scholarly journals Earthworms as an Ecological Indicator of Soil Recovery after Mechanized Logging Operations in Mixed Beech Forests

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Hadi Sohrabi ◽  
Meghdad Jourgholami ◽  
Mohammad Jafari ◽  
Farzam Tavankar ◽  
Rachele Venanzi ◽  
...  

Soil damage caused by logging operations conducted to obtain and maximize economic benefits has been established as having long-term effects on forest soil quality and productivity. However, a comprehensive study of the impact of logging operations on earthworms as a criterion for soil recovery has never been conducted in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran. The aim of this study was to determine the changes in soil biological properties (earthworm density and biomass) and its recovery process under the influence of traffic intensity, slope and soil depth in various intervals according to age after logging operations. Soil properties were compared among abandoned skid trails with different ages (i.e., 3, 10, 20, and 25 years) and an undisturbed area. The results showed that earthworm density and biomass in the high traffic intensity and slope class of 20–30% at the 10–20 cm depth of the soil had the lowest value compared to the other treatments. Twenty-five years after the logging operations, the earthworm density at soil depth of 0–10 and 10–20 cm was 28.4% (0.48 ind. m−2) and 38.6% (0.35 ind. m−2), which were less than those of the undisturbed area, respectively. Meanwhile, the earthworm biomass at a soil depth of 0–10 and 10–20 cm was 30.5% (2.05 mg m−2) and 40.5% (1.54 mg m−2) less than the values of the undisturbed area, respectively. The earthworm density and biomass were positively correlated with total porosity, organic carbon and nitrogen content, while negatively correlated with soil bulk density and C/N ratio. According to the results, 25 years after logging operations, the earthworm density and biomass on the skid trails were recovered, but they were significantly different with the undisturbed area. Therefore, full recovery of soil biological properties (i.e., earthworm density and biomass) takes more than 25 years. The conclusions of our study reveal that the effects of logging operations on soil properties are of great significance, and our understanding of the mechanism of soil change and recovery demand that harvesting operations be extensively and properly implemented.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadi Sohrabi ◽  
Meghdad Jourgholami ◽  
Mohammad Jafari ◽  
Naghi Shabanian ◽  
Rachele Venanzi ◽  
...  

Minimizing the impact of timber harvesting on forest stands and soils is one of the main goals of sustainable forest operation (SFO). Thus, it is necessary to make an accurate assessment of forest operations on soil that is based on the SFO perspective. The present study was conducted according to SFO principles to investigate the time required for the natural recovery of soil after disturbance by skidding operations in some Iranian forests. The physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil found in abandoned skid trails from different time periods were compared with undisturbed forest soils. The soil bulk density, the penetration resistance, and the microporosity of a 25-year-old skid trail were 8.4–27.4% and 50.4% greater, and the total porosity, macroporosity, and soil moisture were 1.9–17.1% and 4.6% lower than the undisturbed area. In a 25-year-old skid trail, the values of pH, Electrical conductivity (EC), C, N, available P, K, Ca, and Mg, earthworm density, and biomass were lower than in the undisturbed area, and the C/N ratio value was higher than in the undisturbed area. High traffic intensity and slope classes of 20–30% in a three-year-old skid trail had the greatest impact on soil properties. In order to have sustainable timber production, SFO should be developed and soil recovery time should be reduced through post-harvest management operation.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 625
Author(s):  
Meghdad Jourgholami ◽  
Azadeh Khoramizadeh ◽  
Angela Lo Monaco ◽  
Rachele Venanzi ◽  
Francesco Latterini ◽  
...  

Engineering applications can be used to mitigate the adverse effects of soil compaction and amend compacted soils. Previous literature has highlighted the beneficial effects of interventions such as litter mulching and incorporation on skid trails. However, little is known about the effectiveness of these alternatives in restoring forest soil quality after forest logging. The objective of this study was to properly elucidate the effects of the above mentioned soil protection methods, litter incorporation before skidding (LI) and litter mulching after skidding (LM), on the recovery of compacted soil’s physico-chemical and biological properties on skid trails over a 2-year period in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran to identify the best option for restoration intervention. The litter used in both methods consisted of dried leaves of the hornbeam and maple tree in three intensities of 3, 6, and 9 Mg ha−1. The results showed that the application of both methods (LI and LM) significantly improved the soil properties when compared to the untreated skid trail. Results showed that the recovery values of soil properties in the LI treatments were significantly higher than those of the LM. The recovery values of soil properties by 6 and 9 Mg ha−1 were significantly higher than those of 3 Mg ha−1, while the differences were not significant between 6 and 9 Mg ha−1. Our findings showed that soil properties were partially recovered (70–80%) over a 2-year period from treatment, compared to untreated, but the full recovery of soil properties required more time to return to the pre-harvest value. Overall, the results of this study demonstrated that the application of soil protection methods accelerates the process of recovering soil properties much faster than natural soil recovery, which can take more than 20 years in these forests.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2223
Author(s):  
Mahboobeh Tayebi ◽  
Jorge Tadeu Fim Rosas ◽  
Wanderson de Sousa Mendes ◽  
Raul Roberto Poppiel ◽  
Yaser Ostovari ◽  
...  

Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks are a remarkable property for soil and environmental monitoring. The understanding of their dynamics in crop soils must go forward. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of temporal environmental controlling factors obtained by satellite images over the SOC stocks along soil depth, using machine learning algorithms. The work was carried out in São Paulo state (Brazil) in an area of 2577 km2. We obtained a dataset of boreholes with soil analyses from topsoil to subsoil (0–100 cm). Additionally, remote sensing covariates (30 years of land use history, vegetation indexes), soil properties (i.e., clay, sand, mineralogy), soil types (classification), geology, climate and relief information were used. All covariates were confronted with SOC stocks contents, to identify their impact. Afterwards, the abilities of the predictive models were tested by splitting soil samples into two random groups (70 for training and 30% for model testing). We observed that the mean values of SOC stocks decreased by increasing the depth in all land use and land cover (LULC) historical classes. The results indicated that the random forest with recursive features elimination (RFE) was an accurate technique for predicting SOC stocks and finding controlling factors. We also found that the soil properties (especially clay and CEC), terrain attributes, geology, bioclimatic parameters and land use history were the most critical factors in controlling the SOC stocks in all LULC history and soil depths. We concluded that random forest coupled with RFE could be a functional approach to detect, map and monitor SOC stocks using environmental and remote sensing data.


2021 ◽  
Vol 305 ◽  
pp. 04004
Author(s):  
Malihatun Nufus ◽  
Budiadi ◽  
Widiyatno

Shifting cultivation in tropical forest was presumed as the major cause of soil degradation and soil nutrient depletion, and need several years--namely forest-fallow periods-- to be recovered. Soil properties dynamic monitoring has been done in the tropical forest in Central Kalimantan at one, five and ten year after abandonment, and compared to primary forest, to predict the time for soil recovery in term of Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Potassium (K), Natrium (Na) content and cation exchange capacity (CEC). The soil properties status can be beneficial for rehabilitation activities through practicing agroforestry by the forest dwellers. The results showed that soil properties (i.e. Ca, Mg, K, CEC) were significantly different among soil depth (P<0.05), but not for Na. Highest value of Ca, Mg, K and Na were observed in the soil surface (0-20 cm), Soil nutrient contents were significantly changed with the time of abandonment, the highest value of CEC, Ca, K, and pH were found in five years after the abandonment. It suggested that soil nutrients were distributed in the soil surface composed from litter of pioneer trees. The research suggested that soil recovery was probably occurred during early fallows, and agroforestry can be practiced at five year after the abandonment.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Juřicová ◽  
Tomáš Chuman ◽  
Daniel Žížala

&lt;p&gt;The decline in soil organic carbon (SOC) is generally perceived as a major threat to the sustainability of the soil due to its key role in many productive and non - productive soil functions. The aim of this research is to assess the intensity of changes and the spatial variability of SOC and soil depth in the last 60 years. Estimation of spatial variability of soil properties was performed by using digital soil mapping. A study area is located in the chernozems area in south Moravia (Czechia). This region is traditionally intensively cultivated with the strong impact of water and tillage erosion. The study is based on the analysis of historical data that comes from the Large-scale mapping of Agricultural Soils in Czechoslovakia soil database. Our dataset contained data from 120 soil profiles. A new field investigation shows significant SOC losses on steep slopes and slope shoulders with a decrease of depth of the humic horizon. As a result, there is a gradual transformation of soil units from the former Calcic Chernosems into the Haplic Calcisols. These findings are the result of ongoing environmental changes with the strong impact of historical agricultural policy and inappropriate interference in the landscape.&lt;/p&gt;


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeneayehu Fenetahun ◽  
You Yuan ◽  
Xu Xinwen ◽  
Tihunie Fentahun ◽  
Vincent Nzabarinda ◽  
...  

Grazing intensity (GI) is a major determining factor that controls the functioning of rangelands and the overall nutrient cycle. The Teltele rangeland is used for communal grazing area by the local pastorals; however, to date, there is no documented study data about the impact of GI. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of grazing intensity on selected soil properties in the Teltele rangeland, Ethiopia. Soil samples were collected from different GI sites using different elevation gradient and soil depth from both open grazing and bush-encroached grazing land sand-assessed soil properties. Grazing intensity, elevation, and soil depth significantly (p &lt; 0.05) affected both soils’ physical and chemical properties but rangeland types had no significant effect. The correlation analysis of soil characteristics with the principal component analysis axes showed significant variation. The highly weighted and correlated properties under principal component 1 (PC1) were electrical conductivity, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and potassium, and under principal component 2, sand and bulk density with equal loaded value (r = −0.998), clay and silt, with silt (0.962) a more loaded one. Soil pH (0.743) demonstrated a significant (p &lt; 0.05) positive correlation with sodium (−0.960) at PC1 (r = 0.610). Based on our results, we recommend further model-based studies on spatial–temporal change of soil properties due to impact of grazing intensity, combined with GIS and remote sensing data to be developed for sustainable rangeland management.


