Effects of black locust and black pine on extremely degraded sites 60 years after afforestation - a case study of the Grdelica Gorge (southeastern Serbia)

doi:10.3832/ifor1512-008

Effects of black locust and black pine on extremely degraded sites 60 years after afforestation - a case study of the Grdelica Gorge (southeastern Serbia)

Sara Lukić⁽¹⁾ , Damjan Pantić⁽¹⁾, Snežana Belanović Simić⁽¹⁾, Dragan Borota⁽¹⁾, Bojan Tubić⁽²⁾, Matilda Djukić⁽¹⁾, Danijela Djunisijević-Bojović⁽¹⁾

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 9, Issue 2, Pages 235-243 (2015)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor1512-008
Published: Aug 22, 2015 - Copyright © 2015 SISEF

Research Articles

PDF Version

Full Text

Citation

Geo-mapping

The selection of tree species can affect the success of afforestation in the rehabilitation of degraded forest sites and forest restoration. In general, black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) and black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold.) represent the most commonly used species in the afforestation of soils that have been degraded by erosion. As far as the extent of the ameliorative effects of black locust and black pine are concerned, it was found that they may play an important role in the selection of species for the afforestation of extremely degraded sites. This study is aimed at determining the potential of black locust and black pine to affect several soil properties, erosion control and C stock, thus creating favourable site conditions for the restoration of previous forest vegetation. This research was conducted in the Grdelica Gorge in south east Serbia, where eight sample plots with an average size of 0.47 ha were established 60 years ago on terrain afforested with black locust and black pine. In each sample plot, we measured the diameter at breast height of all black locust and black pine trees, and the height of 10 black locust and 10 black pine trees in each diameter class. In addition, samples of mineral soil (from depths of 0-5, 5-10 and 10-20 cm) were taken at 4 randomly selected soil profiles in each sample plot, and 8 samples of litter (30 × 30 cm) were also collected. Additionally, laboratory analyses of the physical and chemical properties of the soil and litter were performed in 2 replicates. The obtained results showed that: (1) at the 0-5 cm depth, there was no statistically significant difference in the reaction of the soil solution, although a significant difference in the reaction of the soil solution between the soils under the two species was observed at soil depths greater than 5 cm; (2) there was a significantly higher N content under black locust in the 0-5 cm soil layer; (3) the reduction of soil loss under black locust is statistically significant in all observation periods; (4) black pine is more efficient in C storage. Our results demonstrate that black locust has the potential to improve soil properties and reduce soil loss caused by erosion, while its favourable impact does not decrease over time, making it more suitable for afforestation on degraded land in the examined area.

Keywords

Afforestation, Black Locust, Black Pine, Soil Properties, Soil Losses, Carbon Stock

Authors’ address

(1)

University of Belgrade, Faculty of Forestry, Kneza Višeslava 1, 11030 Belgrade (Serbia)

(2)

PE “Vojvodinašume“, Preradovićeva 2, 21131, Petrovaradin (Serbia)

Corresponding author

Sara Lukić
sara.lukic@sfb.bg.ac.rs

Citation

Lukić S, Pantić D, Simić SBć, Borota D, Tubić B, Djukić M, Djunisijević-Bojović D (2015). Effects of black locust and black pine on extremely degraded sites 60 years after afforestation - a case study of the Grdelica Gorge (southeastern Serbia). iForest 9: 235-243. - doi: 10.3832/ifor1512-008

Academic Editor

Tamir Klein

Paper history

Received: Nov 24, 2014
Accepted: May 01, 2015

First online: Aug 22, 2015
Publication Date: Apr 26, 2016
Publication Time: 3.77 months

Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

Breakdown by View Type

(Waiting for server response...)

