Effects of forest thinning on the streamwater chemistry of two forest watersheds in the Bavarian Alps

Bäumler, Rupert; Zech, Wolfgang

doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(98)00441-1

Cited by 34 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…In 2007-2008, the export rate of the Tagon catchment reached 88 kg N-nitrate km -2 year -1 , suggesting that an additional source of nitrate was present in this catchment, probably linked to deforested parcels. Our result suggests that tree harvesting increases the nitrate export (93 kg Nnitrate km -2 year -1 ), as reported for alpine forests (Bäumler and Zech 1999) and temperate forests (Likens et al 1970). For instance, the export rate reported for the Hubbard Brook forest was 142 kg N-nitrate km -2 year -1 within 2 years following the deforestation (Likens et al 1970).…”

Section: Land Use Impact On Biogeochemistry Of the Catchmentssupporting

confidence: 79%

Nutrient export to an Eastern Atlantic coastal zone: first modeling and nitrogen mass balance

et al. 2010

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We have studied 15 catchments supplying freshwater to a French Atlantic coastal lagoon, where increase in nitrogen loads due to agriculture is supposed to have destabilized the ecosystem in the last decades. The catchment is a lowland composed of Pleistocene sands with an average slope of 0.25%. To study the nutrient export in relation to land-use surface waters were sampled bi-weekly between October 2006 and January 2009 and land-use was established by plane photographs and Geographic Information System (GIS). Cultivated pine forests represent more than 80% of the total surface and 7% of the catchment area has been deforested recently. Significant areas of some catchments are used for maize crop. Housing is confined to the coastal zone. Maize and forest crop give a robust signature in terms of nitrate export. In view of modeling the nutrient fluxes, we have established the mean export rate for every land-use: forested parcels, deforested parcels, cultivated surfaces, and housing areas export 45, 93, 2850, and 61 kg N-nitrate km -2 year -1 , respectively. Exports of ammonium, dissolved organic N (DON), and dissolved inorganic P (DIP) could not be related to land use. The mean export is 13, 100, and 0.57 kg km -2 year -1 for N-ammonium, DON, and DIP, respectively. The modeling of nitrogen flux is in good agreement with our measures for the largest catchment, which supplies about 90% of the total continental DIN flux. However, small catchments are more dynamic due to hydrological conditions and the model is less accurate. This work has permitted to complete and unify scattered studies about nutrient cycling in this area. Thus we have established and compared the nitrogen budget of cornfields and cultivated pine forest. We have emphasized that (i) fertilizer use should be reduced in cornfields because they stock between 200 and 6400 kg DIN km -2 year -1 , and (ii) the nitrogen budget in pine forest mostly depends on tree harvesting and symbiotic N-fixation, which is poorly constrained. Export of N by rivers represents a small contribution to the N budget of soils.

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Section: Land Use Impact On Biogeochemistry Of the Catchmentssupporting

confidence: 79%

Nutrient export to an Eastern Atlantic coastal zone: first modeling and nitrogen mass balance

et al. 2010

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“…It was a slight effect, distributed over the whole femel treatment, and only recognisable in statistics because of the high number of plots on the treatment. On sites in the Alps with low NO − 3 concentrations in the old stand, forest thinning (removing 20-40% of the trees) increased NO − 3 concentrations slightly (Bäumler and Zech, 1999). Bauhus (1994) showed, that if a nested group of trees is removed the risk of NO − 3 leaching increased.…”

Section: No − 3 Leaching After Thinning or Femel Cuttingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and temporal variation of seepage water chemistry after femel and small scale clear-cutting in a N-saturated Norway spruce stand

