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Forests
Special Issues
Soil Management and Forest Productivity
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Soil Management and Forest Productivity

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2020) | Viewed by 7728

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lawrence Morris

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
Interests: impacts of forest management on soil properties and long- term site productivity; utilization of forests and trees in waste recycling and site remediation
Prof. Dr. Russell Briggs

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
SUNY-ESF, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Interests: forest soils; silviculture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We can define forest productivity both in the narrow sense, to refer to the production of fiber and timber, as well as in a much broader sense, to refer to the production of ecosystem services. Management activities that affect forest soils can be evaluated in either context. Moreover, forest management is completed under socio-economic conditions that vary among stakeholders and regions. Activities that affect soil conditions and forest productivity should be evaluated within the context of both negative impacts as well as the potential for positive inputs. Harvesting of native forests on sensitive sites constitutes one end of the spectrum; intensive plantation forestry constitutes the other.

Many assumptions concerning the relationship between soil management and forest growth over multiple rotations have been challenged during the last several decades as a result of the long-term field studies that have become available. In this Special Issue, we hope to focus on understanding how harvesting, harvest removals, site preparation, fertilization, herbicide and insecticide application, and genetic manipulation impact upon forest productivity in the narrow sense and how the impacts of these activities vary among regions. Both new research results and reviews that summarize our understanding of these topics will be included in this Special Issue. In addition, manuscripts that summarize the broader role that forest management plays in maintaining soil health and ecosystem services are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Lawrence Morris
Prof. Russell Briggs
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Carbon storage
  • Compaction and rutting
  • Fertilization
  • Forest rotation
  • Genetics
  • Pesticide
  • Long-term productivity
  • Insects and disease
  • Mineralization
  • Nutrient balance
  • Nutrient cycling
  • Plantation
  • Site preparation
  • Site productivity
  • Soil health
  • Sustainability