Article Usage

Total Article Views: 47731
(from publication date up to now)

Breakdown by View Type
HTML Page Views: 40892
Abstract Page Views: 2206
PDF Downloads: 3478
Citation/Reference Downloads: 29
XML Downloads: 1126

Web Metrics
Days since publication: 3379
Overall contacts: 47731
Avg. contacts per week: 98.88

Article Citations

Article citations are based on data periodically collected from the Clarivate Web of Science web site
(last update: Feb 2023)

Total number of cites (since 2016): 11
Average cites per year: 1.38

(no Plumx Metrics available for this paper)

Publication Metrics

by Dimensions ^©

Articles citing this article

List of the papers citing this article based on CrossRef Cited-by.

(1)

Andrés C, Ojeda F (2002)
Effects of afforestation with pines on woody plant diversity of Mediterranean heathlands in southern Spain. Biodiversity and Conservation 11: 1511-1520.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(2)

Bagherzadeh A, Reza M, Daneshvar M (2011)
Sediment yield assessment by EPM and PSIAC models using GIS data in semi-arid region. Frontiers of Earth Science 5 (2): 207-216.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(3)

Banković S, Pantić D (2006)
Dendrometrija [Dendrometry]. Univerzitet u Beogradu, Šumarski fakultet, Belgrade, Serbia, pp. 556. [in Serbian]
Gscholar

(4)

Barčić D, Hršak V, Španjol Z (2006)
The ameliorative effects of pine cultures on forest sites on the island of Rab in Southwest Croatia. Forest Ecology and Management 237: 39-46.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(5)

Blanco-Canqui H, Lal R (2008)
Principles of soil conservation and management. Springer Science+Business Media BV, The Netherlands, pp. 620.
Online | Gscholar

(6)

Bremner JM (1960)
Determination of nitrogen in soil by Kjeldahl method. Journal of Agricultural Science 55: 1-23.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(7)

Cao S, Chen L, Xu C, Liu Z (2007)
Impact of three soil types on afforestation in China’s Loess Plateau: growth and survival of six tree species and their effects on soil properties. Landscape and Urban Planning 83: 208-217.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(8)

Chirino E, Bonet A, Bellot J, Sánchez JR (2006)
Effects of 30-year-old Aleppo pine plantations on runoff, soil erosion, and plant diversity in a semi-arid landscape in south eastern Spain. Catena 65: 19-29.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(9)

Cakmak D, Saljnikov E, Mrvić V, Jakovljević M, Marjanović Z, Sikirić B, Maksimović S (2010)
Soil properties and trace elements contents following 40 years of phosphate fertilization. Journal of Environmental Quality 39 (2): 541-547.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(10)

De Marco A, Spaccini R, Vittozzi P, Esposito F, Berg B, Virzo De Santo A (2012)
Decomposition of black locust and black pine leaf litter in two coeval forest stands on Mountain Vesuvius and dynamics of organic components assessed through proximate analysis and NMR spectroscopy. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 51: 1-15.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(11)

Dixon RK, Brown S, Houghthon RA, Solomon AM, Trexler MC, Wisniewski J (1994)
Carbon pools and flux of global forest ecosystems. Science 263 (5144): 185-190.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(12)

Durán Zuazo HV, Francia Martínez JR, Rodríguez Pleguezuelo CR, Martínez Raya A, Carcéles Rodríguez B (2006)
Soil-erosion and runoff prevention by plant covers in a mountainous area (SE Spain): implications for sustainable agriculture. Environmentalist 26: 309-319.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(13)

Djorović M, Isajev V, Kadović R (2003)
Systems of afforestation and grass cover in erosion control. Faculty of Forestry, University of Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Hertzegovina, pp. 402.
Gscholar

(14)

Djorović M (2005)
Vodna i eolska erozija zemljišta [Water and wind soil erosion]. Acta Biologica Jugoslavica, Unija bioloških naučnih društava Jugoslavije, Belgrade, Serbia, pp. 440. [in Serbian]
Gscholar

(15)

El-Keblawy A, Ksiksi T (2005)
Artificial forests as conservation sites for the native flora of the UAE. Forest Ecology and Management 213: 288-296.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(16)

Fang S, Xue J, Tang L (2007)
Biomass production and carbon sequestration potential in poplar plantations with different management patterns. Journal of Environmental Management 85: 672-679.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(17)