Huber¹,

Weis²,

Baumgarten³

et al. 2004

Plant Soil

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The chemistry of seepage water was studied before and after small scale clear-cutting and femel cutting (removing 20% of the trees) between 1999 and 2002 at the Höglwald site in southern Bavaria. The interventions were performed in February 2000 on mature, N-saturated Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stands with high NO − 3 concentrations before felling. Seepage water was collected with suction cups at 40 cm soil depth in the following treatments: (I) a mature stand (control), (II) a femel-cut, and (III) a clear-cut. In the femel cut subvariants were created with suction cups (plots) at varying distances from pre-selected spruce, which were later removed. The femel treatment was replanted with beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) saplings. On the clear-cut, subvariants of planted beech (close to the stem, interstem area), planted spruce (interstem), or natural spruce regeneration were investigated. Clear-cutting caused high NO − 3 peaks (average values up to 2750 µM) during 2000 and 2001 in all planted tree subvariants during times of comparatively low water fluxes. In contrast to peak concentrations, flux weighted yearly average concentrations showed different trends. In 2000, flux weighted yearly average NO − 3 concentrations were significantly elevated, but only on the subvariants of the interstem area, which covered in the clear-cut plot ca. 62% of the area. However, the subvariant close to the stem (31% of clear-cut area), or the natural spruce regeneration subvariant (6% of clear-cut area) exhibited no significant felling effect. With respect to the whole treatment area, this resulted in no significant felling effect as compared with the control. In the next year (2001), flux weighted yearly average NO − 3 concentrations were not significantly affected by clear-cutting, while the concentrations were even reduced for all of the clear-cut subvariants in 2002. On the subvariant natural spruce regeneration, NO − 3 concentrations remained below the European limit of drinking water (806 µM) during almost the whole investigation period. Selective cutting resulted in slightly reduced NO − 3 concentrations in 2000 and 2001 on the femel treatment. However, no significant effect could be detected for any subvariant in the femel-cut, even not for the subvariant with suction cups closest to the felled spruce. In contrast to many other investigations, clearcutting did not increase the NO − 3 problem on the treatment to a relevant extend. Quite contrary, a decline in NO − 3concentrations to values below the EU level for drinking water and levels below the control and femel treatment just 2 years after cutting were observed. Al 3+ concentrations showed nearly the same trend as NO − 3 , while Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , and K + concentrations were affected to a lesser degree. Only in 2002 was Ca 2+ significantly lower on the clear-cut as compared to the femel treatment, but not compared to the control. Mg 2+ increased in 2000 on the clear-cut subvariants in the interstem area, but decreased in the years 2001 and 2002. Changes could be obs...

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“…Situations with noticeable losses [2,4,6,7,12,13,20,27,28,44,54] or more limited losses of nutrients [16,43,57,58] have been reported. The case of the large losses observed the after clear-cutting of the Hubbard Brook experimental forest represents a very specific situation whose results cannot be directly generalized.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the clear-cutting of a Douglas-fir plantation (Pseudotsuga menziesii F.) on the chemical composition of soil solutions and on the leaching of DOC and ions in drainage waters

et al. 2007

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-The effects of the clear-cutting of a 70-year-old Douglas-fir plantation on the chemical composition of soil solutions and on leaching of nutrients in drainage waters were observed by a continuous monitoring, six years before and three years after the cutting. Forest harvesting was made with very limited soil disturbances. Results showed that the concentration of weakly fixed solutions did not change but that the concentration of gravitational solutions of the upper soil layers drastically fell down after the cutting. The limited increase in nutrients leached with drainage waters was only due to the increase in the water flux, which is difficult to quantify because of the presence of ground vegetation. The monitoring of numerous fluxes before and after the clear-cutting could explain the specific behaviour of the soil solutions. The limited losses of nutrients the after clear-cutting in a potentially responsive ecosystem were unexpected. The initial hypothesis was that the decrease in the mineralization and nitrification rates observed after the cutting was related to a stimulating effect of Douglas-fir on the activity of soil nitrifyers.Douglas-fir / clear-cutting / soil solutions / nutrients / leaching Résumé -Effet de la coupe à blanc d'un peuplement de Douglas (Pseudotsuga menziesii F.) sur la composition chimique des solutions du sol et sur le flux d'éléments drainés. Les effets de la coupe à blanc d'une plantation de Douglas de 70 ans ont été observés sur la composition chimique des solutions du sol et les pertes d'éléments par drainage, par un suivi mensuel pendant 6 ans avant, et 3 ans après la coupe. L'exploitation du peuplement a été réalisée avec une perturbation minimum du sol. Les résultats montrent que les solutions liées ont peu évolué après la coupe, alors que le changement des solutions libres a été drastique dans les horizons de surface du sol. Malgré des incertitudes sur le rôle de la végétation spontanée, le drainage d'éléments n'a pas fortement augmenté après la coupe. La prise en compte de l'ensemble des flux mesurés dans cette étude semble pouvoir expliquer les observations. Les pertes limitées après la coupe d'une plantation où l'activité nitrifiante était élevée avant la coupe étaient inattendues. L'hypothèse avancée est l'arrêt du contrôle stimulateur des populations nitrifiantes du sol après la coupe du Douglas. Douglas / coupe-à-blanc / solutions du sol / éléments nutritifs / lixiviation

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Effects of forest thinning on the streamwater chemistry of two forest watersheds in the Bavarian Alps

Cited by 34 publications

References 16 publications

Nutrient export to an Eastern Atlantic coastal zone: first modeling and nitrogen mass balance

Nutrient export to an Eastern Atlantic coastal zone: first modeling and nitrogen mass balance

Spatial and temporal variation of seepage water chemistry after femel and small scale clear-cutting in a N-saturated Norway spruce stand

Effects of the clear-cutting of a Douglas-fir plantation (Pseudotsuga menziesii F.) on the chemical composition of soil solutions and on the leaching of DOC and ions in drainage waters

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