The soil acid–base status of boreal black spruce stands after whole-tree and stem-only harvesting

Abstract

The effect of different harvesting practices on soil acid–base status was evaluated in black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) forests of Quebec by comparing soil from five pairs of whole-tree and stem-only harvested plots 3 years after harvest. Stem-only harvesting contributed to the enrichment of the exchangeable base cation pool, particularly in the forest floors of the pairs where whole-tree harvested plots showed the highest exchangeable Al3+. In the mineral soil, divergence between treatments was low, perhaps because these acidic soils were strongly saturated with Al3+ (about 90%), which did not favour cationic exchange reactions. Although the effects of treatment may not persist over time, improved base cation nutrition may benefit stands during the early stages of development. Over a forest rotation of about 85 years, the estimated loss of alkalinity due to whole-tree harvesting was estimated to be low (less than 20%) when compared with the effect of acidic deposition.

Long term effects of whole tree harvesting on soil carbon and nutrient sustainability in the UK

“…mobility (as in Fig. 3a, minerals layer A, p = 0.07) is in accordance with reports by Nykvist and Rosen, (1985), Staaf and Olsson, (1991), Dahlgren and Driscoll, (1994), Olsson et al (1996), Bélanger et al (2003) and Rosenberg and Jacobson (2004). On the other hand, many studies have found no effect from removing of residues on soil acidity-for example after 10 years of WTH in Norway spruce stand in Finland (Smolander et al 2008), and even after 23 years after WTH of Sitka spruce in Wales (Walmsley et al 2009).…”

Postharvest organic matter removal effects on FH layer and mineral soil characteristics in four New Zealand Pinus radiata plantations

“…The similarity between the SO and WT plots agrees with an earlier study which reported no significant differences in pH between SO and WT harvesting treatments in coniferous forest soils (Olsson et al, 1996b), but Bé langer et al (2003 reported WT harvesting decreased soil pH relative to SO harvesting in spruce stands, due to higher concentrations of cations in the SO treatment plots released from the retained harvest debris. It has been suggested that slash retention decreases grass and weed growth, resulting in lower soil pH values, but this effect should only be observed in the short term, not over several years (Staaf and Olsson, 1991).…”

Determination and Mapping Critical Loads of Acidity and Exceedances for Upland Forest Soils in Eastern Canada

“…Forest harvesting can represent a major acid input in northern hardwood ecosystems (Watmough and Dillon, 2003), while it can cause a minor acidification effect in boreal coniferous ecosystems in the case where only stem wood is harvested. According to Bélanger et al (2003), whole-tree forest harvesting in the boreal coniferous forests in Quebec would represent less than 20% of the acid deposition to these ecosystems. Including the effects of harvesting, however, would result in lower calculated critical loads and, therefore, higher exceedances.…”