The effect of boreal jack pine harvest residue retention on soil environment and processes

Research Highlights: Our study adds to the scant literature on the effects of forest bioenergy on ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and contributes new insights into the responses of ground beetle species and functional groups to operational harvest residue retention. We discovered that count of Harpalus pensylvanicus (DeGeer)—a habitat generalist—increased owing to clear-cut harvests but decreased due to harvest residue reductions; these observations uniquely allowed us to separate effects of additive forest disturbances to demonstrate that, contrarily to predictions, a generalist species considered to be adapted to disturbance may be negatively affected by altered habitat elements associated with disturbances from renewable energy development. Background and Objectives: Despite the potential environmental benefits of forest bioenergy, woody biomass harvests raise forest sustainability concerns for some stakeholders. Ground beetles are well established ecological indicators of forest ecosystem health and their life history characteristics are connected to habitat elements that are altered by forest harvesting. Thus, we evaluated the effects of harvest residue retention following woody biomass harvest for forest bioenergy on ground beetles in an operational field experiment. Materials and Methods: We sampled ground beetles using pitfall traps in harvest residue removal treatments representing variable woody biomass retention prescriptions, ranging from no retention to complete retention of all merchantable woody biomass. We replicated treatments in eight clear-cut stands in intensively managed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) forests in North Carolina and Georgia. Results: Harvest residue retention had no effect on ground beetle richness and diversity. However, counts of H. pensylvanicus, Anisodactylus spp., and “burrower” and “fast runner” functional groups, among others, were greater in treatments with no woody biomass harvest than those with no harvest residue retention; all of these ground beetles may confer ecosystem services in forests. We suggest that H. pensylvanicus is a useful indicator species for burrowing and granivorous ground beetle response to harvest residue reductions in recently harvested stands. Lastly, we propose that retaining 15% retention of total harvest residues or more, depending on regional and operational variables, may support beneficial ground beetle populations.

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Empirical model approach for the evaluation of pH and conductivity on pollutant diffusion in soil environment

10.31221/osf.io/zndpg ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Chem Int

Keyword(s):

Mathematical Model ◽

Quadratic Equation ◽

Diffusivity Coefficient ◽

Soil Environment ◽

Irreversible Reaction ◽

Chemical Pollutant ◽

The Mathematical Model ◽

Coefficient Of Diffusion ◽

Level Of Agreement ◽

Model Approach

This work is aimed at developing a mathematical model equation that can be used to predict the fate of contaminant in the soil environment. The mathematical model was developed based on the fundamental laws of conservation and the equation of continuity given asand was resolved to obtain a quadratic equation of the form C(X) = DX2+vX+f. The developed equation was then used to fit the experimental data that were obtained from the Physio-chemical analysis of the soil samples which were obtained at various depths; within the vicinity of the H & H Asphalt plant Company, located at Enito 3 in Ahoada West L.G.A, River State, Nigeria. The Experimental and Model results obtained from the Calculation and Simulation of the developed models were compared numerically and graphically as presented in this work. It was observed that there is reasonable level of agreement between the three results. The polynomial of the curve was established to ascertain the validity of the model; this was done for all the parameters that were analyzed. From the findings the model developed can be used to predict the concentration of a chemical pollutant at various depths. The reliability of the model developed was established giving the fact that through this quadratic equation the diffusivity (coefficient of diffusion), the water velocity and the irreversible reaction decay rate could be determined.

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Corrigendum to: Conservation agriculture effects on soil properties and crop productivity in a semiarid region of India

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr18145_co ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 57 (2) ◽

pp. 200 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. Somasundaram ◽

M. Salikram ◽

N. K. Sinha ◽

M. Mohanty ◽

R. S. Chaudhary ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Management Practices ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Soil Layer ◽

Conservation Agriculture ◽

Semiarid Region ◽

Reduced Tillage ◽

Organic C ◽

Residue Retention

Conservation agriculture (CA) including reduced or no-tillage and crop residue retention, is known to be a self–sustainable system as well as an alternative to residue burning. The present study evaluated the effect of reduced tillage coupled with residue retention under different cropping systems on soil properties and crop yields in a Vertisol of a semiarid region of central India. Two tillage systems – conventional tillage (CT) with residue removed, and reduced tillage (RT) with residue retained – and six major cropping systems of this region were examined after 3 years of experimentation. Results demonstrated that soil moisture content, mean weight diameter, percent water stable aggregates (>0.25mm) for the 0–15cm soil layer were significantly (Pmoderately labile>less labile. At the 0–15cm depth, the contributions of moderately labile, less labile and non-labile C fractions to total organic C were 39.3%, 10.3% and 50.4% respectively in RT and corresponding values for CT were 38.9%, 11.7% and 49.4%. Significant differences in different C fractions were observed between RT and CT. Soil microbial biomass C concentration was significantly higher in RT than CT at 0–15cm depth. The maize–chickpea cropping system had significantly (P–1 followed by soybean+pigeon pea (2:1) intercropping (3.50 t ha–1) and soybean–wheat cropping systems (2.97 t ha–1). Thus, CA practices could be sustainable management practices for improving soil health and crop yields of rainfed Vertisols in these semiarid regions.