Gavrilović S (1972)
Engineering of torrents and erosion. Journal of Construction, Special Issue, Belgrade, Serbia, pp. 292.
Gscholar

(18)

Groenendijk FM, Condron LM, Rijkse WC (2002)
Effects of afforestation on organic carbon, nitrogen and sulfur concentrations in New Zealand hill country soils. Geoderma 108: 91-100.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(19)

Härdtle W, Von Oheimb G, Friedel A, Mayer H, Westphal C (2004)
Relationship between pH-values and nutrient availability in forest soils - the consequences for the use of ecograms in forest ecology. Flora 199: 134-142.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(20)

Hissink DJ (1925)
Base exchange in soils. Transactions of the Faraday Society 20: 551-556
CrossRef | Gscholar

(21)

Huang Z, Ouyang Z, Li F, Zheng H, Wang X (2010)
Response of runoff and soil loss to reforestation and rainfall type in red soil region of southern China. Journal of Environmental Sciences 22 (11): 1765-1773.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(22)

Ingham CD (2000)
Carbon forestry: encouraging the positives. Journal of Forestry 98 (9): 3.
Gscholar

(23)

IPCC (2003)
Good practice guidance for land use, land-use change and forestry (Penman J, Gytarsky M, Hiraishi T, Krug T, Kruger D, Pipatti R, Buendia L, Miwa K, Ngara T, Tanabe K, Wagner F eds). IPCC, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Kanagawa, Japan, pp. 593.
Online | Gscholar

(24)

ISO-11261 (1995)
Soil quality - Determination of total nitrogen, modified Kjeldahl method. International organization for standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 4.
Gscholar

(25)

ISO-11272 (1993)
Soil quality - Determination of dry bulk density. International organization for standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 10.
Gscholar

(26)

ISO-11277 (1998)
Soil quality - Determination of particle size distribution in mineral soil material. Method by sieving and sedimentation. International organization for standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 34.
Gscholar

(27)

Jobbagy EG, Jackson RB (2003)
Patterns and mechanisms of soil acidification in the conversion of grassland to forest. Biogeochemistry 64: 205-229.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(28)

Jovanović B (1982)
Dendrologija [Dendrology]. Univerzitet u Beogradu - Šumarski fakultet, Belgrade, Serbia, pp. 713. [in Serbian]
Gscholar

(29)

Kappen H (1929)
Die Bodenazidität [The soil acidity]. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany, pp. 363. [in German]
Gscholar

(30)

Kostadinov S (2007)
Erosion and torrent control in Serbia: hundred years of experiences. In: Proceedings of the International Conference “Erosion and Torrent Control as a Factor in Sustainable River Basin Management” (Kostadinov S, Bruk S, Walling D eds). Belgrade (Serbia), 25-28 Sep 2007. University of Belgrade, Faculty of Forestry, Belgrade, Serbia, pp. 1-14.
Gscholar

(31)

Lal R, Kimble JM, Birdsey RA, Heath LS (2003)
Research and development priorities for carbon sequestration in forest soils. In: “The Potential of US Forest Soils to Sequester Carbon and Mitigate the Greenhouse Effect” (Kimble JM, Heath LS, Birdsey RA, Lal R eds). CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp. 409-420.
Gscholar

(32)

Lal R (2005)
Forest soils and carbon sequestration. Forest Ecology and Management 220: 242-258.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(33)

Marland G, Marland S (1992)
Should we store carbon in trees? Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 64: 181-195.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(34)

McNeely JA (2005)
Managing the risk of invasive alien species in restoration. In: “Forest restoration in landscapes: Beyond planting trees” (Mansourian S, Vallauri D, Dudly N eds). Springer, New York, USA, pp. 345-349.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(35)

Moffat AS (1997)
Resurgent forests can be greenhouse gas sponges. Science 277: 315-316.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(36)

Nelson DW, Sommers LE (1996)
Total carbon, organic carbon and organic matter. In: “Methods of soil analysis. Part 3 - Chemical Methods” (Sparks DL ed). SSSA Book Series No. 5, SSSA and ASA, Madison, WI, USA, pp. 961-1010.
Online | Gscholar

