Relationships between soil organic matter and forest productivity in western Oregon and Washington

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1101-1106 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.L. Edmonds ◽  
H.N. Chappell
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Puget Sound ◽  
Site Index ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Soil N ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C And N ◽  
Washington Cascades

Mineral soil and forest floor C and N contents were determined in 154 Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) and western hemlock (Tsugaheterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) stands in western Oregon and Washington ranging in age from 16 to 64 years. Relationships between site index and mineral soil and forest floor C, N, and C/N ratios were examined. Douglas-fir data were analyzed by geographic province (Puget Sound, Washington Cascades, Oregon Cascades, coastal Washington, coastal Oregon, and southwest Oregon). Average mineral soil C in Douglas-fir stands ranged from 102 Mg/ha to 177 Mg/ha in Puget Sound and Washington Cascades provinces, respectively. Soil N ranged from 3708 kg/ha in Puget Sound province to 9268 kg/ha in the Washington Cascade province. Western hemlock data were analyzed in three provinces (Washington Cascades, coastal Washington, and coastal Oregon). Average mineral soil C in western hemlock stands ranged from 241 Mg/ha in the Washington Cascades to 309 Mg/ha in coastal Washington and was higher than Douglas-fir mineral soil C. Western hemlock mineral soil N was also higher than Douglas-fir mineral soil N ranging from 10 495 kg/ha in the Washington Cascades to 15 216 kg/ha in coastal Oregon. Forest floor C and N contents were also higher in western hemlock than Douglas-fir stands. Nonlinear regression analysis revealed a weak positive relationship between site index and total mineral soil C in Douglas-fir (r2 = 0.19). A similar relationship was observed between Douglas-fir site index and total soil N (r2 = 0.19). Relationships were weak because of the large variability in mineral soil C and N within as well as across provinces. Maximum Douglas-fir site indexes occurred across a broad plateau of mineral soil and forest floor C/N ratios ranging from 15–25 and 35–45, respectively. Minimum site indexes also occurred in these C/N ranges. No increase in Douglas-fir productivity occurred above mineral soil C levels of 125 Mg/ha. There were no relationships between site index and mineral soil C and N or C/N ratios in western hemlock stands.

The effects of gaps and liming on forest floor decomposition and soil C and N dynamics in a Fagus sylvatica forest

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Bauhus ◽  
T Vor ◽  
N Bartsch ◽  
A Cowling
Keyword(s):  
Fagus Sylvatica ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
N Dynamics ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Soil C And N ◽  
C And N ◽  
C And N Pools ◽  
Gap Creation ◽  
C And N Dynamics

Despite the importance of gaps in the dynamics and management of many forest types, very little is known about the medium- to long-term soil C and N dynamics associated with this disturbance. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that gap creation and lime application, a routine measure in many European forests to ameliorate soil acidity, lead to accelerated litter decomposition and thus a reduction in the forest floor and soil C and N pools. Four gaps were created in 1989 in a mature European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest on acid soil with a moder humus, and lime (3 t dolomite·ha–1) was applied to two of these and surrounding areas. Litter and fine-root decomposition was measured in 1992–1993 and 1996–1998 using litterbags. Forest floor (L, F, and H layers) and mineral soil (0–40 cm) C and N pools were determined in 1989 and 1997. Eight years following silvicultural treatments, there was no change in C and N over the entire forest soil profile including forest floor. Reductions in the F and H layers in limed gaps were compensated for by increases in soil C and N in the surface (0–10 cm) mineral soil. Decomposition of F litter was significantly accelerated in limed gaps, leading to the development of a mull–moder, whereas gap creation alone had no effect on mass loss of F material in litterbags. Gap size disturbances in this acid beech forest appear to have minimal influences on soil C and N stocks. However, when combined with liming, changes in the humus form and vertical distribution of soil C and N may occur.