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 3231 KiB  
Article
Douglas-Fir Biomass Allocation and Net Nutrient Pools 15–20 Years after Organic Matter Removal and Vegetation Control
by K. M. Littke, T. B. Harrington, S. M. Holub, W. R. Littke, R. B. Harrison and E. C. Turnblom
Forests 2020, 11(9), 1022; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11091022 - 22 Sep 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2088
Abstract
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesiivar. menziesii (Mirbel) Franco) plantation forests of the coastal Pacific Northwest have been intensively managed to improve the yield of forest products. However, the long-term effects of these management techniques have received limited research attention in this region. Three [...] Read more.
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesiivar. menziesii (Mirbel) Franco) plantation forests of the coastal Pacific Northwest have been intensively managed to improve the yield of forest products. However, the long-term effects of these management techniques have received limited research attention in this region. Three affiliate Long-Term Soil Productivity study sites were installed in Douglas-fir forests to understand the impacts of organic matter removals and vegetation control on soil productivity over time. Matlock and Fall River are located in Washington, USA and Molalla is located in Oregon. Organic matter removal treatments included traditional bole-only harvest (BO), whole tree removals (WT), and a whole tree plus coarse woody debris removal (WT+) (Fall River only). Five years of annual vegetation control (AVC) was compared with a conventional initial vegetation control (IVC) treatment at all sites. Douglas-fir biomass allocation to foliage, branch, and stem components was modeled using 15- to 20-year-old trees from this study along with 5- to 47-year-old trees from previous studies on these sites. Across all sites, model predictions indicated that the WT treatment had 7.1 to 9.7 Mg ha−1 less Douglas-fir biomass than the BO treatment. There was 1.5 to 20.5 Mg ha−1 greater Douglas-fir biomass in the AVC treatment than in the IVC treatment at all sites. Douglas-fir carbon and nitrogen biomass were consistently lower in the WT treatment, but there were no significant changes in overall site nutrient pools. The AVC treatment resulted in greater Douglas-fir nutrient pools yet there was a net loss in site calcium, magnesium, and potassium due to lower forest floor and soil base cation pools. While WT removals did not significantly affect site nutrition, the decrease in Douglas-fir biomass at all sites and increase in invasive Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link) biomass at Matlock suggests that the standard practice of retaining harvest residuals is beneficial. The use of intensive vegetation control to improve Douglas-fir biomass and nutrition must be balanced with retaining soil base cations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Management and Forest Productivity)
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17 pages, 2064 KiB  
Article
Yield and Nutrient Demand and Efficiency of Eucalyptus under Coppicing Regime
by Nathália Faria da Silva, Nairam Félix de Barros, Júlio César Lima Neves, Fernanda Schulthais, Roberto Ferreira de Novais and Edson Marcio Mattiello
Forests 2020, 11(8), 852; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11080852 - 6 Aug 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2595
Abstract
Eucalyptus stands can be managed by coppicing, however, in several Brazilian regions reduced yield has been observed with harvesting successions. This reduction can be attributed to reduced nutrient availability, among other factors. This study aimed to: to assess the nutritional demand of the [...] Read more.
Eucalyptus stands can be managed by coppicing, however, in several Brazilian regions reduced yield has been observed with harvesting successions. This reduction can be attributed to reduced nutrient availability, among other factors. This study aimed to: to assess the nutritional demand of the Eucalyptus stand under a coppice regime; the effect of fertilization on the production of wood, distribution and compartmentalization of nutrients in eucalyptus stands managed by coppice; the effect of the height and number of shoots, on the occasion of the sprouting, in the production of eucalyptus managed by coppice and to compare the productivity of high eucalyptus wood with coppice management regime. The trial was conducted for clone GG157 (Eucalyptus urophylla hybrid), in Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo (Oxisol), of the Cerrado region in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Trees were originally planted at the 3.8 × 2.4 m spacing and, after the first harvesting, at age 84 months, the stand was managed by coppicing. Treatments consisted of: (a) fertilization or not; (b) one, two or four poles per stump; and (c) selection of 1-, 2- or 4-m-high poles and repeated three times. Sixty months after treatment application, plots of 80 trees were used for the assessments. The gain in trunk yield with fertilization and the combination between the height of poles at the time of pole selection and number of poles left varies between 140.2% for thinning when the pole is 2 m high and maintains 1 pole per strain and 128.6% when the plants are 1 m high and maintain 1 pole per strain. Not supplying nutrients in the coppicing system leads to lower accumulation of nutrients in the tree and reductions in both wood and trunk yields. Trees in the coppicing system use nutrients for trunk production more efficiently than those in high forest. Earlier pole selection enables the best use of growth resources, resulting in increased yield. Adequate nutritional management of coppiced stands results in the maintenance or increase of yield compared to the first rotation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Management and Forest Productivity)
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22 pages, 1099 KiB  
Article
Effects of Non-Industrial Wood Ash (NIWA) Applications on Soil Chemistry and Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum, Marsh.) Seedling Growth in an Acidic Sugar Bush in Central Ontario
by Holly D. Deighton and Shaun A. Watmough
Forests 2020, 11(6), 693; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11060693 - 19 Jun 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2675
Abstract
Research Highlights: In central Ontario, large quantities of non-industrial wood ash (NIWA) are generated and could be used as a forest soil amendment to counteract soil acidification and base cation depletion caused by decades of acid deposition. Background and Objectives: The properties and [...] Read more.
Research Highlights: In central Ontario, large quantities of non-industrial wood ash (NIWA) are generated and could be used as a forest soil amendment to counteract soil acidification and base cation depletion caused by decades of acid deposition. Background and Objectives: The properties and biogeochemical responses of NIWA have not been thoroughly explored, and field experiments must be conducted before NIWA can be regulated as a forest soil amendment in Ontario. Materials and Methods: In this study, soil chemistry and sugar maple (Acer saccharum, Marsh.) seedling growth and chemistry were measured in an acidic sugar bush over twelve months following a NIWA field experiment. Plots (2 m by 2 m) were established with sugar maple, white pine (Pinus strobus L.), and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) NIWA treatments applied at rates of 6 Mg ha−1 along with untreated control plots. Results: Ash chemistry varied significantly among species and yellow birch ash generally had much higher metal concentrations compared with other species. Following ash application, significant increases in soil pH and calcium and magnesium concentrations were observed, however the level of response varied by treatment. Foliar concentrations of base cations in sugar maple seedlings significantly increased in ash treatments and there was no significant treatment effect on foliar metal concentrations or seedling growth. In roots and shoots, concentrations of several metals (manganese, aluminum, iron, boron, arsenic, cadmium, zinc, copper, lead, chromium, and nickel) increased after ash application, however response was most pronounced in yellow birch ash. Conclusions: These results suggest that application of NIWA can counteract the lasting effects of acid rain by increasing soil pH and base cation concentrations, as well as increasing sugar maple seedling foliar nutrient concentrations, but ashes from species with high metal contents may also increase metal availability to vegetation, at least in the short-term. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Management and Forest Productivity)
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