Impact of mechanized harvesting on compaction of sandy and clayey forest soils: results of a meta-analysis

Ampoorter, Evy; Schrijver, An De; Nevel, Lotte Van; Hermy, Martin; Verheyen, Kris

doi:10.1007/s13595-012-0199-y

Cited by 110 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…So in a saturated state, all pores are filled with water that cannot be compressed. Soil moisture content determines the proportion between soil compaction and plastic deformation (in the form of rutting) after the application of machine forces (Ampoorter et al 2012). Tractor traffic with its associated wheel or track slip can directly affect the soil structure and alter physical soil properties down to deeper depths.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of slope on physical soil disturbance due to farm tractor forwarding in a Hyrcanian forest of northern Iran

Jourgholami¹,

Soltanpour²,

Abari³

et al. 2014

iForest

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© iForest -Biogeosciences and Forestry IntroductionThe entry of forestry machineries into forest has resulted in some cases in levels of soil disturbance that may have adverse effects on forest ecosystems and subsequently on long-term tree growth (Miller & Anderson 2002, Landsberg et al. 2003, Ilstedta et al. 2004, Murphy et al. 2004. Numerous studies have documented changes in physical soil properties following harvesting machine traffic, such as increased soil compaction, soil displacement, rutting and soil profile disturbances (Adams & Froehlich 1984, Wronski & Murphy 1994, Rab 1996, Rohand et al. 2004, Eliasson 2005, Susnjar et al. 2006, Eliasson & Wasterlund 2007, Horn et al. 2007, Wang et al. 2007, Zenner et al. 2007, Ampoorter et al. 2010, 2012, Picchio et al. 2012. For instance, soil compaction, in which soil pores (especially macropores) are destroyed and surface aggregates are broken down (Ampoorter et al. 2010), depend on the soil texture and moisture at the time of harvest (McNabb et al. 2001, Bock & Van Rees 2002, but also on the number of machines passing on a specific point. Generally, soil compaction occurs in the first ten passes of a vehicle, but most of the compaction occurs in the first three trips; subsequent passes generally have little additional effect (Gayoso & Iroume 1991, Eliasson 2005, Eliasson & Wasterlund 2007, Ampoorter et al. 2010. So it would be appropriate to concentrate machine traffic on carefully designed skid trails in such a way to minimize the affected area and leave most trees undisturbed (Zenner & Berger 2008, Ampoorter et al. 2010.It is unclear, however, to what extent the slope gradient (i.e., longitudinal and transversal slope) of the skid trail and the direction of machine traffic (i.e., uphill vs. downhill) could modify the impacts of vehicle traffic on the soil. Whereas some studies have failed to document an effect of slope on bulk density following harvesting traffic (e.g., Sidle & Drlica 1981, Jamshidi et al. 2008, others have shown that soil disturbances increase with slope gradient (Ezzati et al. 2012), possibly because machines slip more and remain in a given place for a longer time on steep terrain, causing soil pulling and dragging (Gayoso & Iroume 1991). Thus, steepness may have an even stronger effect on soil disturbance than that of the soil moisture (Krag et al. 1986), but possibly less so than that of the traffic intensity (Ezzati et al. 2012).Soil disturbance is also strongly affected by the type of harvesting equipment used. Small-scale harvesting technology, such as farm tractors or better small skidder or other specific machines (such as ATV), is thought to result in lower levels of residual stand and soil damage because the equipment is typically smaller and lighter than regular skidders (Updegraff & Blinn 2000, Savelli et al. 2010, Spinelli & Magagnotti 2012. A recent study dealing with soil compaction has found that the highest relative increase in bulk density was associated with the use of bulldozers, the lowest with the use of a forwarder, a...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of slope on physical soil disturbance due to farm tractor forwarding in a Hyrcanian forest of northern Iran

Jourgholami¹,

Soltanpour²,

Abari³

et al. 2014

iForest

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“…During these processes, the soil is also affected as the forest floor and mineral top layer may be mixed by the machinery used in harvesting. Compaction processes could also affect the mineral soil depending on the harvesting intensity and the type of machinery employed (e.g., Ampoorter et al, 2012;Cambi et al, 2015). Tree cover reduction and the effects of harvesting on the soil could lead to soil erosion.…”

