A contribution to the effect of liming on forest soils: review of literature

Abstract

Extensive forest areas were ameliorated by large-scale liming in the last years in order to prevent proceeding acidification and degradation of forest soils. The hitherto knowledge of liming effects on the function of forest soils still appears insufficient for an unambiguous evaluation. Sorption properties of soils and acidity are favourably affected by liming and the favourable effect is usually manifested in the layer of forest floor humus and in mineral soil within ten years. Reduction of soil acidity stimulates development of a bacterial component of microflora, soil edaphon, and good prerequisites are formed for a release of nutrients from soil organic matter. Improvement of some physical parameters of soils and negative effect of liming on the depth of rooting in spruce, availability of nutrients at some sites and in connection with mechanical soil preparation were also described. A key point of liming effect on forest soils is nitrogen dynamics. Mineralization of nitrogen is stimulated at nitrogen-rich sites with C/N < 30. Nitrogen-limited sites show nitrogen mineralization inhibited by liming with signs of pronounced deficiency in spruce nutrition. A positive effect of liming on nutrition with bases is generally accompanied by an adverse influence on N dynamics in acidic soils under spruce monocultures. Therefore it is possible to state that liming induces relatively marked changes in the soil but the actual growth response of woody species cannot be derived only from these changes.