Tree species and soil nutrient profiles in old-growth forests of the Oregon Coast Range

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 195-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Cross ◽  
Steven S. Perakis
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Oregon Coast Range ◽  
Old Growth Forests

Old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest provide a unique opportunity to examine tree species – soil relationships in ecosystems that have developed without significant human disturbance. We characterized foliage, forest floor, and mineral soil nutrients associated with four canopy tree species (Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.), western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don), and bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum Pursh)) in eight old-growth forests of the Oregon Coast Range. The greatest forest floor accumulations of C, N, P, Ca, Mg, and K occurred under Douglas-fir, primarily due to greater forest floor mass. In mineral soil, western hemlock exhibited significantly lower Ca concentration and sum of cations (Ca + Mg + K) than bigleaf maple, with intermediate values for Douglas-fir and western redcedar. Bigleaf maple explained most species-based differences in foliar nutrients, displaying high concentrations of N, P, Ca, Mg, and K. Foliar P and N:P variations largely reflected soil P variation across sites. The four tree species that we examined exhibited a number of individualistic effects on soil nutrient levels that contribute to biogeochemical heterogeneity in these ecosystems. Where fire suppression and long-term succession favor dominance by highly shade-tolerant western hemlock, our results suggest a potential for declines in both soil Ca availability and soil biogeochemical heterogeneity in old-growth forests.

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.

Four centuries of soil carbon and nitrogen change after stand-replacing fire in a forest landscape in the western Cascade Range of Oregon

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (9) ◽  
pp. 2455-2464 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. W. Giesen ◽  
S. S. Perakis ◽  
K. Cromack
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Cascade Range ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
C And N ◽  
Mineral Soils

Episodic stand-replacing wildfire is a significant disturbance in mesic and moist Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) forests of the Pacific Northwest. We studied 24 forest stands with known fire histories in the western Cascade Range in Oregon to evaluate long-term impacts of stand-replacing wildfire on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools and dynamics within the forest floor (FF, Oe and Oa horizons) and the mineral soil (0–10 cm). Twelve of our stands burned approximately 150 years ago (“young”), and the other 12 burned approximately 550 years ago (“old”). Forest floor mean C and N pools were significantly greater in old stands than young stands (N pools: 1823 ± 132 kg·ha–1vs. 1450 ± 98 kg·ha–1; C pools: 62 980 ± 5403 kg·ha–1vs. 49 032 ± 2965 kg·ha–1, mean ± SE) as a result of significant differences in FF mass. Forest floor C and N concentrations and C/N ratios did not differ by time since fire, yet potential N mineralization rates were significantly higher in FF of old sites. Old and young mineral soils did not differ significantly in pools, concentrations, C/N ratios, or cycling rates. Our results suggest that C and N are sequestered in FF of Pacific Northwest Douglas-fir forests over long (∼400 year) intervals, but that shorter fire return intervals may prevent that accumulation.

Carbon and nitrogen distribution and accumulation in a New Zealand scrubland ecosystem

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1246-1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neal A Scott ◽  
Joseph D White ◽  
Jackie A Townsend ◽  
David Whitehead ◽  
John R Leathwick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C And N

Reversion of agricultural land to native woody vegetation can sequester carbon (C), influencing regional and global C budgets. We examined whole-ecosystem differences in C and nitrogen (N) storage and distribution, and sapwood - leaf area relationships in a scrubland vegetation chronosequence in New Zealand dominated by manuka (Leptospermum scoparium J.R. et G. Forst) and kanuka (Kunzea ericoides var. ericoides (A. Rich.) J. Thompson). At 25 years, manuka dominated, and vegetation C was 6.5 kg C·m-2. In the 55-year-old stand, stem density was similar for the two species, and vegetation C storage was 15.1 kg C·m-2, similar to the 35-year-old stand (p = 0.9). Foliar biomass comprised 3-5% of vegetation C stock but contained 26%-37% of vegetation N. Root biomass was 10-15% of total and varied little with stand age. The sapwood - leaf area relationship differed significantly for the two species (p < 0.05). Mineral soil C and N (to 0.30 m) did not vary with stand age, but forest floor C and N were highest in the 55-year-old stand (2 kg C·m-2; p < 0.01). Soil and forest floor C/N ratios were significantly higher in the 35-year-old stand (p < 0.04), possibly because of high interspecific competition for N. While the sampling intensity was too limited to allow spatial extrapolation, our results suggest that carbon accumulation in this scrubland is rapid and similar to plantation forests, suggesting that land abandonment could significantly impact New Zealand's C budget.

