Quantifying consequences of removing harvesting residues on forest soils and tree growth – A meta-analysis

Achat, David L.; Deleuze, Christine; Landmann, Guy; Pousse, Noémie; Ranger, Jacques; Augusto, Laurent

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2015.03.042

Cited by 291 publications

(204 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…Slash removal has larger effects on soil C and nutrients when rotations are short, slash is removed repeatedly, clay content is low, temperatures are high, the site is relatively wet, and forest productivity is high [4,5]. It is well known that retaining harvest residues on the soil is extremely important to maintain high productivity of tropical forests [14][15][16]. However, more research is needed in order to reach a plausible conclusion about the subject due to the divergence in the data available, as observed by Nambiar and Harwood [14].…”

Section: Effects Of Harvest Residue Strategies On Soil C and Availablmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of Timber Harvest Intensities and Fertilizer Application on Stocks of Soil C, N, P, and S

Menegale

Rocha

Harrison

et al. 2016

Forests

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Abstract:The purpose of this study was to determine the stocks of available P and S, total N, and oxidizable C at depth in an Oxisol cultivated with Eucalyptus in Brazil following different timber harvest intensities and fertilizer application over 12 years. The harvest regimes considered were (i) conventional stem-only harvest (all forest residues were maintained on the soil); (ii) whole-tree harvest (only litter was maintained on the soil-all slash, stemwood, and bark were removed); and (iii) whole-tree harvest + litter layer removal. The site was planted in 2004 considering three timber harvest intensities, some with and some without N and P fertilization. In 2012 the experiment was reinstalled, and all the treatments were reapplied in the each plot. From 2004 to 2016, nutrient accumulation and soil N, P, and S stocks were assessed in the 0-20 cm layer. Also in 2016, soil N, P, S, and oxidizable C stocks were measured to 2 m depth. For each treatment, the net balance of N, P, and S were calculated from soil stocks and harvest outputs during two forest rotations. A reduction in all nutrient stocks was observed in the 0-20 cm layer for all treatments. For N, this reduction was 20% smaller in the stem-only harvest treatment and 40% higher when no N fertilizer was applied, when compared to other treatments. Stem-only harvest treatment was observed to reduce the loss of N, P, and S due to harvest by 300, 30, and 25 kg·ha −1 , respectively, when compared to the whole-tree harvest + litter layer removal treatment.

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Section: Effects Of Harvest Residue Strategies On Soil C and Availablmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The practice of leaving forest residues on site can sustain soil quality with respect to the productivity of medium and long-term species such as Eucalyptus [12][13][14][15][16]. This practice helps to improve nutrient pools and OM content in the soil [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Timber Harvest Intensities and Fertilizer Application on Stocks of Soil C, N, P, and S

Menegale

Rocha

Harrison

et al. 2016

Forests

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“…Johnson, 1994;Ballard, 2000;Smaill et al, 2008), or soil microbial community biomass and activity (Smaill et al, 2010;Achat et al, 2015). Integration of this additional data would likely also see more variations arise between the different growth trajectories based on other regional differences.…”

Section: Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-rotation impacts of increased organic matter removal in planted forests

Smaill

Garrett

2016

J. Soil Sci. Plant Nutr.

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Organic matter cycling is critical to nutrient supply in forested ecosystems. Harvesting influences future nutrient supply by removing organic matter, but the extent of removal varies with harvesting methods. In New Zealand plantations there is little long-term data to help evaluate the relative impact of these methods on the sustainability of site productivity. To explore this issue a modelling study was initiated using the NuBalM platform to simulate the response of forest nitrogen (N) pools and the productivity of Pinus radiata D. Don to the consisten removal of different amounts of organic matter at harvest over multiple 30 year rotations across a range of growth trajectories. The harvesting method involving the greatest amount of organic matter removal (OMR) induced significant reductions in N pools and productivity by the end of the second rotation, while moderate OMR induced reductions by the end of the third rotation. Minimal OMR reduced N pools but not productivity by the end of the fourth rotation. This exploratory work suggests that management practices which influence the amount of organic matter on site can play an important role in long-term productivity and should be considered in further risk based management decision making.

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“…Yet the sustainability of harvesting forest biomass has been questioned, since it may affect soil fertility, water quality, carbon balance, and biological diversity [2]. A possible decline in forest productivity, which would be caused by the removal of nutrient-rich biomass, likely represents the most important of these concerns [3,4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Worldwide reviews indicate that WTH may deplete soil nutrients and carbon pools, and impair long-term forest productivity [4,5], thereby bolstering arguments against biomass harvesting. Indeed, WTH is not a nutrient-efficient strategy for harvesting biomass, as it also removes nutrient-rich twigs and leaves that only represent a small fraction of tree biomass.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Macronutrient Distributions within Trees to Define a Branch Diameter Threshold for Biomass Harvest in Sugar Maple-Dominated Stands

Royer‐Tardif

Delagrange

Nolet

et al. 2017

Forests

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Abstract:As the use of forest harvesting residues for energy production gains popularity, debate continues regarding the long-term sustainability of whole tree harvesting (WTH). This practice removes nutrient-rich twigs that only account for a small fraction of harvest residues, emphasising the need to develop nutrient-efficient alternatives to WTH. This study assessed N, P, K, Ca, and Mg distributions within sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton) branches of various sizes in order to determine the branch diameter threshold that would represent the best compromise between the quantity of harvested biomass and nutrient losses that were generated. Quantities of nutrients that were exported with harvesting were then modelled at the stand level using different biomass harvest scenarios to explore what factors ultimately drove total quantities of nutrients exported with harvest. We found that the branch diameter threshold for biomass harvesting should be set at 2 cm for most nutrients in both tree species. An exception was Mg in yellow birch, for which the harvesting of branches larger than 10 cm would always generate larger nutrient export than gains in terms of biomass. At the stand scale, we provide evidence that the intensity of biomass harvest (i.e., the number of branch compartments harvested) is the principal factor responsible for the quantity of nutrient that is exported with harvesting.

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Quantifying consequences of removing harvesting residues on forest soils and tree growth – A meta-analysis

Cited by 291 publications

References 96 publications

Effect of Timber Harvest Intensities and Fertilizer Application on Stocks of Soil C, N, P, and S

Effect of Timber Harvest Intensities and Fertilizer Application on Stocks of Soil C, N, P, and S

Multi-rotation impacts of increased organic matter removal in planted forests

Using Macronutrient Distributions within Trees to Define a Branch Diameter Threshold for Biomass Harvest in Sugar Maple-Dominated Stands

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