Afforestation Of Land Research Articles

Influence of afforestation on soil genesis, morphology and properties in glacial till deposits

A study of soil morphological, physical and chemical properties was performed in woodland of different ages, in which spruce (Picea abies), aspen (Populus tremula) and birch (Betula pendula) growing stocks have colonized former agricultural land. The aim of the study was to clarify changes in soil genesis, morphology and properties due to the afforestation of abandoned agricultural land in glacial till deposits. The research showed that soil in these deposits (loamy sand, loam, clay) retains the morphological properties of agricultural land for up to 100 years. Secondary podzolization features in the soil profiles were observed within 100 years of the start of afforestation, whereas the diagnostic properties of Albic and Spodic horizons had not developed in the soil profile after 200 years. This study demonstrated that the morphological and physico-chemical properties of forest litter horizons, including the accumulation of organic substances, are dependent on forest age; however, changes in the properties of mineral soil horizons are mainly related to woodland age. Following the afforestation of agricultural lands, changes in soil pHKCl, organic matter content and extractable Al and Fe concentrations occur more rapidly than changes in soil diagnostic properties and profile formation.

一个年龄序列巨桉人工林植物和土壤生物多样性

为了全面、系统研究和评价退耕后桉树人工林生物多样性,采用立地条件控制及空间代替时间法,对四川丹棱县退耕营造的巨桉 (<em>Eucalyptus grands</em>) 人工林 (1-10a) 植物和土壤生物多样性进行了同步研究。结果显示,植物和土壤动物的物种数、密度和多样性指数及土壤微生物数量呈相似变化趋势,即轮伐期前同步(4a左右)降低,此后随林龄显著增加。CCA分析显示,植物生活型随林龄由藤本植物、地面芽和1年生植物向多年生草本高位芽和高位芽植物过渡。土壤微生物以细菌占据数量优势;土壤动物以腐食性功能团占据优势,杂食性次之。腐食性功能团1-7a降低而后升高,杂食性呈S型升高趋势;植食性和捕食性功能团百分比较低随林龄显著降低。土壤动物优势类群中线虫纲个体百分比随林龄显著降低,蜱螨目百分比和A/C值(蜱螨目/弹尾目数量比)呈S型上升趋势。各林龄巨桉林地植物多样性均显著高于对照农耕地;除1, 2a及4-7a样地植物多样性显著低于对照马尾松林,其余均与其无显著差异。土壤生物多样性,轮伐期前巨桉林地与对照农耕地差异不显著,此后则显著高于农耕地;各林龄样地土壤生物多样性均显著低于对照马尾松林。植物和土壤生物多样性指标显著相关,且相关系数随土壤层次加深而降低。;Issues around the loss of diversity caused by fast-growing tree plantations such as <em>Eucalyptus</em> have aroused controversy for many years. It is generally believed that <em>Eucaluptus </em>plantations bring about a decrease of plant's biodiversity by influencing resource competitions, allelopathy, or the level of soil fertility. Above and below-ground of forest ecosystems interact implicitly. Complex interactions between above-belowground biodiversity may provide important feedbacks regulating ecosystem. However, seldom information was available on the soil organism's diversity in <em>Eucalyptus</em> plantations. Furthermore, most of the previous studies were being conducted in the short-term rotation <em>Eucalyptus </em>plantations with a certain plantation age, which might limit our understanding of the actual plantation ecosystem process. Therefore, the abundance and diversity of plants and soil biodiversity were simultaneously measured across a range of eucalypt plantation ages (1-10 years) in southwest China to determine how <em>Eucalyptus grandis</em> afforestation of agricultural lands affected the native biodiversity. The present results showed that afforestation of <em>E. grandis</em> caused changes in plant and soil biodiversity with soil depth and was dependent on the stand age. The species richness, abundance and the diversity of understory plants and soil organisms showed a parallel development during the process of the succession, viz. both of them increased significantly with time but with a‘dip' around 4 years old. CCA analysis showed that the plant's life forms transited from liana, hemicryptophytes and therophytes into perennial herbaceous-phanerophytes and phanerophytes. Bacteria quantitatively dominated the soil microbe in <em>E. grandis </em>regardless of plantation age. The individual proportion of saprozoic group quantitatively dominated in the soils of the all the study sites, followed by omnivorous group. The proportion of saprozoic groups decreased in 1-7 year old stands and then increased significantly with time. The proportion of omnivorous group increased as S shape with the plantation age. The proportion of predators and phytophage groups decreased significantly with time. The individual percentage of nematode decreased with the plantation age, but that of acarina and the number ratio of the acarina and collembola present the S shape increasing trend over time. The multiple comparisons test showed that plant diversity of the understory vegetation in 1, 2 and 4-7 years-old plantations were significantly lower than that in the control forests (<em>Pinus massoniana</em>). Plant diversity in 1-10 year-old <em>E. grandis</em> plantations were significantly higher than that of the control arable land. Soil biodiversity in the plantations before the rotation period has no significant differences compared with agricultural lands, but were significantly higher in the plantations on or after the rotation period than the crop land. There were significant correlations between the plant' s and soil organism's diversity index and the correlation coefficient decreased with soil depth.

