Changes in Soil Profile Development and Nutrient Status due to the Afforestation of Agricultural Land

Abstract

Leth, Susanne & Breuning-Madsen, Henrik: Changes in Soil Profile Development and Nutrient Status due to the Afforestation of Agricultural Land. Geografisk Tidsskrift 92:70–74. Copenhagen 1992. In the middle of the last century, the recultivation of western Jutland began, and much of the former heathland was converted into agricultural land. Some of this land was too poor to guarantee stable plant production and satisfactory yields. Such land could be defined as marginal land. Consequently, it was abandoned at the beginning of this century and afforested with the conifer species Picea abies. In order to investigate the resultant changes in soil morphology and soil nutrients, a comparison was made of soils that had developed on land afforested with Picea abies at different times during this century, as well as those that had developed on adjacent agricultural land.