Effects of clear-cutting and slash removal on soil water chemistry and forest-floor vegetation in a nutrient optimised Norway spruce stand

Hedwall, Per‐Ola; Grip, Harald; Linder, Sune; Lövdahl, Lars; Nilsson, Urban; Bergh, Johan

doi:10.14214/sf.933

Cited by 30 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(41 reference statements)

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“…In a study by Hedwall et al (2013), there was an effect of whole-tree harvesting on the forest-floor biomass for different species, but not on the total biomass of the forest-floor vegetation. Vegetation regrowth mitigates NO 3 -leaching (Gundersen et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Higher concentrations or leaching rates of NO 3 -in the soil water have been found below various amounts of logging residues compared with those for soil water in uncovered soil (Rosén and Lundmark-Thelin 1987;Stevens and Hornung 1990;Staaf and Olsson 1994;Ring et al 2001;Wall 2008;Slesak et al 2009;Hedwall et al 2013), but contrasting or no effects have also been reported (Thiffault et al 2011). In the study by Hedwall et al (2013), there was also a statistical interaction effect between whole-tree harvesting and previous fertilization. In the previously fertilized plots, the NO 3 -concentrations were lower after whole-tree harvesting and higher after stem-only harvesting than on control plots.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

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Soil and soil-water chemistry below different amounts of logging residues at two harvested forest sites in Sweden

Ring¹,

Högbom²,

Nohrstedt³

et al. 2015

Silva Fenn.

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Logging residues (LR),i.e. tops, branches, and needles, are increasingly being harvested for energy production in Fennoscandia. These residues are temporarily piled on site awaiting transport. This study was undertaken to investigate effects on the soil and soil-water chemistry below different amounts of LR at two recently harvested coniferous sites in Sweden. Seven treatments were included and the studied amounts of LR ranged from no LR left on the ground to four times the estimated LR amount of the harvested stands. Two treatments included eight times the estimated LR amount of the harvested stands but here the LR were removed after 7 or 20 weeks. Soil-water samples were collected during the first six or seven growing seasons. Effects of treatment were detected in the soil water for 11 chemical variables at the northern site, and for the NO and Cl concentrations at the southern site. The strongest response was generally found in the treatment with four times the estimated LR amount, for which the highest concentrations were recorded in most cases. In the first three seasons, the water flux through the LR decreased with an increasing amount of residue. Effects on the exchangeable store of Ca in the mor layer and the upper 20 cm of the mineral soil was detected at both sites. At the northern site, the weight of the remaining LR, ground vegetation and all other material above the mor layer in the treatments with two and four times the estimated LR amount was roughly twice the corresponding weights at the southern site seven years after treatment. Although strong effects on the soil-solution chemistry were detected at one of the study sites, in the treatments corresponding to two and four times the estimated logging residue amount, the effect on the leaching from an entire regeneration area is likely to be relatively small given the percentage of the area hosting these logging residue amounts (ca. 20% after stem-only harvesting and 9% after fuel-adapted felling). 3--2+

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Soil and soil-water chemistry below different amounts of logging residues at two harvested forest sites in Sweden

Ring¹,

Högbom²,

Nohrstedt³

et al. 2015

Silva Fenn.

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“…Increased NH 4 -N levels in the soil stimulate formation of nitrate, which is easily leachable and can reach groundwater and streams (Likens et al, 1970;Smolander et al, 1998;Ring et al, 2003;Titus et al, 2006). Leaching of inorganic N after clear-cutting normally lasts for five years, with a peak after 1-2 years (Huber et al, 2004;Hedwall et al, 2013). The peak concentration of nitrate N in the soil solution can vary from below 0.5 mg L À1 (Berdén et al, 1997) to 30 mg L À1 (Huber et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This explains why N fertilisation is a common practice to improve forest production in these systems (Ring http et al, 2003). Clear-cutting of previously fertilised stands can result in increasing N leaching with increasing doses of fertiliser N (Ring, 1996), but even high doses of fertiliser N do not necessarily increase N leaching after clear-cutting when combined with a fertiliser mix with, for example, phosphorus and potassium that are needed for optimum plant growth (Bergh et al, 1999;Hedwall et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen fluxes after clear-cutting. Ground vegetation uptake and stump/root immobilisation reduce N leaching after experimental liming, acidification and N fertilisation

