Abstract

Mechanical site preparation is assumed to reduce soil C stocks by increasing the rate at which the displaced organic material decomposes, but the evidence is equivocal. We measured rates of C loss of forest-floor material in mesh bags either placed on the surface or buried in the mineral soil at four sites in different regional climates in British Columbia. During the 3-year incubation, buried forest-floor material lost between 5% and 15% more C mass than material on the surface, with the greatest difference occurring at the site with the lowest annual precipitation. Studies of the long-term fate of buried and surface humus are needed to understand the net effects of site preparation on soil C stocks.

Keywords

humus; decomposition; soil; carbon; site preparation

Published in

Canadian Journal of Forest Research
2017, volume: 47, number: 8, pages: 1140-1144
Publisher: CANADIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING, NRC RESEARCH PRESS

Authors' information