Short-term effects of thinning, clear-cutting and stump harvesting on methane exchange in a boreal forest

Abstract. Forest management practices can alter soil conditions, affecting the consumption and production processes that control soil methane (CH4) exchange. We studied the short-term effects of thinning, clear-cutting and stump harvesting on the CH4 exchange between soil and atmosphere at a boreal forest site in central Sweden, using an undisturbed plot as the control. Chambers in combination with a high-precision laser gas analyser were used for continuous measurements. Both the undisturbed plot and the thinned plot were net sinks of CH4, whereas the clear-cut plot and the stump harvested plot were net CH4 sources. The CH4 uptake at the thinned plot was reduced in comparison to the undisturbed plot. The shift from sink to source at the clear-cut and stump harvested plots was probably due to a rise in the water table and an increase in soil moisture, leading to lower gas diffusivity and more reduced conditions, which favour CH4 production by archea. Reduced evapotranspiration after harvesting leads to wetter soils, decreased CH4 consumption and increased CH4 production, and should be accounted for in the CH4 budget of managed forests.

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Short-term effects of thinning, clear-cutting and stump harvesting on methane exchange in a boreal forest

Biogeosciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/bgd-11-4637-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 4637-4667 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

E. Sundqvist ◽

P. Vestin ◽

P. Crill ◽

T. Persson ◽

A. Lindroth

Keyword(s):

Boreal Forest ◽

Management Practices ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

Forest Site ◽

Managed Forests ◽

Short Term ◽

Clear Cut ◽

Clear Cutting ◽

Ch4 Production ◽

Short Term Effects

Abstract. Forest management practices can alter soil conditions, affecting the consumption and production processes that control soil methane (CH4) exchange. We studied the short-term effects of thinning, clear-cutting and stump harvesting on the CH4 exchange between soil and atmosphere at a boreal forest site in central Sweden, using an undisturbed plot as the control. Chambers in combination with a high precision laser gas analyser were used for continuous measurements. Both the undisturbed plot and the thinned plot were net sinks of CH4, whereas the clear-cut plot and the stump harvested plot were net CH4 sources. The CH4 uptake at the thinned plot was reduced in comparison to the undisturbed plot. The shift from sink to source at the clear-cut and stump harvested plots was probably due to a rise of the water table and an increase in soil moisture, leading to lower gas diffusivity and more reduced conditions which favour CH4 production by archea. Reduced evapotranspiration after harvesting leads to wetter soils, decreased CH4 consumption and increased CH4 production, and should be accounted for in the CH4 budget of managed forests.

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Clear-cutting and regeneration practices in Quebec boreal balsam fir forest: effects on snowshoe hare

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x00-140 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 41-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Sonia de Bellefeuille ◽

Louis Bélanger ◽

Jean Huot ◽

Agathe Cimon

Keyword(s):

Boreal Forest ◽

Natural Regeneration ◽

Lepus Americanus ◽

Seedling Stage ◽

Snowshoe Hare ◽

Short Term ◽

Clear Cut ◽

Clear Cutting ◽

Term Basis ◽

Protective Cover

We compared utilization by the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus Erxleben) of recent clearcuts subjected to three regeneration scenarios commonly used in boreal forest: natural regeneration, plantation with herbicide release (glyphosate), and plantation with manual release (brushsaw). Refuges for snowshoe hare, on a landscape dominated by clearcuts, were also investigated. Colonization of regenerating sites by the hare comes late in the humid boreal forest because clear-cut stands take more than 10 years to reach the sapling stage. Our sites were in the seedling stage 79 years after cutting, and hares avoided them year round because of an inadequate protective cover. Therefore, regeneration treatments did not affect habitat use by the hare on a short-term basis. During the seedling stage, the snowshoe hare were found in the remaining forest which occupied at least 25% of the area of each home range. The preservation of residual forests is thus essential to maintain local populations on an area dominated by commercial clearcuts.