The university is considered one of the engines of growth in a local economy or its market area, since its direct contributions consist of 1) employment of faculty and staff, 2) services to students, and supply chain links vendors, all of which define the University’s Market area. Indirect contributions consist of those agents associated with the university in terms of community and civic events. Each of these activities represent economic benefits to their host communities and can be classified as the economic impact a university has on its local economy and whose spatial market area includes each of the above agents. In addition are the critical links to the University, which can be considered part of its Demand and Supply chain. This paper contributes to the field of Public/Private Impact Analysis, which is used to substantiate the social and economic benefits of cooperating for economic resources. We use Census data on Output of Goods and Services, Labor Income on Salaries, Wages and Benefits, Indirect State and Local Taxes, Property Tax Revenue, Population, and Inter-Industry to measure economic impact (Implan, 2016).


Author(s):  
Larisa Dmitrievna Popovich ◽  
Svetlana Valentinovna Svetlichnaya ◽  
Aleksandr Alekseevich Moiseev

Diabetes – a disease in which the effect of the treatment substantially depends on the patient. Known a study showed that the use of glucometers with the technology of three-color display of test results facilitates self-monitoring of blood sugar and leads to a decrease in glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc). Purpose of the study: to modeling the impact of using of a glucometer with a color-coded display on the clinical outcomes of diabetes mellitus and calculating, the potential economic benefits of reducing the hospitalization rate of patients with diabetes. Material and methods. Based on data from two studies (O. Schnell et al. and M. Baxter et al.) simulation of the reduction in the number of complications with the use of a glucometer with a color indication. In a study by O. Schnell et al. a decrease of HbA1c by 0.69 percent is shown when using the considered type of glucometers, which was the basis of the model. Results. In the model, the use of a glucometer with a color-coded display for type 1 diabetes led to a decrease in the total number of complications by 9.2 thousand over 5 years per a cohort of 40 thousand patients with different initial levels of HbA1c. In a cohort of 40 thousand patients with type 2 diabetes, the simulated number of prevented complications was 1.7 thousand over 5 years. When extrapolating these data to all patients with diabetes included in the federal register of diabetes mellitus (FRD), the number of prevented complications was 55.4 thousand cases for type 1 diabetes and 67.1 thousand cases for type 2 diabetes. The possible economic effect from the use of the device by all patients with a diagnosis of diabetes, which are included in the FRD, estimated at 1.5 billion rubles for a cohort of patients with type 1 diabetes and 5.3 billion rubles for patients with type 2 diabetes. Conclusion. Improving the effectiveness of self-monitoring, which is the result of the use of glucometers with color indicators, can potentially significantly reduce the incidence of complications in diabetes and thereby provide significant economic benefits to society.


Author(s):  
Maryna Khmara

The peculiarities of gemstone market functioning under the impact of globalization are examined. Modern condition of financial stabilization in world is defined and main features of gemstones are outlined. Negative impact of illegal market on socio-economic development of countries, namely on revenues to the country’s budget from the business, is revealed. The importance of the problem of transferring most of gemstones processing operations beyond the countries of production is emphasized. Poor public control over the circulation of precious stones is proven. The challenges are substantiated to be aggravating under the impact of globalization. The diamonds market, which has peculiar high demand, is analyzed: diamonds and derivatives account for 85% of global turnover. Application of managerial strategies for gemstones market to efficiently use resources is defined to be complicated by the fact that managerial strategies impact the high cost of product items and its variability; unique features; intangible qualities; complicated processing. More environmentally friendly production and social responsibility are confirmed to have impact on forming of demand on gemstones. Investment attractiveness of gemstones, except for diamonds, is proven to be low. Condition of production and consumption of diamonds is analyzed. Development condition of the market segment – non-diamonds gemstones – is shown. The activity of small enterprises and households engaged in gemstones production is confirmed to be characterized by chaotic and complicated nature of broker networks, leading to aggravated global challenges. The paper defines that expansion of spectrum and emergence of new opportunities for illegal activity, reduced income and loss of other types of economic benefits, growing negative ecological and social impact, growing exploitation of workers at illegal enterprises remain to be the global challenges of gemstones market functioning. The author suggests increasing of social and ecological responsibility of business, strengthening of the state regulating functions and promotion of gemstones market legalization in order to reduce the challenges.


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