2014 journal article

Postharvest forest floor manipulation effects on nutrient dynamics in a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantation

CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH-REVUE CANADIENNE DE RECHERCHE FORESTIERE, 44(9), 1058–1067.

By: J. Zerpa, H. Allen n, B. McLaughlin*, J. Phelan n, R. Campbell* & S. Hu n

co-author countries: United States of America 🇺🇸
author keywords: Assart effect; forest floor manipulations; Pinus taeda; forestry; nutrient dynamic
Source: Web Of Science
Added: August 6, 2018

The synchronization of nutrient release and demand in early stand establishment is important to maximizing resource use in forest plantations. We explored the impacts of forest floor manipulations on the dynamics of forest floor and mineral soil nutrient pools in a Pinus taeda L. plantation in North Carolina prior to and during 2 years following harvest and replanting. We present a novel method to estimate forest floor decomposition that avoids the exclusion of large detritivores. Decomposition and nutrient release rates from the forest floor were higher than rates typically observed in older stands (averaging 81% mass loss and 75% N loss across treatments over the 2-year period), highlighting the potential importance of the forest floor nutrient pool in early stand nutrition. Doubling the forest floor increased available C, N, and P pools in the mineral soil 46%, 47%, and 49%, respectively. Incorporating the forest floor into mineral soil through mixing had only transient positive effects on nutrient pools. Across treatments, an expected postharvest flush of soil available N was observed; however, removing the forest floor caused an earlier flush of available N in comparison with the control treatment, and doubling the forest floor caused a year delay in maximum N availability, better synchronizing the site’s available N with stand demand.