Abstract
A decline in soil quality is a major factor contributing to the degradation of forest ecological function. Vegetation plays a vital role in maintaining soil quality; however, the influence of plantation length on soil quality remains unclear. In this study, we collected soil samples in Northern China using a space-for-time substitution method. Soil were collected from control grassland; a clear-cutting site; 16-year-old (young, first, and second generation), 28-year-old (immature, first, and second generation), and 44-year-old (mature, first generation) Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr stands in May, July, and September 2016. We measured soil physical and chemical properties, microbial communities, and enzymatic activities. We selected soil bulk density, non-capillary porosity, volume humidity, soil organic carbon and activity of polyphenol oxidase to calculate a soil quality index (SQI) for each site. Our data indicated that clear-cutting greatly decreased soil quality of Larix principis-rupprechtii forests but returning the harvesting residues to the forest floor could reduce the negative impact of clear-cutting on soil quality. The soil quality improved significantly by prolonging the cultivation cycle and it took about 39 years for the first-generation forest to restore soil quality to the level of the control plot. Our study confirms that SQI provides a comprehensive measurement of soil quality with the identification of a minimum data set. Comparing SQI with other soil quality indicators would help us to optimize the method for assessing soil quality.
Highlights
Soil degradation is a global problem in the 21st century [1]
The Soil bulk density (SBD) of the first-generation forest was enhanced with an increase in stand age
The SBD of the second-generation forest still rose with an increase in stand age, but the SBD of CC was significantly dropped by 11.85% compared to CG
Summary
Soil degradation is a global problem in the 21st century [1]. Declining soil quality leads to the disruption of normal ecosystem functions and a reduction in ecosystem services [2]. From 1950 to 2010, soil ecosystem services were degraded by 60% [3], and accelerated soil degradation was reported to globally affect around 33% of the earth’s land surface [4]. One potential cause of soil degradation is plantation forestry since repeated harvest and successive replanting can result in the depletion of soil nutrients [5,6]. The high nutrient demands of some tree species [7,8] may eventually lead to a decrease in soil quality [9]. To maintain the productivity of forests, urgent action is needed to assess the impact of successive cultivation of timber forests on soil quality
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