Spatial differentiation and the effects of the "Afforestation of Agricultural Land" in Poland

Spatial differentiation and the effects of the "Afforestation of Agricultural Land" in Poland

Panel Discussion (“SATO-ENE” Renaissance: Using Local Energy, The Symposium 2012 Sponsored by the National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization)

Panel Discussion (“SATO-ENE” Renaissance: Using Local Energy, The Symposium 2012 Sponsored by the National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization)

Comparative Research on the Development of the Stands from the Degraded Perimeters of Chinteni and Vaida Cămăraș

The erosion of the soil has negative ecological and economic effects on short but also onlong term. The purpose of this theme is the knowledge of the evolution of the stands and of theimproving effects on the degraded lands. The main objectives followed in this paper are theidentification and the stational mapping of the degraded and consolidated lands through afforestation.The positive influences of the stands are multiple and among the most important ones we can name theimprovement of the pedological conditions, of the environmental conditions, and also some economicadvantages due to the wood obtained, the berries, but also the creation of favorable conditions forhunting. The afforestation of the degraded lands has a positive effect from an economic and ecologicalperspective, but also through the decreasing of the impact caused by the climate changes. In thismanner, important surfaces of land will be introduced in the economic circuit and will improve thepedoclimatic conditions for the culture.

A comparison between natural forests and reforested lands in terms of runoff generation potential and hydrologic response (case study: Kasilian Watershed)

Afforested lands are different from natural forests in terms of hydrologic conditions, runoff generation potential, and sediment generation rate. These differences emerge due to changes in soil structure and vegetation density, litter amount, trees heights, and so on. In this study, a comparison has been made between natural forests and afforested lands in Kasilian &amp;ndash; a watershed located in Mazandaran province, Northern Iran. To achieve this purpose, harmonious units have been defined by overlay analysis of these layers in GIS environment: slope, aspect, Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and soil. Then, the location of couple plots was defined by field studies in the harmonious units. The plot locations were selected in a way that runoff generation was a function of tree species and tree conditions, assuming that rainfall intensity is equal in all areas. Initial loss and runoff volume were measured in even plots after rainfall. Then, the initial loss parameter in a rainfall-runoff model was applied to compare runoff volume and peak discharge in the afforested lands and natural forests. The rainfall-runoff model was presented using GIS and HEC-HMS model. The results showed that reforested lands have lower infiltration, lower initial loss, and higher runoff due to lower density, canopy, litter, and soil compaction. Furthermore, the runoff generation potential of reforested lands is several times higher than that of natural forests.

Does afforestation of pastures increase sequestration of soil carbon in Mediterranean climates?

Afforestation of agricultural land to mitigate climate change and other environmental degradation has been increasingly implemented around the world. However, the effects of afforestation on soil carbon and particularly nitrogen content remain unclear. We conducted a hierarchical Bayesian meta-analysis of published data on the effects of afforestation of pastures on soil carbon and nitrogen stocks in a Mediterranean climate. We found no evidence for substantial changes in soil carbon, nitrogen or C:N ratio across three decades of afforestation. However, a lack of data on the carbon content of the litter underestimates the potential for afforestation to sequester carbon in the soil. We investigated soil carbon content under remnant woodlands and found that it was higher than under the afforested pastures suggesting that afforestation has the potential to increase soil carbon over longer time scales. Targeted studies that measure carbon content and form within soils over an extended chronosequence are much needed to improve predictions of the potential for afforestation to increase soil carbon storage.