(37)

Niu X, Duiker SW (2006)
Carbon sequestration potential by afforestation of marginal agricultural land in the Midwestern US. Forest Ecology and Management 223: 415-427.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(38)

O’Connell AM, Sankaran KV (1997)
Organic matter accretion, decomposition and mineralisation. In: “Management of Soil, Nutrients and Water in Tropical Plantation Forests” (Nambiar EKS, Brown AG eds). Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Canberra, ACT, Australia, pp. 443-480.
Gscholar

(39)

Oliet JA, Jacobs DF (2012)
Restoring forests: advances in techniques and theory. New Forests 43: 535-541.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(40)

Ouimet R, Tremblay S, Périé C, Prégent G (2007)
Ecosystem carbon accumulation following fallow farmland afforestation with red pine in southern Quebec. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 37: 1118-1133.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(41)

Okland T, Rydgen K, Okland RH, Storaunet KO, Rolstad J (2003)
Variation in environmental conditions, understory species number, abundance and composition among natural and managed Picea abies forest stands. Forest Ecology and Management, 177: 17-37.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(42)

Panagopoulos T, Hatzistathis A (1995)
Early growth of Pinus nigra and Robinia pseudoacacia stands: contributions to soil genesis and landscape improvement on lignite spiols in Ptolemaida. Landscape and Urban Planning 32: 19-29.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(43)

Paul KI, Polglase PJ, Nyakuengama JG, Khanna PK (2002)
Change in soil carbon following afforestation. Forest Ecology and Management 168: 241-257.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(44)

Qiu L, Zhang J, Cheng X, Yin X (2010)
Effects of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) on soil properties in the loessial gully region of the Loess Plateau, China. Plant Soil 332: 207-217.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(45)

Ratknić M, Bilibajkić S, Braunović S, Miletić Z, Dražić D (2011)
Basic environmental conditions. In: “The selection of species for reforestation and amelioration in central Serbia” (Tomić Z, Rakonjac Lj, Isajev V eds). Institute of Forestry, Belgrade, Serbia, pp. 17-63.
Gscholar

(46)

RHOS (2011)
Meterorološki godišnjak [Meteorological annual reports]. Republic Hydrometeorological Office of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia. [in Serbian]
Gscholar

(47)

Rhoades CC, Eckert GE, Coleman DC (1998)
Effect of pasture trees on soil nitrogen and organic matter: implications for tropical montane forest restoration. Restoration Ecology 6(3): 262-270.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(48)

Rice SK, Westerman B, Federici R (2004)
Impacts of exotic, nitrogen-fixing black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) on nitrogen-cycling in a pine-oak ecosystem. Plant Ecology 174: 97-107.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(49)

Richter DD, Markewitz D, Trumbore ES, Wells GC (1999)
Rapid accumulation and turnover of soil carbon in re/estabilshing forest. Nature 400: 56-58.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(50)

Ristić R, Ljujić M, Despotović J, Aleksić V, Radić B, Nikić Z, Milčanović V, Malušević I, Radonjić J (2013)
Reservoir sedimentation and hydrological effects of land use change - Case study of the experimental Dičina river watershed. Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences 8 (1): 91- 98.
Gscholar

(51)

Rowell DL (1997)
Bodenkunde. Untersuchungsmethoden und ihre Anwendungen [Soil Science. Research methods and their applications]. Springer, Berlin, Germany, pp. 614. [in German]
Gscholar

(52)

Soljanik I (1955)
Research afforestation at Grdelica gorge. Šumarstvo 12: 741-756. [in Serbian]
Gscholar

(53)

Soškić B, Popović Z (2002)
Svojstva drveta [The Properties of Wood]. Univerzitet u Beogradu - Šumarski fakultet, Belgrade, Serbia, pp. 97-108. [in Serbian]
Gscholar

(54)