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The Role of Biochar in Regulating the Carbon, Phosphorus, and Nitrogen Cycles Exemplified by Soil Systems

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13105612 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 5612

Author(s):

Shu-Yuan Pan ◽

Cheng-Di Dong ◽

Jenn-Feng Su ◽

Po-Yen Wang ◽

Chiu-Wen Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Soil Amendment ◽

Environmental Control ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Soil Environment ◽

Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽

Soil Systems ◽

P Mineralization ◽

Rich Material ◽

Pyrolysis Of Biomass

Biochar is a carbon-rich material prepared from the pyrolysis of biomass under various conditions. Recently, biochar drew great attention due to its promising potential in climate change mitigation, soil amendment, and environmental control. Obviously, biochar can be a beneficial soil amendment in several ways including preventing nutrients loss due to leaching, increasing N and P mineralization, and enabling the microbial mediation of N2O and CO2 emissions. However, there are also conflicting reports on biochar effects, such as water logging and weathering induced change of surface properties that ultimately affects microbial growth and soil fertility. Despite the voluminous reports on soil and biochar properties, few studies have systematically addressed the effects of biochar on the sequestration of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in soils. Information on microbially-mediated transformation of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) species in the soil environment remains relatively uncertain. A systematic documentation of how biochar influences the fate and transport of carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen in soil is crucial to promoting biochar applications toward environmental sustainability. This report first provides an overview on the adsorption of carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen species on biochar, particularly in soil systems. Then, the biochar-mediated transformation of organic species, and the transport of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in soil systems are discussed. This review also reports on the weathering process of biochar and implications in the soil environment. Lastly, the current knowledge gaps and priority research directions for the biochar-amended systems in the future are assessed. This review focuses on literatures published in the past decade (2009–2021) on the adsorption, degradation, transport, weathering, and transformation of C, N, and P species in soil systems with respect to biochar applications.

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Investigation of steel corrosion near the air–liquid interface in NaCl solution and soil environment

Corrosion Engineering Science and Technology ◽

10.1080/1478422x.2021.1943818 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Muye Yang ◽

Shigenobu Kainuma

Keyword(s):

Steel Corrosion ◽

Liquid Interface ◽

Nacl Solution ◽

Soil Environment ◽

Air Liquid Interface

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Allometric Equations for Estimating Biomass and Carbon Stocks in Afforested Open Woodlands with Black Spruce and Jack Pine, in the Eastern Canadian Boreal Forest

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12010059 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 59

Author(s):

Olivier Fradette ◽

Charles Marty ◽

Pascal Tremblay ◽

Daniel Lord ◽

Jean-François Boucher

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

Black Spruce ◽

Tree Height ◽

Jack Pine ◽

Carbon Stocks ◽

Allometric Equations ◽

C Stocks ◽

The Difference ◽

Canadian Boreal Forest

Allometric equations use easily measurable biometric variables to determine the aboveground and belowground biomasses of trees. Equations produced for estimating the biomass within Canadian forests at a large scale have not yet been validated for eastern Canadian boreal open woodlands (OWs), where trees experience particular environmental conditions. In this study, we harvested 167 trees from seven boreal OWs in Quebec, Canada for biomass and allometric measurements. These data show that Canadian national equations accurately predict the whole aboveground biomass for both black spruce and jack pine trees, but underestimated branches biomass, possibly owing to a particular tree morphology in OWs relative to closed-canopy stands. We therefore developed ad hoc allometric equations based on three power models including diameter at breast height (DBH) alone or in combination with tree height (H) as allometric variables. Our results show that although the inclusion of H in the model yields better fits for most tree compartments in both species, the difference is minor and does not markedly affect biomass C stocks at the stand level. Using these newly developed equations, we found that carbon stocks in afforested OWs varied markedly among sites owing to differences in tree growth and species. Nine years after afforestation, jack pine plantations had accumulated about five times more carbon than black spruce plantations (0.14 vs. 0.80 t C·ha−1), highlighting the much larger potential of jack pine for OW afforestation projects in this environment.

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A Dieldrin Case Study: Another Evidence of an Obsolete Substance in the European Soil Environment

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11040314 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 314

Author(s):

Petros Tsiantas ◽

Evangelia N. Tzanetou ◽

Helen Karasali ◽

Konstantinos M. Kasiotis

Keyword(s):

Active Substance ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Carcinogenic Risk ◽

The European Union ◽

Soil Environment ◽

Single Application ◽

Environmental Concentration ◽

Tandem Mass Spectrometric ◽

Potential Use

Soil constitutes a central environmental compartment that, due to natural and anthropogenic activities, is a recipient of several contaminants. Among them, organochlorine pesticides are of major concern, even though they have been banned decades ago in the European Union, due to their persistence and the health effects they can elicit. In the presented work, a gas chromatographic tandem mass spectrometric (GC-MS/MS) developed method was applied to soil samples after the suspected and potential use of formulations containing organochlorine active substance. One soil sample was positive to dieldrin at 0.018 mg kg−1. Predicted environmental concentration in soil (PECsoil) considering a single application of this active substance potentially attributed the finding in its past use. The subsequent health risk assessment showed negligible non-carcinogenic risk and tolerable carcinogenic risk. The latter signifies that repetitive and prolonged sampling can unveil the pragmatic projection of persistent chemicals’ residues in the soil.

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