Comparison of measured 137Cs data and USLE/ RUSLE simulated long-term erosion rates

The 137Cs technique of quantifying soil erosion is used to provide field data to compare with the empirical model USLE/RUSLE for predicting long-term erosion rates in afforested lands. Caesium-137 from atmospheric nuclear-weapons tests in the 1950s and 1960s, deposited worldwide on the land surface by precipitation, has become an important tool for assessing soil erosion and sedimentation in a wide variety of environments. The underlying hypothesis to support the use of 137Cs measurements to estimate rates of erosion or sedimentation is the assumption that a reliable relationship can be established between the degree of increase or depletion of the soil caesium-137 inventory relative to the baseline or reference inventory and the total depth of soil loss or accumulation. The reference inventory is usually established by sampling adjacent, stable sites, where neither erosion nor deposition has occurred. Where sample inventories are lower than the local reference inventory, erosion may be inferred. Similarly, sample inventories beyond the reference level are indicative of deposition. Estimation of sediment production by erosion has traditionally been solved through the use of empirical models as USLE and its corrected version RUSLE (Renard et al., 1997), and extensive work has been done regarding calibration and validation of its main parameters under Uruguayan local conditions (Clérici y García Prèchac, 2001). The results of a trial run of the technique on Eucalyptus forested microcatchment (97 ha) are presented. The expected distribution of deposition was derived from the reference sample activity: 373,5 Bq/m2. Evidence of soil erosion in the catchment’s middle slope was deduced whereas soil cores from the lower slope had more than expected activity indicating deposition. Results indicate a good agreement between the 137Cs data and USLE/ RUSLE predicted erosion in the slope.

Assessment of Farmland Afforestation in the Upstream Yangtze River, China

The conversion of marginal farmland in China to forest or grassland has been in progress for more than 10 years, but the effects and problems of afforestation need to be investigated so as to affirm and improve farmland afforestation in China's Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2011–2015). According to results from remote sensing and field studies in one county, the local government-registered farmland area was much greater than the actual afforested area. This is likely to be linked to the subsidy payments available for afforestation. The most serious problems are the cultivation of exotic fast-growing forest species (not native pioneer species) selected for forest planting, and the use of single-species rather than mixed plantations. Afforestation of farmland is a systematic, long-term and complicated process, which needs to be performed step by step. The proportion and position of afforested land in the study area were analysed quantitatively on the basis of soil fertility, variation in ecological significance and different soil erosion levels. In light of the findings, the authors discuss how to prioritize afforestation areas.

第1報告 総論 広葉樹ルネサンスとは（広葉樹ルネサンスで、むら・まちを活かす 2011年国土緑化推進機構助成シンポジウム）

第1報告 総論 広葉樹ルネサンスとは（広葉樹ルネサンスで、むら・まちを活かす 2011年国土緑化推進機構助成シンポジウム）

開催にあたって(広葉樹ルネサンスで、むら・まちを活かす,2011年国土緑化推進機構助成シンポジウム)

開催にあたって(広葉樹ルネサンスで、むら・まちを活かす,2011年国土緑化推進機構助成シンポジウム)

SOIL CO2 FLUX IN GRASSLAND, AFFORESTED LAND AND RECLAIMED COALMINE OVERBURDEN DUMPS: A CASE STUDY

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study was to measure the in situ soil CO2 flux from grassland, afforested land and reclaimed coalmine overburden dumps by using the automated soil CO2 flux system (LICOR‐8100® infrared gas analyzer, LICOR Inc., Lincoln, NE). The highest soil CO2 flux was observed in natural grassland (11·16 µmol CO2 m−2s−1), whereas the flux was reduced by 38 and 59 per cent in mowed site and at 15‐cm depth, respectively. The flux from afforested area was found 5·70 µmol CO2 m−2s−1, which is 50 per cent lower than natural grassland. In the reclaimed coalmine overburden dumps, the average flux under tree plantation was found to be lowest in winter and summer (0·89–1·12 µmol CO2 m−2s−1) and highest during late monsoon (3–3·5 µmol CO2 m−2s−1). During late monsoon, the moisture content was found to be higher (6–7·5 per cent), which leads to higher microbial activity and decomposition. In the same area under grass cover, soil CO2 flux was found to be higher (8·94 µmol CO2 m−2s−1) compared with tree plantation areas because of higher root respiration and microbial activity. The rate of CO2 flux was found to be determined predominantly by soil moisture and soil temperature. Our study indicates that the forest ecosystem plays a crucial role in combating global warming than grassland; however, to reduce CO2 flux from grassland, mowing is necessary. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Comparison of measured 137Cs data and USLE/ RUSLE simulated long-term erosion rates

