Biogeosciences and Forestry Biogeosciences and Forestry The natural recovery of disturbed soil, plant cover and trees after clear-cutting in the boreal forests, Russia Aleksey Ilintsev (1-2) , Alexander Bogdanov (1-2) , Elena Nakvasina (2) , Irina Amosova (3) , Sergey Koptev (2) , Sergey Tretyakov (2) This study aims to determine the impact of forest harvesting machinery on the temporarily moist soil of spruce forests (Picea abies Karst.) during the summer. For research purposes, we investigated 23 sites of the boreal forest in the European North of Russia (Arkhangelsk region) where logging operations had been carried out using harvesters and forwarders (CTL, cut-to-length harvesting). In the 15 years after logging, the sites were monitored for changes in physical soil properties and the depth/width of ruts and vegetation. In freshly cut areas, the depth of the ruts was linked to the amount of logging residue that had been used to strengthen skidding trails. After 15 years, the ruts were smooth but had not disappeared entirely. The average depth of the ruts decreased from 36 cm to 18 cm during the period under review. At a depth of 0-10 cm, the soil bulk density of the section between the control area and the wheel track increased by 19-27% within the first two years. At a depth of 10-20 cm, the soil bulk density only increased by 16-17% within the two-year period. After 15 years, the soil bulk density had decreased to the extent that there were no signs of heavy machinery movement. The natural restoration of vegetation in the ruts was affected by the presence of stagnant water in the initial post-logging period. Ruderal species and species with broad ecological amplitude to environmental factors grew over the skid trails. 15 years after logging, this overgrowth had stabilised, with the biodiversity level in the control area approaching its pre-logging state. Primarily, the renewal of the cutting areas occurred through species such as birch (Betula pendula Roth.) and aspen (Populus tremula L.). The highest amount of undergrowth (more than 30,000 ha-1) was detected 6-8 years after logging. This then decreases in areas that were cut down earlier. There are environmental consequences of clearcutting (using the CTL system) on temporarily moist soil. To prevent the formation of deep ruts, it is recommended to leave 15-20 kg m-2 of felling residue.
We carried out ecological and biological studies in mixed forest stands after different types of cuttings: clearnarrow, long-gradual and thinning. The purpose of the study is to analyze the structure of the grass-shrub layer after cuttings in mixed forest stands. The objects of research are located in the taiga zone in the North taiga region of the European part of Russia. The original forests were represented by mixed pine-spruce-birch stands of blueberry forest type, which grew on light-loamy podzolic soils. We conducted geobotanical descriptions within the accounting sites (size from 25 to 100 m 2) to assess the grass-shrub layer. We made 70 geobotanical descriptions in the field periods 2015-2017. We applied taxonomic, biomorphological and ecological analyses to study the differentiation of the grassshrub layer. The results of the taxonomic analysis showed that in each variant of the study from 5 to 3 leading families were identified. The largest number of species belongs to the families: Poaceae, Asteraceae, Scrophulariaceae. The number of genera and species in absolute numbers is higher in the natural community where cuttings did not carried out. Ecological-cenotic analysis showed that in all the studied areas two groups prevail: boreal (small-grass) from 29 to 50% and boreal (shrubs and evergreen grasses) from 20 to 27 %. The constructed biomorphic spectra indicate that there is a high proportion of turf life form on skidding trails and landing sites, which indicates violations of the forest floor and a certain degree of turfing. The analysis of species ecological strategies according to George Grime showed that Stress-tolerant species (S) are least in variants with clear-cuttings (15 %) and most in uncut forest (33 %). The results of complex research showed that the clear-narrow cuttings affected the conversion and the formation of the herb-dwarf shrub layer, compared to selective logging. The distribution and species diversity of the ground cover depends on the technological element of the cutting area (cutting strip, skidding trails and landing sites), its disturbance and age of cutting.
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