Short-term effects in canopy gap area on the recovery of compacted soil caused by forest harvesting in old-growth Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) stands

doi:10.3832/ifor3432-014

Short-term effects in canopy gap area on the recovery of compacted soil caused by forest harvesting in old-growth Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) stands

Meghdad Jourgholami⁽¹⁾ , Jahangir Feghhi⁽¹⁾, Farzam Tavankar⁽²⁾, Francesco Latterini⁽³⁾, Rachele Venanzi⁽⁴⁾, Rodolfo Picchio⁽⁴⁾

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 14, Issue 4, Pages 370-377 (2021)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor3432-014
Published: Aug 10, 2021 - Copyright © 2021 SISEF

Research Articles

PDF Version

Full Text

Citation

Geo-mapping

Natural treefall gaps have a substantial role in maintaining soil and plant diversity in old-growth forests. However, the amount of information on the effects of gaps on the recovery of physical and chemical properties of compacted soils is scarce. We tested the hypothesis that natural treefall gaps accelerate the restoration of compacted soil by enhancing biological and microbial activity in the topsoil after a period of five years. Five years after a ground-based skidding operation in the Hyrcanian forest, the recovery levels of soil properties were compared among different treatments including natural canopy gaps with an area of 200 m² (NCG), clear-cuts with an area of 1600 m² (CC), disturbed trails under a dense canopy (DDC), and an undisturbed area (UND) as control. The lowest soil bulk density (1.07 g cm^-3), penetration resistance (1.11 MPa), and the highest macroporosity (36.3%), and sand content (14.4%) among treatments were recorded for the NCG followed by DDC and CC treatments. Significantly lower values of soil pH, and electric conductivity and the highest values of soil organic C, total N, available P, K, Ca, and Mg were detected under the NCG followed by the DDC and CC treatments, as compared to the UND area. The highest values of earthworm density and dry mass, and soil microbial respiration were found in the NCG followed by the DDC and CC treatments. Fine root biomass was significantly higher in the UND area (92.27 g m^-2) followed by the DDC, NCG and CC treatments. We can conclude that the effects of gap size on the recovery values of compacted soil were significant in terms of greater nutrient availability and higher earthworm density and dry mass, suggesting that mimicking natural canopy gap was more effective than the clear-cut gap (CC) for the resilience of the forest stand in the restoration of soil quality.

Keywords

Canopy Gap Area, Timber Extraction, Skid Trails, Soil Compaction, Forest Soil Recovery, Earthworm, Hyrcanian Forest

Authors’ address

(1)

0000-0003-3676-278X
0000-0003-2253-5789
Department of Forestry and Forest Economics, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Alborz, Karaj (Iran)

(2)

0000-0002-2308-0934
Department of Forestry, Khalkhal Branch, Islamic Azad University (Iran)

(3)

0000-0001-7401-8754
Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria - CREA, Centro di Ricerca Ingegneria e Trasformazioni Agroalimentari, v. della Pascolare 16, I-00015 Monterotondo, RM (Italy)

(4)

0000-0003-2689-1801
0000-0002-9375-7795
Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, I-01100 Viterbo (Italy)

Corresponding author

Meghdad Jourgholami
mjgholami@ut.ac.ir

Citation

Jourgholami M, Feghhi J, Tavankar F, Latterini F, Venanzi R, Picchio R (2021). Short-term effects in canopy gap area on the recovery of compacted soil caused by forest harvesting in old-growth Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) stands. iForest 14: 370-377. - doi: 10.3832/ifor3432-014

Academic Editor

Angelo Nolè

Paper history

Received: Apr 02, 2020
Accepted: Jun 20, 2021

First online: Aug 10, 2021
Publication Date: Aug 31, 2021
Publication Time: 1.70 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: 28170
(from publication date up to now)

Breakdown by View Type
HTML Page Views: 24879
Abstract Page Views: 1468
PDF Downloads: 1504
Citation/Reference Downloads: 0
XML Downloads: 319

Web Metrics
Days since publication: 1199
Overall contacts: 28170
Avg. contacts per week: 164.46

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 2021): 4
Average cites per year: 1.33

(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)

Bauhus J, Vor T, Bartsch N, Cowling A (2004)
The effects of gaps and liming on forest floor decomposition and soil C and N dynamics in a Fagus sylvatica forest. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 34 (3): 509-518.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(2)

Cambi M, Certini G, Fabiano F, Foderi C, Laschi A, Picchio R (2015)
Impact of wheeled and tracked tractors on soil physical properties in a mixed conifer stand. iForest 9: 89-94.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(3)

Canham CD, Denslow JS, Platt WJ, Runkle JR, Spies TA, White PS (1990)
Light regimes beneath closed canopies and tree-fall gaps in temperate and tropical forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 20 (5): 620-631.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(4)

