Measuring Environmental Change in Forest Ecosystems by Repeated Soil Sampling: A North American Perspective

Abstract

Environmental change is monitored in North America through repeated measurements of weather, stream and river flow, air and water quality, and most recently, soil properties. Some skepticism remains, however, about whether repeated soil sampling can effectively distinguish between temporal and spatial variability, and efforts to document soil change in forest ecosystems through repeated measurements are largely nascent and uncoordinated. In eastern North America, repeated soil sampling has begun to provide valuable information on environmental problems such as air pollution. This review synthesizes the current state of the science to further the development and use of soil resampling as an integral method for recording and understanding environmental change in forested settings. The origins of soil resampling reach back to the 19th century in England and Russia. The concepts and methodologies involved in forest soil resampling are reviewed and evaluated through a discussion of how temporal and spatial variability can be addressed with a variety of sampling approaches. Key resampling studies demonstrate the type of results that can be obtained through differing approaches. Ongoing, large-scale issues such as recovery from acidification, long-term N deposition, C sequestration, effects of climate change, impacts from invasive species, and the increasing intensification of soil management all warrant the use of soil resampling as an essential tool for environmental monitoring and assessment. Furthermore, with better awareness of the value of soil resampling, studies can be designed with a long-term perspective so that information can be efficiently obtained well into the future to address problems that have not yet surfaced.

Inter‐laboratory variation in the chemical analysis of acidic forest soil reference samples from eastern North America

“…Long-term soil monitoring and resampling studies to assess temporal changes of soil properties have become a commonly used tool in the assessment of environmental change (Lawrence et al 2013). The effectiveness of these types of studies depends on accurate and reproducible laboratory data (Desaules 2012).…”

“…The objective of this paper is to v www.esajournals.org present results of the sample exchange to evaluate compatibility of results achieved by laboratories that have collected data relevant to forest soil chemistry and temporal change in eastern North America. There can be a number of other sources of variability in studies of soil change, including such things as experimental design and sampling methods (Lawrence et al 2013), but the sole focus of this paper is variability in laboratory chemical analysis. 1998).…”

Methods of Soil Resampling to Monitor Changes in the Chemical Concentrations of Forest Soils

“…Shorter time intervals decrease the length of time needed to statistically detect a change, but longer intervals provide more opportunity for soil changes to occur 4 . A resampling interval of 5 years is recommended to balance these two factors, but if monitoring is being done to evaluate a specific driver, the interval should be set based on the rate of change expected in that driver 2 . Successful monitoring of forest soils also requires that a study unit be defined within an area of forested land that has been selected for soil monitoring.…”

Human Land-Use and Soil Change

“…The importance of quantifying land management practices on soil properties is well identified. However, ongoing soil sampling and monitoring to quantify changes in soil properties as a result of management and/or environmental changes is relatively new and is greatly needed to develop guidelines and criteria for decision-making (Lal 1993;Lawrence et al 2013). Long-term studies also allow for a wide range of environmental conditions in addition to land management.…”