The 137Cs technique of quantifying soil erosion is used to provide field data to compare with the empirical model USLE/RUSLE for predicting long-term erosion rates in afforested lands. Caesium-137 from atmospheric nuclear-weapons tests in the 1950s and 1960s, deposited worldwide on the land surface by precipitation, has become an important tool for assessing soil erosion and sedimentation in a wide variety of environments. The underlying hypothesis to support the use of 137Cs measurements to estimate rates of erosion or sedimentation is the assumption that a reliable relationship can be established between the degree of increase or depletion of the soil caesium-137 inventory relative to the baseline or reference inventory and the total depth of soil loss or accumulation. The reference inventory is usually established by sampling adjacent, stable sites, where neither erosion nor deposition has occurred. Where sample inventories are lower than the local reference inventory, erosion may be inferred. Similarly, sample inventories beyond the reference level are indicative of deposition. Estimation of sediment production by erosion has traditionally been solved through the use of empirical models as USLE and its corrected version RUSLE (Renard et al., 1997), and extensive work has been done regarding calibration and validation of its main parameters under Uruguayan local conditions (Clerici y Garcia Prechac, 2001). The results of a trial run of the technique on Eucalyptus forested microcatchment (97 ha) are presented. The expected distribution of deposition was derived from the reference sample activity: 373,5 Bq/m2. Evidence of soil erosion in the catchment’s middle slope was deduced whereas soil cores from the lower slope had more than expected activity indicating deposition. Results indicate a good agreement between the 137Cs data and USLE/ RUSLE predicted erosion in the slope.

Runoff model validation for large-scale afforestation in arid land

As a countermeasure against global warming, large scale afforestation of arid land which is hardly used for crop cultivation has been receiving attention. By large scale afforestation, atmospheric CO2 will be fixed into plants. In arid land, however, most of the rainwater is lost by runoff and evaporation. Effective use of rainwater is required for afforestation. Thus, we made an original runoff model to evaluate water distribution in our research area in Western Australia. In this study, first of all, we tested the effect of the treatment way of the water movement around the watershed, and secondly, the effect of rainfall input method on the numerical estimation results of water level change.

Effects of afforestation with Eucalyptus grandis on soil physicochemical and microbiological properties

It is generally believed that plantations of Eucalyptus bring about a decrease in soil fertility. Soil physicochemical and microbiological properties were measured across a range of E. grandis plantation ages (1–10 years) in south-western China to determine whether and how eucalypt afforestation of agricultural land affected the soil fertility. The results indicate that afforestation with E. grandis caused changes in soil properties with soil depth, and the changes were dependent on the stand age. Soil bulk density decreased significantly, but water-holding capacity increased significantly with time. Soil organic matter content, C : N ratio, and soil microbial biomass C and N concentrations showed an initial phase of decline and then increased significantly over time in the upper soil layers of E. grandis plantations aged from 1 to 4 or 5 years. Soil pH in E. grandis plantations did not change significantly with stand age or soil layer. Cation exchange capacity in the upper soil layer of E. grandis plantations increased significantly over time. Total exchangeable bases and base saturation in the soil decreased significantly with depth and with increasing plantation age. Furthermore, E. grandis afforestation of arable soils had no significant effects on total N, total P, and available P contents. The requirements of the trees, understory microenvironmental conditions, and allelopathic effects might play important roles in the dynamic changes of soil physicochemical and microbiological properties. The results demonstrate the progressive development of processes that lead to the restoration of soil fertility following E. grandis afforestation of arable soils. However, most of the properties measured for the afforested soils resembled the properties of arable soils and did not resemble those of the soil of control forests. Thus, reversion of soil properties in the study plantations is likely to require a considerable period of time. Long-term research is needed to understand changes in the soil properties resulting from afforestation with Eucalyptus and to predict future trends.

Life cycle assessment of fuel production for biomass from dry land afforestation

Biomass has been focused as a fuel resource because of its huge abundance and carbon-neutral characteristics. Thus, we attempted to use tree biomass as the resource to automotive fuel. From the global warming point of view, the biomass energy production from large-scale plantation is required, however, the land use should not be changed from crop field or forest land. In the present paper, the feasibility of the use in Japan of biofuel from woody biomass produced in large arid area of Western Australia, where the present authors demonstrated that the large-scale afforestation is possible even in an arid land when introducing water management and plantation technologies, has been evaluated using LCA method, by considering the actual condition of our afforestation area. Furthermore, some sensitivity analysis is conducted on the effects of composition ratio of electric power sources.