Coates KD, Burton PJ (1997)
A gap-based approach for development of silvicultural systems to address ecosystem management objectives. Forest Ecology and Management 99 (3): 337-354.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(5)

Danielson RE, Southerland PL (1986)
Methods of soil analysis. Part I. Physical and mineralogical methods (2nd edn). ASA, Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI, USA, pp. 443-460.
Gscholar

(6)

Ebeling C, Lang F, Gaertig T (2016)
Structural recovery in three selected forest soils after compaction by forest machines in Lower Saxony, Germany. Forest Ecology and Management 359 (1-3): 74-82.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(7)

Edwards CA, Bohlen PJ (1996)
Biology and ecology of earthworms (3rd edn). Chapman and Hall, London, UK, pp. 426.
Online | Gscholar

(8)

Field CB, Kaduk J (2004)
The carbon balance of an old-growth forest: building across approaches. Ecosystems 7: 525-533.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(9)

Gardiner B, Berry P, Moulia B (2016)
Review: wind impacts on plant growth, mechanics and damage. Plant Science 245: 94-118.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(10)

Gee GW, Bauder JW (1986)
Particle-size analysis. In: “Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 1. Physical and Mineralogical Methods” (Klute A ed). Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI, pp. 383-411.
Gscholar

(11)

Goutal N, Keller T, Defossez P, Ranger J (2013)
Soil compaction due to heavy forest traffic: measurements and simulations using an analytical soil compaction model. Annals of Forest Science 70 (5): 545-556.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(12)

Hartmann M, Niklaus PA, Zimmermann S, Schmutz S, Kremer J, Abarenkov K, Lüscher P, Widmer F, Frey B (2014)
Resistance and resilience of the forest soil microbiome to logging-associated compaction. The ISME Journal 8 (1): 226-244.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(13)

He Z, Liu J, Su S, Zheng S, Xu D, Wu Z, Hong W, Wang L (2015)
Effects of forest gaps on soil properties in Castanopsis kawakamii nature forest. PLoS One 10 (10): e0141203.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(14)

Hu B, Yang B, Pang X, Bao W, Tian G (2016)
Responses of soil phosphorus fractions to gap size in a reforested spruce forest. Geoderma 279: 61-69.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(15)

Jourgholami M, Fathi K, Labelle ER (2018)
Effects of foliage and traffic intensity on runoff and sediment in skid trails after trafficking in a deciduous forest. European Journal of Forest Research 137 (2): 223-235.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(16)

Jourgholami M, Ghassemi T, Labelle ER (2019)
Soil physio-chemical and biological indicators to evaluate the restoration of compacted soil following reforestation. Ecological Indicators 101 (4): 102-110.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(17)

Kemper WD, Rosenau RC (1986)
Aggregate stability and size distribution. In: “Methods of Soil Analysis. Physical and Mineralogical Properties. Part I (2nd edn)” (Klute A ed). Agronomy, vol. 9, ASA, Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI, USA, pp. 425-442.
Online | Gscholar

(18)

Klaes B, Struck J, Schneider R, Schuler G (2016)
Middle-term effects after timber harvesting with heavy machinery on a fine-textured forest soil. European Journal of Forest Research 135 (6): 1083-1095.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(19)

Kooch Y, Zaccone C, Lamersdorf NP, Tonon G (2014)
Pit and mound influence on soil features in an Oriental Beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) forest. European Journal of Forest Research 133 (2): 347-354.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(20)

Latif ZA, Blackburn GA (2010)
The effects of gap size on some microclimate variables during late summer and autumn in a temperate broadleaved deciduous forest. International Journal of Biometeorology 54 (2): 119-129.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(21)

Lin N, Bartsch N, Heinrichs S, Vor T (2015)
Long-term effects of canopy opening and liming on leaf litter production: and on leaf litter and fine-root decomposition in a European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest. Forest Ecology and Management 338 (2): 183-190.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(22)

Liu Y, Zhang J, Yang W, Wu F, Xu Z, Tan B, Zhang L, He X, Guo L (2018)
Canopy gaps accelerate soil organic carbon retention by soil microbial biomass in the organic horizon in a subalpine fir forest. Applied Soil Ecology 125: 169-176.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(23)

Marchi E, Chung W, Visser R, Abbas D, Nordfjell T, Mederski PS, McEwan A, Brink M, Laschi A (2018)
Sustainable Forest Operations (SFO): a new paradigm in a changing world and climate. Science of The Total Environment 634 (2): 1385-1397.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(24)

Merino A, Edeso JM, González MJ, Marauri P (1998)
Soil properties in a hilly area following different harvesting management practices. Forest Ecology and Management 103 (2-3): 235-246.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(25)

