The Influence of Soil Conditions, Following Tractor Logging, on the Growth of Planted Douglas‐Fir Seedlings

Abstract

Growth of planted Douglas‐fir seedlings was investigated on Reddish Brown Latosol soils on two cutover areas in the Cascade Mountains of western Oregon. In April 1955, 2‐0 seedlings were planted on tractor roads, in loose berm material adjacent to the tractor roads, and on undisturbed cutover condition. First‐year survival for all conditions was over 90%. Annual height measurements were made at the end of the 1955 and 1956 growing seasons. Differences in height growth between seedlings on the cutover condition and those on the berm and tractor road conditions were highly significant. Seedling growth differences between berm and tractor road conditions were also statistically significant in several instances. Soil analysis data indicated poor growing conditions on the tractor roads, particularly in regard to aeration, moisture, and N relationships.

Soil physical property changes at the North American Long-Term Soil Productivity study sites: 1 and 5 years after compaction

“…Franco) (Youngberg 1959), and radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) (Sands et al 1979) stands. When soil strength exceeded 3000 kPa in radiata pine plantations, root growth was restricted (Sands et al 1979).…”

The effects of mechanical disturbance and burn intensity on the floristic composition of two-year old aggregated retention coupes in Tasmanian wet eucalypt forests

“…This can restrict plant root penetration into the soil (Heilman, 1981), reduce water uptake (Sheriff and Nambiar, 1995), reduce nutrient uptake (Arvidsson, 1999), restrict oxygen transfer to roots (Kozlowski, 1999) and interfere with the soil seedbank (Grant et al, 1995). Therefore, soil disturbance is often associated with reduced growth rates (Youngberg, 1959;Rab, 1994;Lockaby and Vidrine, 1984;Williamson and Nielson, 2003b) and can create a barrier to seedling germination and emergence (Thill et al, 1979). These changes to the soil may influence post-harvest vegetation recovery (Peltzer et al, 2000;Pinard et al, 2000;Haeussler et al, 2002;Berger et al, 2004;Newmaster et al, 2007).…”

Spatial impacts of soil disturbance and residual overstory on density and growth of regenerating aspen

“…Soil conditions after harvest are determined by site factors such as soil texture and moisture content, as well as logging equipment used, operator skills, and harvesting intensity (Dyrness, 1965;Froehlich, 1973). Harvesting traffic that decreases soil aeration and/or damages roots (Hatchell et al, 1970;Shetron et al, 1988) decreases the growth potential of roots and the ability of aspen to sucker (Youngberg, 1959;Hatchell et al, 1970;Stone and Elioff, 1998;Smidt and Blinn, 2002).…”