Bergholm¹,

Olsson

Vegerfors³

et al. 2015

Forest Ecology and Management

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“…Nitrification and nitrate leaching are limited by the availability of N and, in managed northern forests, mainly occur after clearcutting disrupts the vegetation cover (Gundersen et al 2006). The risk for nitrification and N leakage increases if the clear-cut forest has been previously fertilized, is located in areas with high N deposition, or is naturally rich in nutrients (Hedwall et al 2013a;Binkley et al 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen-retention capacity in a fertilized forest after clear-cutting — the effect of forest-floor vegetation

2015

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Forest fertilization with nitrogen (N) has several benefits to society such as increased wood production and carbon sequestration. There are, however, concerns about N leakage, particularly following clear-cutting. The forest-floor vegetation may increase the N retention of forest ecosystems; however, very few studies have quantified the amount of vegetation required. We studied the relationship between vegetation cover and risk of N leakage, estimated by the amounts of ammonium-N and nitrate-N retained on ion-exchange capsules in the soil, during 4 years following the clear-cutting and harvesting of logging residues in a previously fertilized forest in southern Sweden. Previous fertilization increased the amount of nitrate-N captured on the capsules, whereas the amount of ammonium-N decreased. The vascular vegetation cover increased from almost zero to approximately 25% independent of fertilization. The amount of ammonium-N and nitrate-N retained on the capsules was already reduced by 50%-75% at 20% vegetation cover, and by 30%-40% cover, it approached zero, independent of the number of years since clear-cutting. The vegetation may impede tree-seedling establishment, implying a trade-off between seedling growth and N-retention capacity. However, our results indicate that maximum N retention may be achieved at a relatively low vegetation cover, which could be accomplished with less intrusive scarification methods than currently used.Résumé : La fertilisation forestière avec de l'azote (N) procure de nombreux bénéfices à la société, notamment une augmentation de la production de bois et de la séquestration de carbone. Cependant, le lessivage de N suscite des inquiétudes, particulièrement à la suite d'une coupe totale. La végétation au sol peut augmenter la rétention de N dans les écosystèmes forestiers, mais très peu d'études ont évalué la quantité de végétation nécessaire pour y arriver. Nous avons étudié la relation entre la couverture de végétation et le risque de lessivage de N; cette relation a été estimée en fonction des quantités de N sous forme d'ammonium et de nitrate retenues sur des capsules d'échange ionique insérées dans le sol au cours des quatre années suivant une coupe totale avec enlèvement des résidus de coupe dans des forêts préalablement fertilisées du sud de la Suède. La fertilisation a augmenté la quantité de nitrate captée par les capsules, alors que la quantité d'ammonium a décru. La couverture des plantes vasculaires est passée de près de zéro à environ 25 % et ce, indépendamment de la fertilisation. Les quantités d'ammonium et de nitrate retenues sur les capsules ont été réduites de 50 %-75 % avec une couverture de végétation de 20 %; lorsque la couverture atteignait 30 %-40 %, les quantités étaient presque nulles, indépendamment du temps écoulé depuis la coupe totale. La végétation au sol peut nuire à l'établissement des semis d'arbres, ce qui signifie qu'on doit faire un compromis entre la croissance des semis et la capacité de rétention de N. Cependant, nos résultats indiquent qu'on pe...

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Effects of clear-cutting and slash removal on soil water chemistry and forest-floor vegetation in a nutrient optimised Norway spruce stand

Cited by 30 publications

References 33 publications

Soil and soil-water chemistry below different amounts of logging residues at two harvested forest sites in Sweden

Soil and soil-water chemistry below different amounts of logging residues at two harvested forest sites in Sweden

Nitrogen fluxes after clear-cutting. Ground vegetation uptake and stump/root immobilisation reduce N leaching after experimental liming, acidification and N fertilisation

Nitrogen-retention capacity in a fertilized forest after clear-cutting — the effect of forest-floor vegetation

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