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Soil property changes during loblolly pine production

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Three watersheds, each approximately 25 ha, were instrumented to measure and record drainage rate, water table depth, rainfall and meteorological data. Data continuously collected on the site since 1988 include response of hydrologic and water quality variables for nearly all growth stages of a Loblolly pine plantation. Data for drainage outflow rates and water table elevations were used to determine field effective hydraulic conductivity, K, of the profile at various stages of the production cycle. K values of the top 90 cm of the profile for mature plantation forest were 60 to 95 m/day, which are 20 to 30 times the values given in the soil survey for the Deloss series. Harvest did not appear to affect those values, but site preparation for regeneration, including bedding, reduced the effective K to values typically assumed for this series, 3.6 m/d for the top 45 cm and 1.6 m/d for deeper layers.

Keywords

water table, drainage, forest, hydraulic conductivity, harvesting

Citation

Skaggs, R. Wayne; Amatya, Devendra M.; Chescheir, G.M.; Blanton, Christine D. 2006. Soil property changes during loblolly pine production. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers: 2-12
Citations
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/25364