Factors influencing the soil solution chemistry in Norway spruce stands in the Bohemian Forest, Austria

Abstract

Weakly measurements of soil solution composition were performed in three stands of Norway spruce in the Bohemian Forest, Upper Austria from April to November during 1986, 1987 and 1988. Though these stands are only a few kilometres apart from each other, significant differences in the soil solution chemistry were found. Low calcium and magnesium concentrations in one of the stands were not only the result of atmospheric input, but the consequence of previous land use and nutrient accumulation in standing biomass and litter layer. Nitrate concentrations in the soil solution are related to atmospheric nitrogen deposition on the plots. The highest nitrate concentrations were found in the stand with the highest nitrogen input. There, excessive nitrification in a warm and dry period during late summer 1986 caused high nitrate concentrations in the soil solution. The results indicate that three major factors influence the chemistry of the soil solution in forest stands: (1) management of forest sites; (2) atmospheric deposition; (3) short-term climatic effects. All these factors can simultaneously impair the nutrition of recent stands and can increase their susceptibility to the impact of additional stress.