Tanasijević D (1956)
Pedološko-agrohemijske osobine i stanje erozije zemljišta Grdeličke klisure i Vranjske kotline [Pedological and agrochemical soil properties and the state of soil erosion in Grdelica gorge and Vranjska valley]. Soil Science Institute, Belgrade, Serbia, pp. 200. [in Serbian]
Gscholar

(55)

Tangestani MH (2006)
Comparison of EPM and PSIAC models in GIS for erosion and sediment yeld assessment in a semi-arid environment: Afzar Catchment, Fars Province, Iran. Journal of Asian Sciences 27: 585-597.
Gscholar

(56)

Tateno R, Tokuchi N, Yamanaka N, Du S, Otsuki K, Shimamura T, Xue Z, Wang S, Hou Q (2007)
Comparison of litterfall production and leaf litter decomposition an exotic black locust plantation and an indigenous oak forest near Yan’an on the Loess Plateau, China. Forest Ecology and Management 241: 84-90.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(57)

Tomić Z (2004)
Šumska fitocenologija [Forestry phytocenology]. Univerzitet u Beogradu - Šumarski fakultet, Belgrade, Serbia, pp. 261. [in Serbian]
Gscholar

(58)

Tošić R, Dragićević S, Lovrić N (2012)
Assessment of soil erosion and sediment yield changes using erosion potential model - case study: Republic of Srpska (BiH). Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences 7 (4): 147-154.
Online | Gscholar

(59)

Van Wesenbeeck BK, Van Mourik T, Duivenvoorden JF, Cleef AM (2003)
Strong effects of a plantation with Pinus patula on Andean subpáramo vegetation: a case study from Colombia. Biological Conservation 114: 207-218.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(60)

Velašević V, Dorović M (1998)
Uticaj šumskih ekosistema na životnu sredinu [The impact of forest ecosystems to the environment]. Univerzitet u Beogradu - Šumarski fakultet, Belgrade, Serbia, pp 451. [in Serbian]
Gscholar

(61)

Wang DH, Madley KE (2004)
Land use model for carbon conservation across a midwestern USA landscape. Landscape and urban planning 69: 451-465.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(62)

Wang G, Wu B, Zhang L, Jiang H, Xu Z (2014)
Role of soil erodibility in affecting available nitrogen and phosphorus losses under simulated rainfall. Journal of Hydrology 514: 180-191.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(63)

Wenhua L (2004)
Degradation and restoration of forest ecosystems in China. Forest Ecology and Management 201: 33-41.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(64)

Whisenant S (2005)
First steps in erosion control. In: “Forest restoration in landscapes: Beyond planting trees” (Mansourian S, Vallauri D, Dudly N eds). Springer, New York, USA, pp. 350-355.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(65)

WRB (2006)
World reference base for soil resources 2006 - a framework for international classification correlation and communication. IUSS International Working Group, World Soil Resources Reports 103, FAO, Rome, Italy, pp. 128.
Gscholar

(66)

Zhang B, Yang Y, Zepp H (2004)
Effect of vegetation restoration on soil and water erosion and nutrient losses of a severely eroded clayey Plinthudult in southeastern China. Catena 57: 77-90.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(67)

Zhang Y, Liu BY, Zhang QC, Xie Y (2003)
Effect of different vegetation types on soil erosion by water. Acta Botanica Sinica 45 (10): 1204-1209.
Gscholar

(68)

Zheng FL (2006)
Effect of vegetation changes on soil erosion on the Loess Plateau. Pedosphere 16 (4): 420-427.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(69)

Zhou ZC, Shangguan ZP, Zhao D (2006)
Modelling vegetation coverage and soil erosion in the Loess Plateau Area of China. Ecological Modelling 198: 263-268.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(70)

Zorn M, Komac B (2008)
Response of soil erosion to land use change with particular reference to the last 200 years (Julian Alps, Western Slovenia). Revista de geomorfologie 11: 39-47.
Gscholar

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry

Contents

Search

Journal Info

Journal Subjects and Fields

For Authors

For Reviewers

For Readers

SISEF Publishing

Search iForest Contents