Section: Harvesting Operationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest management and carbon sequestration in the Mediterranean region: A review

et al. 2017

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Aim of study: TTo review and acknowledge the value of carbon sequestration by forest management in the Mediterranean area. Material and methods:We review the main effects of forest management by comparing the effects of silvicultural systems (even-aged vs. uneven-aged stands, coppice systems, agroforestry systems), silvicultural options (thinning, rotation period, species composition), afforestation, harvesting, fire impact or effects of shrub layer on carbon sequestration in the Mediterranean area.Main results: We illustrate as forest management can clearly improve forest carbon sequestration amounts. We conclude that forest management is an effective way to maintain and enhance high carbon sequestration rates in order to cope with climate change and provision of ecosystem services. We also think that although much effort has been put into this topic research, there are still certain gaps that must be dealt with to increase our scientific knowledge and in turn transfer this knowledge to forest practitioners in order to achieve sustainable management aimed at mitigating climate change.Research highlights: It is important to underline the importance of forests in the carbon cycle as this role can be enhanced by forest managers through sustainable forest management. The effects of different management options or disturbances can be critical as regards mitigating climate change. Understanding the effects of forest management is even more important in the Mediterranean area, given that the current high climatic variability together with historical human exploitation and disturbance events make this area more vulnerable to the effects of climate change.Additional keywords: global carbon cycle; forest sink; forest mitigation strategies; carbon sequestration potential; climate change mitigation; Mediterranean forests.

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“…The subject was recently reviewed in Ampoorter et al (2012) and Cambi et al (2015). Forest operations, such as forwarding and skidding, have a high potential for soil compaction (Jamshidi et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soil compaction is a major source of human-induced forest soil degradation (Bagheri et al 2011), even though moderate compaction of loose soils can result in improved soil quality (Gomez et al 2002). Harvest-induced soil compaction depends on several factors: soil type (Berli et al 2004, Sakai et al 2008, Magagnotti et al 2012, soil moisture (McNabb et al 2001, Han et al 2006, Ampoorter et al 2012, content of soil organic matter (Arthur et al 2013), number of machine passes (Williamson & Neilsen 2000, Wallbrink et al 2002, Han et al 2006, terrain steepness and direction of travel (Jourgholami et al 2014), characteristics of the equipment and yard organization (Picchio et al 2012, Marchi et al 2014, and machine speed and wheel slippage (Alakukku et al 2003, Eliasson 2005. Soil compaction and reduction or removal of the top organic horizon often causes poor regeneration on skid trails (Rab 1996, Startsev & McNabb 2000.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of wheeled and tracked tractors on soil physical properties in a mixed conifer stand

Cambi¹,

Certini²,

Fabiano³

et al. 2016

iForest

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Damage to forest soil caused by vehicle traffic mainly consists of soil compaction, displacement, and rut formation. Severity of the damage depends on vehicle mass, weight of the carried loads, ground morphology, and soil properties, such as moisture. This paper investigates the impacts of two types of vehicles (tracked or wheeled tractor), traffic intensities (one or five skidding cycles) and soil moisture (24% or 13% by weight) on compaction of a loam textured soil in a mixed conifer stand of central Italy. Changes in porosity, bulk density, shear and penetration resistances were analyzed. The latter three parameters were significantly higher in the trafficked soil portions than in the undisturbed ones in all treatments, while the opposite was true for porosity. The impact on soil bulk density and porosity was stronger for the wheeled tractor working on moist soil, while no significant effect of soil moisture was recorded for the tracked tractor. Shear and penetration resistances increased as a consequence of traffic, depending on both tractor type and soil moisture. The largest impact on shear resistance was recorded for the wheeled tractor on moist soil, while significant differences in penetration resistance were observed only between tracked and wheeled tractors in dry soil conditions. In order to preserve soil quality during logging activities, we recommend to operate under dry soil conditions and to limit vehicle movement on existing or new planned trails.

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Impact of mechanized harvesting on compaction of sandy and clayey forest soils: results of a meta-analysis

Cited by 110 publications

References 50 publications

Influence of slope on physical soil disturbance due to farm tractor forwarding in a Hyrcanian forest of northern Iran

Influence of slope on physical soil disturbance due to farm tractor forwarding in a Hyrcanian forest of northern Iran

Forest management and carbon sequestration in the Mediterranean region: A review

Impact of wheeled and tracked tractors on soil physical properties in a mixed conifer stand

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