occurred in the foliage, followed by the sapwood and the live branches. Fertilization increased all macronutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) in the aboveground tissues. The increase was greatest for N, followed by Ca, K, Mg, and P. The net gains in macronutrients in the live branches and the sapwood were due not only to increases in dry matter production but also to increases in nutrient concentrations. However, the increases in macronutrients in the foliage were related to an increase in foliage mass rather than to changes in foliar concentrations. Whereas 26 kg K ha−1 (26% of applied K) was recovered in the biomass and forest floor 4 years after fertilization, 107 kg N ha−1 (107% of applied N) was recovered in these pools. The greater recovery of N than the amount applied was attributed to additive errors associated with preparation of nutrient budgets. Fertilization increased leaching losses of all macronutrients, especially [Formula: see text] and Ca2+, at the bottom of the rooting zone. However, leaching losses returned to levels measured in the control stand within 5 [Formula: see text] to 14 months [Formula: see text] following fertilization.

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.

scholarly journals Effects of Moderate Nitrate and Low Sulphate Depositions on the Status of Soil Base Cation Pools and Recent Mineral Soil Acidification at Forest Conversion Sites with European Beech (“Green Eyes”) Embedded in Norway Spruce and Scots Pine Stands

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 573
Author(s):  
Florian Achilles ◽  
Alexander Tischer ◽  
Markus Bernhardt-Römermann ◽  
Ines Chmara ◽  
Mareike Achilles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Acidification ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Forest Conversion ◽  
Seepage Water ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Soil Base ◽  
Pine Stands

High N depositions of past decades brought changes to European forests including impacts on forest soil nutrition status. However, the ecosystem responses to declining atmospheric N inputs or moderate N depositions attracted only less attention so far. Our study investigated macronutrient (N, S, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+) pools and fluxes at forest conversion sites over 80 years old in Central Germany with European beech (so-called “Green Eyes” (GE)). The GE are embedded in large spruce and pine stands (coniferous stands: CS) and all investigated forest stands were exposed to moderate N deposition rates (6.8 ± 0.9 kg ha−1 yr−1) and acidic soil conditions (pHH2O < 4.7). Since the understanding of forest soil chemical and macronutrient status is essential for the evaluation of forest conversion approaches, we linked patterns in water-bound nutrient fluxes (2001–2018) and in predicted macronutrient storage in the herbaceous and tree layer to patterns in litter fall (2016–2017) and in forest floor and mineral soil macronutrient stocks at GE and CS assessed in 2018. Our results exhibited 43% (Nt) and 21% (S) higher annual throughfall fluxes at CS than at GE. Seepage water at 100 cm mineral soil depth (2001–2018) of CS is characterized by up to fivefold higher NO3− (GE: 2 ± 0.7 µmolc L−1; CS: 9 ± 1.4 µmolc L−1) and sevenfold higher SO42− (GE: 492 ± 220 µmolc L−1; CS: 3672 ± 2613 µmolc L−1) concentrations. High base cation (∑ Ca2+, Mg2+, K+) concentrations in CS mineral soil seepage water (100 cm depth: 2224 ± 1297 µmolc L−1) show significant positive correlations with SO42−. Tree uptake of base cations at GE is associated especially with a Ca2+ depletion from deeper mineral soil. Foliar litter fall turns out to be the main pathway for litter base cation return to the topsoil at GE (>59%) and CS (>66%). The litter fall base cation return at GE (59 ± 6 kg ha−1 yr−1) is almost twice as large as the base cation deposition (30 ± 5 kg ha−1 yr−1) via throughfall and stemflow. At CS, base cation inputs to the topsoil via litter fall and depositions are at the same magnitude (24 ± 4 kg ha−1 yr−1). Macronutrient turnover is higher at GE and decomposition processes are hampered at CS maybe through higher N inputs. Due to its little biomass and only small coverage, the herbaceous layer at GE and CS do not exert a strong influence on macronutrient storage. Changes in soil base cation pools are tree species-, depth- and might be time-dependent, with recently growing forest floor stocks. An ongoing mineral soil acidification seems to be related to decreasing mineral soil base cation stocks (through NO3− and especially SO42− leaching as well as through tree uptake).

Effects of Thinning and Fertilization on Foliar Nutrient Concentrations of Sugar Maple

1975 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 410-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Stone ◽  
D. R. Christenson
Keyword(s):  
Radial Growth ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Foliar Nutrients ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Foliar N ◽  
Foliar Nutrient ◽  
Foliar Concentrations ◽  
Foliar Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Dilution Effects

Effects of thinning and fertilization on growth and foliar nutrients were studied in pole-size sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.). Thinning plus fertilization resulted in significantly lower concentrations of foliar N, P, K, Mg, Cu, Zn, B, and Al in the first growing season, and of Mg, Cu, Zn, and Al in the 2nd year. Foliar nutrients in released, but nonfertilized, trees exhibited similar trends. The decreased foliar nutrient concentrations are attributed to dilution effects as a result of increased growth.Fertilization with N, P, and K significantly increased foliar concentrations of those nutrients but did not stimulate radial growth. Thinning resulted in highly significant increase in diameter growth both years.

Acid rain and soils of the Adirondacks. III. Rates of soil acidification in a montane spruce–fir forest at Whiteface Mountain, New York

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 663-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.H. Johnson ◽  
A.J. Friedland ◽  
E.K. Miller ◽  
T.G. Siccama
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Soil Acidification ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Mineral Weathering ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Whiteface Mountain ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Loss Rates

To assess the impact of atmospheric deposition on soil acidification and base cation supplies in montane spruce–fir forest soils at Whiteface Mountain, New York, base cation and proton fluxes were determined for organic and mineral horizons from measurements made at four stands (1020–1090 m above sea level) over a 4-year period. Our best estimates indicate an annual accumulation of H+ and a net loss of base cations from the forest floor of about 0.71 kmolc/ha, a 2.8% per year loss of the total forest floor base cation pool. This high rate of acidification is attributable to base cation leaching by sulfate and organic anions, and uptake by living biomass. From 1986 to 1990, the annual net loss rate of forest floor Ca, the most abundant base cation, was several times greater than historical loss rates as determined by 50-year comparisons of forest floor Ca in nearly identical forests of the Adirondack High Peaks region. Published data on long-term trends in Ca deposition in the U.S. Northeast suggest that the difference between historical and current net loss rates of forest floor Ca may be due to sharply reduced atmospheric inputs of Ca after about 1970, exacerbated by sulfate leaching. In mineral horizons where the total base cation pool (mostly mineral bound) is very large, the net losses of base cations were substantially lower and in the range where losses due to leaching and uptake can be countered by mineral weathering.

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