Soil organic carbon in Swedish spruce and pine forests – differences in stock levels and regional patterns

Abstract

The selection of tree species is one factor to consider if we want to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere through forest management. The objectives of this study were to estimate the differences in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks under Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests and to examine causes of differences in the accumulation of carbon in the forest soil. Large-scale inventory data was used to quantify variations in SOC stock in relation to stand type and the accumulation of carbon for spruce and pine stands was analysed by simulation. Based on field data, the national mean SOC stock was 9.2 kg m -2 in spruce dominated stands and 5.7 kg m -2 in pine dominated stands. For both species, the SOC stock, measured in the field inventory, increased significantly with increasing temperature, although at different rates. The SOC stock was larger for spruce under all temperature conditions, but the difference between species diminished with increasing temperature. The simulations indicated that the build-up of SOC over several rotations was 22% higher in spruce stands than in pine stands under similar environmental conditions. The main difference was found to be the greater input of harvest residues for spruce. Further, the simulations showed that ground vegetation contributed considerably more to the litter production under pine than under spruce. On sites where both Scots pine and Norway spruce are considered suitable, the latter should be selected if the aim of the forest management policy is to maximize the accumulation of SOC in the forest. Further, spruce is more favourable for SOC accumulation in areas with cold temperatures and on sites with low productivity.

Carbon stocks and net ecosystem production changes with time in two Italian forest chronosequences

“…Instead, the average soil C stock reported in the present paper is higher than the 53 MgC ha -1 found by Finér et al (2003) for an old-growth Norway spruce forest in Finland (0-60 cm depth), likely due to the differences in climate and soil type. Conversely, our mean was lower than the 92 MgC ha -1 reported by Stendahl et al (2010) for spruce forests in Sweden, but this study derived the 0-100 cm depth soil carbon stock using data from all Swedish spruce plots.…”

Ecosystem Services from Small Forest Patches in Agricultural Landscapes

“…The forest C stock is influenced by anthropogenic drivers such as climate change and nitrogen (N) deposition [170]. The magnitude of the C pools in forest soils depends on soil properties, particularly temperature and humidity [171] and dominant tree species [172,173].…”

Biodiversity, carbon storage and dynamics of old northern forests

“…The general north to south pattern of increasing nitrogen deposition in Fennoscandia may have contributed significantly to this pattern (Svensson et al 2008). Stendahl et al (2010) reported forest soil carbon stocks in Swedish pine and spruce forests based on the national forest inventory. Mean forest soil carbon stocks (down to 1 m depth) for spruce-dominated and pinedominated forests were 9.2 and 5.7 kg C m -2 , respectively.…”