Comparison of carbon and nitrogen storage in mineral soils of graminoid and shrub tundra sites, western Greenland

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 165-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea L. Petrenko ◽  
Julia Bradley-Cook ◽  
Emily M. Lacroix ◽  
Andrew J. Friedland ◽  
Ross A. Virginia
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Soil C ◽  
N Storage ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Arctic Soils ◽  
C Pools ◽  
C And N

Shrub species are expanding across the Arctic in response to climate change and biotic interactions. Changes in belowground carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage are of global importance because Arctic soils store approximately half of global soil C. We collected 10 (60 cm) soil cores each from graminoid- and shrub-dominated soils in western Greenland and determined soil texture, pH, C and N pools, and C:N ratios by depth for the mineral soil. To investigate the relative chemical stability of soil C between vegetation types, we employed a novel sequential extraction method for measuring organo-mineral C pools of increasing bond strength. We found that (i) mineral soil C and N storage was significantly greater under graminoids than shrubs (29.0 ± 1.8 versus 22.5 ± 3.0 kg·C·m−2 and 1.9 ± .12 versus 1.4 ± 1.9 kg·N·m−2), (ii) chemical mechanisms of C storage in the organo-mineral soil fraction did not differ between graminoid and shrub soils, and (iii) weak adsorption to mineral surfaces accounted for 40%–60% of C storage in organo-mineral fractions — a pool that is relatively sensitive to environmental disturbance. Differences in these C pools suggest that rates of C accumulation and retention differ by vegetation type, which could have implications for predicting future soil C pool storage.

scholarly journals Effects of land use change from natural forest to plantation on C, N and natural abundance of 13C and 15N along a climate gradient in eastern China

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mbezele Junior Yannick Ngaba ◽  
Ya-Lin Hu ◽  
Roland Bol ◽  
Xiang-Qing Ma ◽  
Shao-Fei Jin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Mineral Soils

Abstract Soil C and N turnover rates and contents are strongly influenced by climates (e.g., mean annual temperature MAT, and mean annual precipitation MAP) as well as human activities. However, the effects of converting natural forests to intensively human-managed plantations on soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N) dynamics across various climatic zones are not well known. In this study, we evaluated C, N pool and natural abundances of δ13C and δ15N in forest floor layer and 1-meter depth mineral soils under natural forests (NF) and plantation forest (PF) at six sites in eastern China. Our results showed that forest floor had higher C contents and lower N contents in PF compared to NF, resulting in high forest floor C/N ratios and a decrease in the quality of organic materials in forest floor under plantations. In general, soil C, N contents and their isotope changed significantly in the forest floor and mineral soil after land use change (LUC). Soil δ13C was significantly enriched in forest floor after LUC while both δ13C and δ15N values were enriched in mineral soils. Linear and non-linear regressions were observed for MAP and MAT in soil C/N ratios and soil δ13C, in their changes with NF conversion to PF while soil δ15N values were positively correlated with MAT. Our findings implied that LUC alters soil C turnover and contents and MAP drive soil δ13C dynamic.

scholarly journals Free atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> enrichment increased above ground biomass but did not affect symbiotic N<sub>2</sub>-fixation and soil carbon dynamics in a mixed deciduous stand in Wales

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Hoosbeek ◽  
M. Lukac ◽  
E. Velthorst ◽  
A. R. Smith ◽  
D. L. Godbold
Keyword(s):  
Elevated Co2 ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Net Primary Production ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Co2 Enrichment ◽  
Alnus Glutinosa ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Face Experiment ◽  
Leaf N Content

Abstract. Through increases in net primary production (NPP), elevated CO2 is hypothesized to increase the amount of plant litter entering the soil. The fate of this extra carbon on the forest floor or in mineral soil is currently not clear. Moreover, increased rates of NPP can be maintained only if forests can escape nitrogen limitation. In a Free atmospheric CO2 Enrichment (FACE) experiment near Bangor, Wales, 4 ambient and 4 elevated [CO2] plots were planted with patches of Betula pendula, Alnus glutinosa and Fagus sylvatica on a former arable field. After 4 years, biomass averaged for the 3 species was 5497 (se 270) g m−2 in ambient and 6450 (se 130) g m−2 in elevated [CO2] plots, a significant increase of 17% (P = 0.018). During that time, only a shallow L forest floor litter layer had formed due to intensive bioturbation. Total soil C and N contents increased irrespective of treatment and species as a result of afforestation. We could not detect an additional C sink in the soil, nor were soil C stabilization processes affected by elevated [CO2]. We observed a decrease of leaf N content in Betula and Alnus under elevated [CO2], while the soil C/N ratio decreased regardless of CO2 treatment. The ratio of N taken up from the soil and by N2-fixation in Alnus was not affected by elevated [CO2]. We infer that increased nitrogen use efficiency is the mechanism by which increased NPP is sustained under elevated [CO2] at this site.