Meyer C, Luscher P, Schulin R (2014)
Enhancing the regeneration of compacted forest soils by planting black alder in skid lane tracks. European Journal of Forest Research 133 (3): 453-465.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(26)

Muscolo A, Sidari M, Mercurio R (2007)
Influence of gap size on organic matter decomposition, microbial biomass and nutrient cycle in Calabrian pine (Pinus laricio Poiret) stands. Forest Ecology and Management 242 (2-3): 412-418.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(27)

Muscolo A, Bagnato S, Sidari M, Mercurio R (2014)
A review of the roles of forest canopy gaps. Journal of Forestry Research 25 (4): 725-736.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(28)

Ni XY, Yang WQ, Tan B, He J, Xu LY, Li H, Wu FZ (2015)
Accelerated foliar litter humification in forest gaps: dual feedbacks of carbon sequestration during winter and the growing season in an alpine forest. Geoderma 241-242: 136-144.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(29)

Özcan M, Gökbulak F (2015)
Effect of size and surrounding forest vegetation on chemical properties of soil in forest gaps. iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry 8 (1): 67-72.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(30)

Picchio R, Neri F, Petrini E, Verani S, Marchi E, Certini G (2012)
Machinery-induced soil compaction in thinning two pine stands in central Italy. Forest Ecology and Management 285: 38-43.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(31)

Picchio R, Tavankar F, Nikooy M, Pignatti G, Venanzi R, Lo Monaco A (2019a)
Morphology, growth and architecture response of beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) and Maple Tree (Acer velutinum Boiss.) seedlings to soil compaction stress caused by mechanized logging operations. Forests 10: 771.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(32)

Picchio R, Venanzi R, Tavankar F, Luchenti I, Iranparast Bodaghi A, Latterini F, Nikooy M, Di Marzio N, Naghdi R (2019b)
Changes in soil parameters of forests after windstorms and timber extraction. European Journal of Forest Research 138: 875-888.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(33)

Prescott CE (2002)
The influence of the forest canopy on nutrient cycling. Tree Physiology 22 (15-16): 1193-1200.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(34)

Rab MA (2004)
Recovery of soil physical properties from compaction and soil profile disturbance caused by logging of native forest in Victorian central highlands, Australia. Forest Ecology and Management 191 (1-3): 329-340.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(35)

Ritter E (2005)
Litter decomposition and nitrogen mineralization in newly formed gaps in a Danish beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 37 (7): 1237-1247.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(36)

Sariyildiz T (2008)
Effects of gap-size classes on long-term litter decomposition rates of beech, oak and chestnut species at high elevations in northeast Turkey. Ecosystems 11 (6): 841-853.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(37)

Scharenbroch BC, Bockheim JG (2008)
Gaps and soil C dynamics in old growth Northern Hardwood-Hemlock forests. Ecosystems 11 (3): 426-441.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(38)

Scharenbroch BC, Bockheim JG (2011)
Methods for studying treefall gaps: a review. Forest Ecology and Management 261 (7): 1143-1151.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(39)

Schliemann SA, Bockheim JG (2014)
Influence of gap size on carbon and nitrogen biogeochemical cycling in Northern hardwood forests of the Upper Peninsula, Michigan. Plant and Soil 377 (1-2): 323-335.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(40)

Sefidi K, Marvie Mohadjer MR, Mosandl R, Copenheaver CA (2011)
Canopy gaps and regeneration in old- growth Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) stands, northern Iran. Forest Ecology and Management 262 (6): 1094-1099.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(41)

Sierra J, Motisi N (2012)
Shift in C and N humification during legume litter decomposition in an acid tropical ferralsol. Soil Research 50: 380-389.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(42)

Thiel AL (2008)
Nitrogen dynamics across silvicultural canopy gaps in young forests of western Oregon. M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Forest Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA, pp. 98.
Gscholar

(43)

Walkley A, Black IA (1934)
An examination of the Degtjareff method for determining soil organic matter and a proposed modification of chromic acid titration method. Soil Science 37 (1): 29-38.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(44)

Xu JX, Xue L, Su ZY (2016)
Impacts of forest gaps on soil properties after a severe ice storm in a Cunninghamia lanceolata stand. Pedosphere 26 (3): 408-416.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(45)

Yang Y, Geng Y, Zhou H, Zhao G, Wang L (2017)
Effects of gaps in the forest canopy on soil microbial communities and enzyme activity in a Chinese pine forest. Pedobiologia 61: 51-60.
CrossRef | Gscholar

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry

Contents

Search

Journal Info

Journal Subjects and Fields

For Authors

For Reviewers

For Readers

SISEF Publishing

Search iForest Contents