Abstract
BackgroundThe role of forests in the global carbon cycle has been the subject of a great deal of research recently, but the impact of management practices on forest soil dynamics at the stand level has received less attention. This study used six forest management experimental sites in five northern states of the US to investigate the effects of silvicultural treatments (light thinning, heavy thinning, and clearcutting) on forest floor and soil carbon pools.ResultsNo overall trend was found between forest floor carbon stocks in stands subjected to partial or complete harvest treatments. A few sites had larger stocks in control plots, although estimates were often highly variable. Forest floor carbon pools did show a trend of increasing values from southern to northern sites. Surface soil (0-5 cm) organic carbon content and concentration were similar between treated and untreated plots. Overall soil carbon (0-20 cm) pool size was not significantly different from control values in sites treated with partial or complete harvests. No geographic trends were evident for any of the soil properties examined.ConclusionsResults indicate that it is unlikely that mineral soil carbon stocks are adversely affected by typical management practices as applied in northern hardwood forests in the US; however, the findings suggest that the forest floor carbon pool may be susceptible to loss.
Highlights
The role of forests in the global carbon cycle has been the subject of a great deal of research recently, but the impact of management practices on forest soil dynamics at the stand level has received less attention
The development of international, state, and regional climate agreements that call for reporting and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases has led to increased interest in forest carbon inventories and a greater demand for information relating to forest carbon sequestration
In 2009, US forests are estimated to have offset 13% of national greenhouse gas emissions [1], which makes understanding the effects of forest management on forest carbon cycles a high priority
Summary
The role of forests in the global carbon cycle has been the subject of a great deal of research recently, but the impact of management practices on forest soil dynamics at the stand level has received less attention. This study used six forest management experimental sites in five northern states of the US to investigate the effects of silvicultural treatments (light thinning, heavy thinning, and clearcutting) on forest floor and soil carbon pools. An international agreement designating the “maintenance of forest contribution to global carbon cycles” as Criterion Five in the Montreal Process for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests [2] has added to the need to understand the effects of commonly employed silvicultural techniques on key forest carbon pools. Federer highlighted several important factors to consider, including mixing of forest floor material into the soil during harvesting and the difficulty of distinguishing the boundary of the forest floor from the mineral soil
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