Consequences of nitrate leaching following stem-only harvesting of Swedish forests are dependent on spatial scale

Bishop, Kevin; Ring, Eva; Högbom, Lars; Entenmann, S.

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2010.08.016

Cited by 68 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…When water from headwater streams merges to form larger streams, nutrients originating from various source areas are mixed and processed (Lepistö et al 2006;Futter et al 2010;Schelker et al 2014). Some of the nutrients entering headwater streams are lost or retained in lakes via biological uptake, sedimentation, respiration and denitrification before they reach larger rivers and the marine environment and this should be keep in mind when the results are up-scaled to larger drainage basins (Lepistö et al 2006;Futter et al 2010;Schelker et al 2014).…”

Section: Reliability Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At Kangasvaara catchment, which also situates rather north, only NO 3 -N concentrations increased after clear-cutting (Palviainen et al 2014). Possibly clear-cutting increase stream water nutrient concentrations less in northern than in southern Fennoscandia due to slower mineralization rates and lower deposition fluxes (Akselsson et al 2004;Kortelainen et al 2006;Futter et al 2010;Palviainen et al 2014), and in the northern catchments the observed rise in nutrient loading is largely due to the increased runoff (Ahtiainen and Huttunen 1999;Palviainen et al 2014). The increase in total N, NO 3 -N, NH 4 -N and PO 4 -P concentrations after clear-cutting is in accordance with the results from other boreal catchments (Grip 1982;Rosén et al 1996;Lamontagne et al 2000;Kreutzweiser et al 2008).…”

Section: Specific Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…2) and, consequently, 95 % confidence intervals of the specific concentration estimates were rather wide (Table 3). The magnitude and duration of the changes in concentrations depend on several factors such as catchment topography, soil properties, site fertility, atmospheric deposition, vegetation recovery, the timing of management practices and weather conditions after clear-cutting (Ahtiainen and Huttunen 1999;Mattsson et al 2003;Gundersen et al 2006;Palviainen et al 2007;Kreutzweiser et al 2008;Löfgren et al 2009;Futter et al 2010;Palviainen et al 2014). In addition to above-mentioned factors, the location of clear-cut area in relation to the stream may cause variability in treatment effects among studies (Kreutzweiser et al 2008;Abdelnour et al 2011).…”

Section: Specific Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A method to estimate the impact of clear-cutting on nutrient concentrations in boreal headwater streams

Palviainen

Finér

Laurén

et al. 2015

Ambio

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Large-scale forestry operations, like clearcutting, may impair surface water quality if not done with environmental considerations in mind. Catchment and country level estimates of nutrient loads from forestry are generally based on specific export values, i.e., changes in annual exports due to the implemented forestry operations expressed in kg ha -1 . We introduce here a specific concentration approach as a method to estimate the impact of clear-cutting on nutrient concentrations and export in headwater streams. This new method is potentially a more dynamic and flexible tool to estimate nutrient loads caused by forestry, because variation in annual runoff can be taken into account in load assessments. We combined water quality data from eight boreal headwater catchment pairs located in Finland and Sweden, where the effect of clear-cutting on stream water quality has been studied experimentally. Statistically significant specific concentration values could be produced for total nitrogen, nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate. The significant increases in the concentrations of these nutrients occurred between 2 and 6 years after clearcutting. Significant specific concentration values could not be produced for total phosphorus and total organic carbon with the whole dataset, although in some single studies significant increases in their concentrations after clear-cutting were observed. The presented method enables taking into account variation in runoff, temporal dynamics of effects, and the proportional size of the treated area in load calculations. The number of existing studies considering large site-specific variation in responses to clear-cutting is small, and therefore further empirical studies are needed to improve predictive capabilities of the specific concentration values.

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Section: Reliability Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Specific Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Specific Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A method to estimate the impact of clear-cutting on nutrient concentrations in boreal headwater streams

Palviainen

Finér

Laurén

et al. 2015

Ambio

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“…Retention of the vast majority of atmospherically deposited N in the forest landscape means less nutrient inputs to the marine environment. For example, it has been suggested that forest harvesting is a minor contributor to inorganic N loading to the Baltic [33]. However, we need to clarify the link between pollution in the Baltic Sea and forests.…”

Section: Provision Of Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forests, Forestry and the Water Framework Directive in Sweden: A Trans-Disciplinary Commentary

Bishop

Keskitalo

Ellison

et al. 2011

Forests

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Abstract:The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is an ambitious piece of legislation designed to protect and improve water quality throughout Europe. However, forests are only mentioned once in the WFD, and forestry is not mentioned at all, despite its potential implications for streams, rivers and lakes. Here we present a transdisciplinary commentary on the WFD and its implications for forests and forestry in Sweden. This commentary has been prepared by forestry stakeholders, biophysical and social scientists. While we were cognizant of a large body of discipline-specific research, there are very few inter-or trans-disciplinary commentaries which link academic and stakeholder perspectives on the OPEN ACCESSForests 2011, 2 262 WFD. We had originally felt that there would be little commonality in our concerns. However, we found significant areas of agreement. Our key areas of concern about the implications of the WFD for forestry in Sweden included: (i) concerns about what is meant by good ecological status and how it is assessed; (ii) a perceived lack of clarity in the legal framework; (iii) an inadequate environmental impact assessment process; and (iv) uncertainties about appropriate programs of measures for improving water quality. We were also concerned that ecosystem services provided by forests and the positive effects of forestry on water quality are inadequately recognized in the WFD.

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“…If fertilizers are added at low to moderate rates, at times of high plant demand, it is possible that long-term fertilization would have few consequences for nutrient loading in Swedish streams and downstream in the Baltic Sea. Forestry operations, specifically final felling, is presently a minor contributor to NO 3 − pollution in Swedish surface waters [36,37]. However, escalating the use of fertilizers may cause greater N pollution if this practice is not based on a solid, fundamental understanding of the factors that regulate nutrient retention in forest ecosystems.…”

Section: Impacts Of Nutrient Additionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consequences of More Intensive Forestry for the Sustainable Management of Forest Soils and Waters

Laudon

Sponseller

Lucas

et al. 2011

Forests

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Additions of nutrients, faster growing tree varieties, more intense harvest practices, and a changing climate all have the potential to increase forest production in Sweden, thereby mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration and fossil fuel substitution. However, the effects of management strategies for increased biomass production on soil resources and water quality at landscape scales are inadequately understood. Key knowledge gaps also remain regarding the sustainability of shorter rotation periods and more intensive biomass harvests. This includes effects of fertilization on the long-term weathering and supply of base cations and the consequences of changing mineral availability for future forest production. Furthermore, because soils and surface waters are closely connected, management efforts in the terrestrial landscape will potentially have consequences for water quality and the ecology of streams, rivers, and lakes. Here, we review and discuss some of the most pertinent questions related to how increased forest biomass production in Sweden could affect soils and surface waters, and how contemporary forestry goals can be met while minimizing the loss of other ecosystem services. We suggest that the development of management plans to promote the sustainable use of soil resources and water quality, while maximizing biomass production, will require a holistic ecosystem approach that is placed within a broader landscape perspective

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Consequences of nitrate leaching following stem-only harvesting of Swedish forests are dependent on spatial scale

Cited by 68 publications

References 39 publications

A method to estimate the impact of clear-cutting on nutrient concentrations in boreal headwater streams

A method to estimate the impact of clear-cutting on nutrient concentrations in boreal headwater streams

Forests, Forestry and the Water Framework Directive in Sweden: A Trans-Disciplinary Commentary

Consequences of More Intensive Forestry for the Sustainable Management of Forest Soils and Waters

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