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Effects of organic matter removal and soil compaction on fifth-year mineral soil carbon and nitrogen contents for sites across the United States and Canada

Informally Refereed

Abstract

This study describes the main treatment effects of organic matter removal and compaction and a split-plot effect of competition control on mineral soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools. Treatment effects on soil C and N pools are discussed for 19 sites across five locations (British Columbia, Northern Rocky Mountains, Pacific Southwest, and Atlantic and Gulf coasts) that are part of the Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) network and were established over 5 years ago. The sites cover a broad range of soil types, climatic conditions, and tree species. Most sites showed increased soil C and N levels 5 years after study establishment; however, the rate and magnitude of the changes varied between sites. Organic matter removal, compaction, or competition control did not significantly affect soil C and N contents at any site, except for the Northern Rocky Mountain site, where competition control significantly affected soil C and N contents. The observation that, after 5 years, the soil C and N contents were not negatively affected by even the extreme treatments demonstrates the high resiliency of the soil, at least in the short term, to forest management perturbations.

Citation

Sanchez, Felipe G.; Tiarks, Allan E.; Kranabetter, J. Marty; Page-Dumroese, Deborah S.; Powers, Robert F.; Sanborn, Paul T.; Chapman, William K. 2006. Effects of organic matter removal and soil compaction on fifth-year mineral soil carbon and nitrogen contents for sites across the United States and Canada. Can. J. For. Res., Vol. 36: 565-576
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/31871