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An alternative to clear-cutting in the boreal forest of Alaska: a 27-year study of regeneration after shelterwood harvesting

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x01-014 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 999-1011 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

T L Wurtz ◽

J C Zasada

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Boreal Forest ◽

Picea Glauca ◽

Management Practices ◽

White Spruce ◽

Seed Crop ◽

Clear Cut ◽

Calamagrostis Canadensis ◽

Clear Cutting ◽

All Treatment

We present 27-year results from a comparison of clear-cutting and shelterwood harvesting in the boreal forest of Alaska. Three patch clear-cut and three shelterwood units were harvested in 1972; about 100 dispersed white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) leave trees per hectare were retained in the shelterwoods. Units were mechanically scarified and an exceptionally large seed-crop was dispersed that year. Shelterwood trees were removed after 15 years. After 27 years, overstory treatment had no effect on the density or growth of the species we studied, while scarification had highly significant effects. In 1999, scarified areas were densely populated with white spruce seedlings and saplings (118 000 129 000 stems/ha, with spruce in 100% of plots). Unscarified areas had far fewer spruce stems but were nevertheless well stocked (11 000 15 000 stems/ha, with 87% frequency). Initially, spruce grew best on scarified surfaces, but by 27 years, growth of the tallest spruce saplings was significantly greater on unscarified than scarified surfaces. By 27 years, cover of the grass Calamagrostis canadensis (Michx.) Nutt. had returned to preharvest levels in all treatment types. Because criteria for evaluating forest management practices have changed since this study was begun, partial overstory retention systems for the management of Alaska's boreal forest deserve further study.

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Validation and Use of a Semidistributed Hydrological Modeling System to Predict Short-Term Effects of Clear-Cutting on a Watershed Hydrological Regime

Earth Interactions ◽

10.1175/1087-3562(2004)008<0001:vauoas>2.0.co;2 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 1-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Martin-Pierre Lavigne ◽

Alain N. Rousseau ◽

Richard Turcotte ◽

Anne-Marie Laroche ◽

Jean-Pierre Fortin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hydrological Modeling ◽

Hydrological Regime ◽

Short Term ◽

Clear Cutting ◽

Short Term Effects

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Logging impacts on the biogeochemistry of boreal forest soils and nutrient export to aquatic systems: A review

Environmental Reviews ◽

10.1139/a08-006 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 16 (NA) ◽

pp. 157-179 ◽

Cited By ~ 184

Author(s):

David P. Kreutzweiser ◽

Paul W. Hazlett ◽

John M. Gunn

Keyword(s):

Boreal Forest ◽

Nutrient Availability ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

Soil Nutrient Availability ◽

Clear Cutting ◽

Partial Harvest ◽

Forest Watersheds ◽

Logging Impacts ◽

Receiving Waters

Logging disturbances in boreal forest watersheds can alter biogeochemical processes in soils by changing forest composition, plant uptake rates, soil conditions, moisture and temperature regimes, soil microbial activity, and water fluxes. In general, these changes have often led to short-term increases in soil nutrient availability followed by increased mobility and losses by leaching to receiving waters. Among the studies we reviewed, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) exports usually increased after logging, and nitrogen (N) mineralization and nitrification often increased with resulting increased N availability and exports to receiving waters. Similar processes and responses occurred for phosphorus (P), but to a lesser extent than for N. In most cases, base cations were released and exported to receiving waters after logging. Several studies demonstrated that stem-only or partial-harvest logging reduced the impacts on nutrient release and exports in comparison to whole-tree clear-cutting. Despite these logging-induced increases in soil nutrient availability and movement to receiving waters, most studies reported little or no change in soil chemical properties. However, responses to logging were highly variable and often site specific. The likelihood, extent and magnitude of logging impacts on soil nutrient cycling and exports in boreal forest watersheds will be dependent on soil types, stand and site conditions, hydrological connectivity, post-logging weather patterns, and type and timing of harvest activities. Additionally, logging impacts can interact with, and be confounded by, atmospheric pollutant deposition and climate change. Further watershed-level empirical studies and modeling efforts are required to elucidate these interactions, to improve predictive capabilities, and to advance forest management guidelines for sustaining forest soil productivity and limiting nutrient exports.

