Abstract

Extracting timber with heavy machinery on humid tropical soils degrades the soil structure and decreases plant growth. We investigated how disturbance by crawler tractors affected soil chemical and biological properties in a second-generation plantation in Sabah, Malaysia. Total N, total P, and anion resin-extractable P contents were analyzed. N- and P-limited microbial respiration kinetics were bioassayed (by measuring them before and after the addition of glucose +P and glucose +N, respectively), to assess changes in the soil's biological properties. Three months after planting, the soil's organic content were 25% lower on tracks compared to control plots that had not been affected by crawler tractors, while microbial indices of N and P availability were about 50% lower. Two years after planting acid-digestible P, N, and anion resin-extractable P contents were still lower along the tracks, as was one of two indices of microbial P and N availability, respectively. Therefore, the results indicate that soil conservation needs to be improved during the establishment phase to maintain the fertility of forest plantations such as the one studied. If crawler tractors are used, skid-tracks should be designated and their coverage minimized. (c) 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V

Published in

Forest Ecology and Management
2006, Volume: 225, number: 1-3, pages: 313-319
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

SLU Authors

• Ilstedt, Ulrik

  • Department of Forest Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Nordgren, Anders

  • Department of Forest Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Malmer, Anders

  • Department of Forest Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2006.01.008

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/8194