Carbon, Nutrients and Methylmercury in Water from Small Catchments Affected by Various Forest Management Operations

Forest management activities in boreal and hemiboreal environments have been found to increase the concentration of carbon, nutrients, and methylmercury (MeHg) in runoff water, thus contributing to environmental quality issues. We evaluated carbon, nutrient, and MeHg concentrations in water at eight small, forested catchments on organic soils in Latvia, subject to ditch cleaning and beaver dam removal. These management-induced disturbances were classified into a major, minor, or no disturbance classes. The concentrations of dissolved organic carbon and total nitrogen were elevated in disturbed catchments (both major and minor) compared to the catchments with no disturbance. The concentrations of MeHg in the water displayed a clear seasonal variation with higher concentrations in spring and summer, but there were no significant differences in MeHg concentrations between catchments with major, minor, and no disturbances. However, the higher concentrations of SO42− in the disturbed catchments compared to those undisturbed may promote MeHg formation if the conditions become more reduced further downstream. While most former studies of forest management effects on water quality have focused on forest harvest, our research contributes to the currently rather scarce pool of data on the impact of less-studied management operations, such as ditch cleaning and beaver dam removal, on carbon, nutrient, and MeHg concentrations in runoff water.

Download Full-text

Controls of Organic Carbon and Nutrient Export from Unmanaged and Managed Boreal Forested Catchments

Water ◽

10.3390/w13172363 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (17) ◽

pp. 2363

Author(s):

Heidi Aaltonen ◽

Tapio Tuukkanen ◽

Marjo Palviainen ◽

Annamari (Ari) Laurén ◽

Sirkka Tattari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Forest Management ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Nutrient Loads ◽

Forested Catchments ◽

Runoff Water ◽

Mixed Effect ◽

Mixed Effect Models ◽

Temperature Sum ◽

Catchment Areas

Understanding the anthropogenic and natural factors that affect runoff water quality is essential for proper planning of water protection and forest management, particularly in the changing climate. We measured water quality and runoff from 10 unmanaged and 20 managed forested headwater catchments (7–12,149 ha) located in Finland. We used linear mixed effect models to test whether the differences in total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) export and concentrations observed can be explained by catchment characteristics, land use, forest management, soil fertility, tree volume and hydrometeorological variables. Results show that much of variation in TOC, TN and TP concentrations and export was explained by drainage, temperature sum, peatland percentage and the proportion of arable area in the catchment. These models explained 45–63% of variation in concentrations and exports. Mean annual TOC export in unmanaged catchments was 56.4 ± 9.6 kg ha−1 a−1, while in managed it was 79.3 ± 3.3 kg ha−1 a−1. Same values for TN export were 1.43 ± 0.2 kg ha−1 a−1 and 2.31 ± 0.2 kg ha−1 a−1, while TP export was 0.053 ± 0.009 kg ha−1 a−1 and 0.095 ± 0.008 kg ha−1 a−1 for unmanaged and managed, respectively. Corresponding values for concentrations were: TOC 17.7 ± 2.1 mg L−1 and 28.7 ± 1.6 mg L−1, for TN 420 ± 45 µg L−1 and 825 ± 51 µg L−1 and TP 15.3 ± 2.3 µg L−1 and 35.6 ± 3.3 µg L−1. Overall concentrations and exports were significantly higher in managed than in unmanaged catchments. Long term temperature sum had an increasing effect on all concentrations and exports, indicating that climate warming may set new challenges to controlling nutrient loads from catchment areas.