scholarly journals Intra-Annual Variation in Soil C, N and Nutrients Pools after Prescribed Fire in a Mississippi Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) Plantation

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 181
Author(s):  
John R. Butnor ◽  
Kurt H. Johnsen ◽  
Christopher A. Maier ◽  
C. Dana Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Soil Chemistry ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Southern Pine ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Soil C And N ◽  
C And N

Prescribed fire is an essential tool that is widely used for longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) stand management; periodic burning serves to reduce competition from woody shrubs and fire-intolerant trees and enhance herbaceous diversity. Low-intensity, prescribed burning is thought to have minimal long-term impact on soil chemistry in southern pine forests, although few studies report the intra-annual variation in soil chemistry after burning. We monitored changes in C, N, oxidation resistant C (CR), pH and elemental nutrients in the forest floor and soil (0–5, 5–10 cm depths) before and after burning (1, 3, 6, 12 months) in a mature longleaf pine plantation at the Harrison Experimental Forest, near Saucier, Mississippi. Prescribed fire consumed much of the forest floor (11.3 Mg ha−1; −69%), increased soil pH and caused a pulse of C, N and elemental nutrients to flow to the near surface soils. In the initial one to three months post-burn coinciding with the start of the growing season, retention of nutrients by soil peaked. Most of the N (93%), Ca (88%), K (96%) and Mg (101%), roughly half of the P (48%) and Mn (52%) and 25% of the C lost from the forest floor were detected in the soil and apparently not lost to volatilization. By month 12, soil C and N pools were not different at depths of 0–5 cm but declined significantly below pre-burn levels at depths of 5–10 cm, C −36% (p < 0.0001), N −26% (p = 0.003), contrary to other examples in southern pine ecosystems. In the upper 5 cm of soil, only Cu (−49%) remained significantly lower than pre-burn contents by month 12, at depths of 5–10 cm, Cu (−76%), Fe (−22%), K (−51%), Mg (−57%), Mn (−82%) and P (−52%) remain lower at month 12 than pre-burn contents. Burning did not increase soil CR content, conversely significant declines in CR occurred. It appears that recovery of soil C and N pools post-burn will require more time on this site than other southern pine forests.

Douglas-fir soil C and N properties a decade after termination of urea fertilization

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 2225-2236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter S Homann ◽  
Bruce A Caldwell ◽  
H N Chappell ◽  
Phillip Sollins ◽  
Chris W Swanston
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Cellulase Activity ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Soil Organic C ◽  
Total N ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Second Growth ◽  
Heavy Fractions ◽  
Urea Fertilization

Chemical and microbial soil properties were assessed in paired unfertilized and urea fertilized (>89 g N·m–2) plots in 13 second-growth Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) stands distributed throughout western Washington and Oregon. A decade following the termination of fertilization, fertilized plots averaged 28% higher total N in the O layer than unfertilized plots, 24% higher total N in surface (0–5 cm) mineral soil, and up to four times the amount of extractable ammonium and nitrate. Decreased pH (0.2 pH units) caused by fertilization may have been due to nitrification or enhanced cation uptake. In some soil layers, fertilization decreased cellulase activity and soil respiration but increased wood decomposition. There was no effect of fertilization on concentrations of light and heavy fractions, labile carbohydrates, and phosphatase and xylanase activities. No increase in soil organic C was detected, although variability precluded observing an increase of less than ~15%. Lack of a regionwide fertilization influence on soil organic C contrasts with several site-specific forest and agricultural studies that have shown C increases resulting from fertilization. Overall, the results indicate a substantial residual influence on soil N a decade after urea fertilization but much more limited influence on soil C processes and pools.

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