Abstract
Soil physical and chemical properties can be seriously affected by forest operations. There is a knowledge gap on this topic for oak ecosystems, which can play a significant role in the context of multiple-use forestry. The main objective of this study was to analyse forest floor and topsoil changes (0–10 cm) two years after the application of small-scale thinning (50% reduction of basal area) and clear-cut operations using mules to carry harvested material in a Northern Greece oak (Quercus frainetto Ten)ecosystem. The total amount of forest floor (O1+O2 horizons) was reduced by 37.8% in the thinned and 30.8% in the clear-cut plots compared to control plots. These large reductions are mainly due to reduction in the O2 horizon in the treated plots. Decomposition was reduced in the treated plots, possibly due to the new drier conditions. Treatments increased the soil pH but not to a significant extent. No evidence of erosion was found in the experimental plots due to the protective function of the forest floor and the use of designated mule trails. The areal extent of soil compaction was limited to only 3% of the total area mainly due to the careful planning and implementation of animal skidding. Small differences in C (%) and Ν (%) were found among control, thinned and clear-cut plots. The limiting growth factors in Mediterranean oak ecosystems are soil depth and the seasonal change of soil moisture, especially during the summer dry period. More research on the definition of the optimum thinning degree and extraction systems in similar ecosystems will be important to satisfy the need to improve soil characteristics.
Highlights
Background to the World ReferenceBase for Soil Resources HISTORYFrom its beginnings to the first edition in 1998 In the early 1980s, countries became increasingly interdependent for their supplies of food and agricultural products
Regional distribution of Cambisols Cambisols cover an estimated 1 500 million ha worldwide. This RSG is well represented in temperate and boreal regions that were under the influence of glaciations during the Pleistocene, partly because the parent material of the soil is still young, and because soil formation is slow in cool regions
Cambisols occur in dry regions but are less common in the humid tropics and subtropics where weathering and soil formation proceed at much faster rates than in temperate, boreal and dry regions
Summary
From its beginnings to the first edition in 1998 In the early 1980s, countries became increasingly interdependent for their supplies of food and agricultural products. Disparity of production potentials and of population-carrying capacities became international concerns that required harmonized soil information Against this background, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) felt that a framework should be created through which existing soil classification systems could be correlated and harmonized. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) felt that a framework should be created through which existing soil classification systems could be correlated and harmonized It would serve as an international means of communication and for exchange of experience. The Reference Base is not meant to substitute for national soil classification systems but rather to serve as a common denominator for communication at an international level This implies that lower-level categories, possibly a third category of the WRB, could accommodate local diversity at country level. The following set of soil groups are the RSGs in which iron (Fe) and/or aluminium (Al) chemistry plays a major role in their formation: Andosols, Podzols, Plinthosols, Nitisols and Ferralsols
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