Spontaneous development of early successional vegetation improves Norway spruce forest soil after clear-cutting and renewal failure: a case study at a sandy-soil site

Abstract

Clear-cutting is the most common silvicultural system. Sometimes, if the new crop is not established successfully, clearcut is left unreforested. This study focused on a site where early successional species such as silver birch (Bi) and rowan (Ro) were accompanied with Norway spruce (Sp) in 13-year-old stand from natural regeneration at 550 m of altitude at an acidic site with eastern aspect and 25% slope. We found five types of stand composition: treeless gaps, Ro-Bi, Ro-Bi-Sp, Bi-Sp and monospecific Sp. Besides these juvenile ones, adjacent 100-year-old spruce (Sp old) stand representing pre-harvesting conditions was studied. In addition to the performance of trees, organic layer (Hum), topsoil (Ah) and upper subsoil (B) horizons were sampled to study an expected shift of chemical properties after clear-cutting and secondary succession at the site of interest. Birch dominated the natural regeneration; rowan and spruce were present mostly in understorey. Old spruce was more acidic and nutrient-poorer compared to the juvenile treatments. The treeless treatment showed also slightly higher pH and comparable nutrients compared to the young mixtures. Young spruce was higher in nitrogen compared to Ro-Bi-Sp mixture.

Positive effect of fir-rowan intimate mixture on new forest floor and topsoil following afforestation

“…The rowan share can contribute to a faster return of base cations to the soil. There are even temporary pioneer stands mixed of birch and rowan which improved both the state of organic layers and the ground vegetation composition on formerly spruce-dominated sites following storm events (Zerbe, Meiwes 2000) or regeneration failure (Špulák, Kacálek 2020).…”

“…Due to their growth strategies, fir and rowan can be either competitors or rowan can also be a nursing species for underplanted fir (Vaněk et al 2016); in this case, an early thinning is needed to release fir under the rowan canopy (Po-lách, Špulák 2022). Rowan is capable of growing in clearcuts (Zerbe, Meiwes 2000;Chládek, Novotný 2007;Špulák, Kacálek 2020) and it is also a shade-tolerant survivor in below-canopy conditions (Chládek, Novotný 2007;Van Nevel 2014;Hamberg et al 2015;De Groote et al 2018). Also, the rowan sprouts from roots when parent trees are cut (Rouvinen, Kouki 2011).…”

Plant–soil feedbacks among boreal forest species

“…(2022) which found that birch regeneration did not respond to changes in soil biota but was mostly driven by changes in abiotic soil properties. Birch is an early‐colonising, light‐demanding species which tends to establish on relatively bare ground soon after a disturbance (Condé et al., 2003; Špulák & Kacálek, 2020). The capacity of birch seedlings to grow on soils without or with just a few generalist microbial symbionts may give them an advantage over other species when colonising areas that have been cleared by a disturbance, such as a forest fire.…”

Natural Regeneration of the Tree Stand in the Bilberry Spruce Forest—Clear-Cutting Ecotone Complex in the First Post-Logging Decade

“…In the center of the hairgrass-dominated clear-cut (C zone), on the contrary, birch regeneration predominated. Birch being a light-demanding pioneer species with high growth energy, rapidly occupies the cut-over space and competes both with spruce seedlings and with previous-generation spruce (retained after stand removal), outgrowing and suppressing them [33,53,54]. The analysis of competition between spruce and birch occurrence evidences a clearly negative association of spruce and birch regeneration.…”