Panel Discussion (Revitalization of Towns and Villages through a Hardwood Renaissance, 2011 Symposium Supported by the National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization)

Panel Discussion (Revitalization of Towns and Villages through a Hardwood Renaissance, 2011 Symposium Supported by the National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization)

A comparison of the biophysical and economic water-use efficiencies of indigenous and introduced forests in South Africa

Water resources in many catchments in South Africa (SA) are over committed and water is projected to become scarcer. The impacts of plantation forestry on water resources in SA are well known and legislation limits further afforestation. Nevertheless demands for wood continue to grow. A challenge therefore is to increase the production of forest products within water constraints. This paper presents research into the economic and biophysical efficiencies with which indigenous and introduced tree-production systems in SA use water to produce harvestable biomass. Its purpose is to better inform resource allocations. Key findings are that: introduced plantations are more efficient at using water to produce harvestable biomass than indigenous species; the lower water-use efficiencies of indigenous species are due to slow growth rates and not high water-use rates; and the performance of indigenous forests improves when using the economic return per unit of water used – using the residual imputation approach to value the water – because of their lower production costs and higher product prices. Introduced plantations make up the majority of afforested land and total outputs in SA, however, therefore innovative mechanisms are needed to overcome barriers preventing the financing of indigenous forests. Possible financing mechanisms include the UN CDM and REDD programmes and tax breaks for superannuation funds.

Estimating carbon supply curves from afforestation of agricultural land in the Northeastern U.S.

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative for the northeastern states of the U.S. allows for terrestrial carbon (C) sequestration offsets generated by afforestation activities only. This paper estimates the maximum potential quantity and associated costs of increasing the storage of carbon by afforestation of existing agricultural land in the 11 states of the Northeast United States. The focus of the work was to describe location, the quantity, and at what cost it would be economically attractive to shift agricultural production to afforestation to increase carbon storage in the region. Widely available data sets were used to (1) identify spatially-explicit areas for lower costs carbon offsets and (2) estimate carbon supply curves related to afforestation of agricultural land over three time periods (10, 20, and 40 years). Carbon accumulation and total carbon offset project costs were estimated at a county scale and combined to identify expected costs per ton of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). Large variation in estimated costs per ton of CO2e are driven by varying carbon accumulation potentials and opportunity costs of taking land out of agricultural production, as well as the duration of the project activity. Results show that the lowest cost carbon offset projects will be in certain counties of Maine, Vermont, and New York. Pasture land, with lower opportunity costs, generally presents the opportunity for lower cost carbon offset projects relative to cropland. This analysis estimates that afforestation of pasture land in the northeast will not become economically attractive until the price rises above $10 per metric tonne (MT) CO2e and that up to 583 million MT could be economically sequestered if the price were to rise to $50 per MT CO2e, based on a 40-year project life. With regard to cropland in the northeast, afforestation does not become economically advantageous for land owners until the price rises above $40 per MT CO2e. It is estimated that up to 487,000 MT could be sequestered from cropland if the price were to rise to $50 per MT CO2e, based on a 40-year project life.

Afforestation of agricultural land with Pinus radiata D. don and Betula alba L. in NW Spain: Effects on soil PH, understorey production and floristic diversity eleven years after establishment

ABSTRACTAfforestation of abandoned agricultural lands has been the main change in land use over the past decade in Europe. However, the impact of tree species and understorey management on production and plant diversity over the medium‐ and long‐term has not been thoroughly studied. This paper aims to evaluate the effects of an afforestation of Pinus radiata D. Don and Betula alba L. on soil pH, understorey production and plant diversity and life cycle type (annuals vs. perennials) managed with different soil fertilisation treatments over a period of 11 years. The results show an acidification of the soil 11 years after establishment, better vertical growth and diameter of pine compared with birch as usually happens in the region and important variation in the biomass production and composition of the understorey below both tree species. Understorey species remained similar during the first 5 years below both canopies. However, species richness (S) was drastically reduced under Pinus radiata D. Don plantation compared to Betula alba L. (Spine = 2 vs. Sbirch = 17) after 11 years of tree establishment at a very high density (2500 trees ha−1). Inorganic and organic fertilisation also caused a reduction in floristic diversity. Soil pH, pasture production and floristic understorey plant diversity are better preserved under autochthonous broadleaves, which increased the multiple uses of recently afforested lands in the short‐ and medium‐term. In the European context of high need for sawn wood, the use of autochthonous broadleaved tree species like Betula should be promoted due to their better sustainability. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.