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Short-term effects of conservation management practices on soil labile organic carbon fractions under a rape–rice rotation in central China

Soil and Tillage Research ◽

10.1016/j.still.2011.12.005 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 119 ◽

pp. 31-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Cheng-fang Li ◽

Li-xin Yue ◽

Zhi-kui Kou ◽

Zhi-sheng Zhang ◽

Jin-ping Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Management Practices ◽

Conservation Management ◽

Central China ◽

Short Term ◽

Carbon Fractions ◽

Labile Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Labile Organic Carbon ◽

Organic Carbon Fractions ◽

Short Term Effects

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Short-term effects of tillage and residue management practices on dry matter yield and fate of 15N-urea in a continuous maize cropping system under subtropical conditions

Soil and Tillage Research ◽

10.1016/j.still.2018.04.013 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 182 ◽

pp. 78-85

Author(s):

W. Ishaque ◽

T. Mahmood ◽

M.A. Riaz ◽

M. Rafiq ◽

F. Malik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dry Matter ◽

Management Practices ◽

Cropping System ◽

Residue Management ◽

Dry Matter Yield ◽

Short Term ◽

Continuous Maize ◽

15N Urea ◽

Short Term Effects

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Impacts of Clear-Cutting of a Boreal Forest on Carbon Dioxide, Methane and Nitrous Oxide Fluxes

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11090961 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 961

Author(s):

Patrik Vestin ◽

Meelis Mölder ◽

Natascha Kljun ◽

Zhanzhang Cai ◽

Abdulghani Hasan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Nitrous Oxide ◽

Forest Management ◽

Boreal Forest ◽

Total Carbon ◽

Clear Cut ◽

Clear Cutting ◽

N2o Fluxes ◽

Ch4 And N2o ◽

Ghg Fluxes

The 2015 Paris Agreement encourages stakeholders to implement sustainable forest management policies to mitigate anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). The net effects of forest management on the climate and the environment are, however, still not completely understood, partially as a result of a lack of long-term measurements of GHG fluxes in managed forests. During the period 2010–2013, we simultaneously measured carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes using the flux-gradient technique at two clear-cut plots of different degrees of wetness, located in central Sweden. The measurements started approx. one year after clear-cutting, directly following soil scarification and planting. The study focused on robust inter-plot comparisons, spatial and temporal dynamics of GHG fluxes, and the determination of the global warming potential of a clear-cut boreal forest. The clear-cutting resulted in significant emissions of GHGs at both the wet and the dry plot. The degree of wetness determined, directly or indirectly, the relative contribution of each GHG to the total budgets. Faster establishment of vegetation on the wet plot reduced total emissions of CO2 as compared to the dry plot but this was partially offset by higher CH4 emissions. Waterlogging following clear-cutting likely caused both plots to switch from sinks to sources of CH4. In addition, there were periods with N2O uptake at the wet plot, although both plots were net sources of N2O on an annual basis. We observed clear diel patters in CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes during the growing season at both plots, with the exception of CH4 at the dry plot. The total three-year carbon budgets were 4107 gCO2-equivalent m−2 and 5274 gCO2-equivalent m−2 at the wet and the dry plots, respectively. CO2 contributed 91.8% to the total carbon budget at the wet plot and 98.2% at the dry plot. For the only full year with N2O measurements, the total GHG budgets were 1069.9 gCO2-eqvivalents m−2 and 1695.7 gCO2-eqvivalents m−2 at the wet and dry plot, respectively. At the wet plot, CH4 contributed 3.7%, while N2O contributed 7.3%. At the dry plot, CH4 and N2O contributed 1.5% and 7.6%, respectively. Our results emphasize the importance of considering the effects of the three GHGs on the climate for any forest management policy aiming at enhancing the mitigation potential of forests.

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