Abstract
Harvest residues can play a crucial role in conserving nutrients for recycling in forests, but little is known about the rates of decomposition and nutrient release from these residues following logging in tropical acacia plantations. In this study, we examined the biomass and nutrient content of harvest residue components (bark, leaves, and branches) using the litterbag technique for a 1.5-year-period following harvest of a seven-year-old Acacia mangium plantation in Northern Vietnam. At harvest, the total dry biomass of harvest residues was 18 t ha−1 comprising bark (8.9 t ha−1), branches (6.6 t ha−1), and leaves (2.5 t ha−1). The retained bark on site conserved 51% N, 29% P, 32% K, 64% Ca, and 24% Mg content from harvest residues for recycling. Decomposition rate of the leaves was the most rapid (k = 1.47 year−1; t0.5 = 0.47 year), then branches (k = 0.54 year−1; t0.5 = 1.29 year), and bark (k = 0.22 year−1; t0.5 = 3.09 year). During decomposition, the loss of nutrients from harvest residues was K ≈ Ca > N > P> Mg. Decomposition of harvest residues and the associated rate of nutrient release can potentially supply a significant amount of nutrients required for stand development in the next rotation.
Highlights
IntroductionThe stemwood that is down to 3 cm in diameter (over bark) is exported from the site as a harvest product [1,2]
In Vietnam, plantations are typically clear-felled at the end of the rotation
This study has shown that harvest residues retained on site in the form of bark, branches, and leaves of a seven-year-old A. mangium plantation accounted for two-thirds of the total initial dry weight and 24–64% of macro-nutrient contents of total residues that included litter and understory vegetation
Summary
The stemwood that is down to 3 cm in diameter (over bark) is exported from the site as a harvest product [1,2]. Bark is often removed from the site with the commercial logs and sold for the production of charcoal, tannin, and garden compost [3,4,5], or is stripped after harvesting at the edge of the site or in a nearby wood yard, and not distributed over the logging area. There are concerns that these practices may degrade the productive potential of the site over successive rotations [6,7,8,9]. Especially bark, acts to conserve nutrients and leads to their controlled release in a way that minimizes losses from leaching and potentially supplies the amount of nutrients required for stand development
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