Download Full-text

The impact of beaver dam removal on the chemical properties of water in drainage ditches in peatland forests

Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1080/02827581.2020.1855364 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Zane Kalvīte ◽

Zane Lībiete ◽

Ivars Kļaviņš ◽

Arta Bārdule ◽

Kārlis Bičkovskis

Keyword(s):

Chemical Properties ◽

Dam Removal ◽

Drainage Ditches ◽

Beaver Dam ◽

The Impact

Download Full-text

The yield of perennial grass stands on drained organic soils of Steppe

Interdepartmental thematic scientific collection "Agriculture" ◽

10.31073/zem.90.92-97 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 1 (90) ◽

pp. 92-97

Author(s):

I.T. Slusar ◽

V.A. Serbenyuk ◽

A.N. Gera ◽

A.P. Solyanik ◽

A.A. Tarasenko

Keyword(s):

Zinc Sulphate ◽

Foliar Application ◽

Perennial Grass ◽

Mineral Fertilizer ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Research Area ◽

Organic Soils ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

Cobalt Sulfate ◽

The Impact

Research on the impact of the introduction of micro fertilizers and growth promoters on a background of mineral fertilizer and without N90R45К120 spent on old peat in shallow carbonate floodplain r.Supiy, Yahotyn Kyiv region. Power peat horizon about 60-70 cm, 7,4-7,6 pH of the aqueous extract, stupas schedule 56-60%, density 0,49-0,52 assembly soil, total nitrogen content (%) - 1.9; gross forms of phosphorus - 0,4, potassium 0.2, 20% lime. In experiments studying biological rehoplant, radustym, Biolan, emistim, Jets, humisol, plantafol, radyfarm and micronutrients: copper, boric acid, manganese sulphate, zinc sulphate, potassium humates. Treatment drugs conducted in the spring by spraying mixtures. Space research area of 60 m2, three-time repetition. It is established that the use of growth stimulants and micronutrients in the background N90R45К120 provided the highest yield mixtures of years, against making BIOLan - 9.9 t / ha Radyfarmu - 9.6 t / ha Radostymu 9.3 t / ha dry weight. In areas for making other preparations were intermediate yield growth rates - 0.5 - 2.0 t / ha dry weight. Also good gains herbage yields obtained by making all kinds of micronutrients and growth stimulants in the background without making makrodobryv which was within 5.3 - 6.9 t / ha to control without fertilization - 4.5 t / ha dry weight. In deep peat copper fertilizer (25 kg / ha of copper sulphate or 5 kg / ha pirytnoho cinders) in all zones should be making every 3-4 years, and zinc, cobalt and molybdenum advisable to make time for the growing season, spring, by foliar application in such numbers: ammonium molibdenovokyslyy - 0.3 kg / ha; cobalt sulfate - 3 kg / ha zinc sulphate 0.5 kg / ha or placers these salts should be mixed with major fertilizer.

Download Full-text

Nachhaltigkeit im Wald – vor und hinter der Welle der Globalisierung | Sustainable Forest Management – In Front and Behind the Wave of Globalization

Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen ◽

10.3188/szf.2000.0502 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 151 (12) ◽

pp. 502-507

Author(s):

Christian Küchli

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Cultural Landscape ◽

Sustainable Forest Management ◽

Essential Element ◽

Specific Situation ◽

The South ◽

The North ◽

Time Space ◽

Starting Point ◽

The Impact

Are there any common patterns in the transition processes from traditional and more or less sustainable forest management to exploitative use, which can regularly be observed both in central Europe and in the countries of the South (e.g. India or Indonesia)? Attempts were made with a time-space-model to typify those force fields, in which traditional sustainable forest management is undermined and is then transformed into a modern type of sustainable forest management. Although it is unlikely that the history of the North will become the future of the South, the glimpse into the northern past offers a useful starting point for the understanding of the current situation in the South, which in turn could stimulate the debate on development. For instance, the patterns which stand behind the conflicts on forest use in the Himalayas are very similar to the conflicts in the Alps. In the same way, the impact of socio-economic changes on the environment – key word ‹globalisation› – is often much the same. To recognize comparable patterns can be very valuable because it can act as a stimulant for the search of political, legal and technical solutions adapted to a specific situation. For the global community the realization of the way political-economic alliances work at the head of the ‹globalisationwave›can only signify to carry on trying to find a common language and understanding at the negotiation tables. On the lee side of the destructive breaker it is necessary to conserve and care for what survived. As it was the case in Switzerland these forest islands could once become the germination points for the genesis of a cultural landscape, where close-to-nature managed forests will constitute an essential element.

Download Full-text

Soil Moisture Dynamics in Response to Precipitation and Thinning in a Semi-Dry Forest in Northern Mexico

Water ◽

10.3390/w13010105 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 105

Author(s):

Argelia E. Rascón-Ramos ◽

Martín Martínez-Salvador ◽

Gabriel Sosa-Pérez ◽

Federico Villarreal-Guerrero ◽

Alfredo Pinedo-Alvarez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Forest Management ◽

Water Availability ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Rainfall Events ◽

Rainfall Characteristics ◽

Northern Mexico ◽

The Difference ◽

The Impact ◽

Moisture Dynamics

Understanding soil moisture behavior in semi-dry forests is essential for evaluating the impact of forest management on water availability. The objective of the study was to analyze soil moisture based in storm observations in three micro-catchments (0.19, 0.20, and 0.27 ha) with similar tree densities, and subject to different thinning intensities in a semi-dry forest in Chihuahua, Mexico. Vegetation, soil characteristics, precipitation, and volumetric water content were measured before thinning (2018), and after 0%, 40%, and 80% thinning for each micro-catchment (2019). Soil moisture was low and relatively similar among the three micro-catchments in 2018 (mean = 8.5%), and only large rainfall events (>30 mm) increased soil moisture significantly (29–52%). After thinning, soil moisture was higher and significantly different among the micro-catchments only during small rainfall events (<10 mm), while a difference was not noted during large events. The difference before–after during small rainfall events was not significant for the control (0% thinning); whereas 40% and 80% thinning increased soil moisture significantly by 40% and 53%, respectively. Knowledge of the response of soil moisture as a result of thinning and rainfall characteristics has important implications, especially for evaluating the impact of forest management on water availability.

Download Full-text

Modeling forest management effects on water and sediment yield from nested, paired watersheds in the interior Pacific Northwest, USA using WEPP

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134877 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 701 ◽

pp. 134877 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

A. Srivastava ◽

E.S. Brooks ◽

M. Dobre ◽

W.J. Elliot ◽

J.Q. Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Pacific Northwest ◽

Sediment Yield ◽

Water And Sediment ◽

Paired Watersheds ◽

Management Effects

Download Full-text

Stiffness and Strength of Stabilized Organic Soils—Part I/II: Experimental Database and Statistical Description for Machine Learning Modelling

Geosciences ◽

10.3390/geosciences11060243 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 243

Author(s):

Hernandez-Martinez Francisco G. ◽

Al-Tabbaa Abir ◽

Medina-Cetina Zenon ◽

Yousefpour Negin

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Statistical Analysis ◽

Portland Cement ◽

Soil Stabilization ◽

Data Availability ◽

Data Repository ◽

Organic Soils ◽

Experimental Database ◽

Soil Mixing ◽

The Impact

This paper presents the experimental database and corresponding statistical analysis (Part I), which serves as a basis to perform the corresponding parametric analysis and machine learning modelling (Part II) of a comprehensive study on organic soil strength and stiffness, stabilized via the wet soil mixing method. The experimental database includes unconfined compression tests performed under laboratory-controlled conditions to investigate the impact of soil type, the soil’s organic content, the soil’s initial natural water content, binder type, binder quantity, grout to soil ratio, water to binder ratio, curing time, temperature, curing relative humidity and carbon dioxide content on the stabilized organic specimens’ stiffness and strength. A descriptive statistical analysis complements the description of the experimental database, along with a qualitative study on the stabilization hydration process via scanning electron microscopy images. Results confirmed findings on the use of Portland cement alone and a mix of Portland cement with ground granulated blast furnace slag as suitable binders for soil stabilization. Findings on mixes including lime and magnesium oxide cements demonstrated minimal stabilization. Specimen size affected stiffness, but not the strength for mixes of peat and Portland cement. The experimental database, along with all produced data analyses, are available at the Texas Data Repository as indicated in the Data Availability Statement below, to allow for data reproducibility and promote the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning competing modelling techniques as the ones presented in Part II of this paper.

Download Full-text