Deadwood mass and microclimate affect labile soil carbon and nitrogen under thinning of a naturally regenerated oak forest
Seongjun Kim A B , Hyun-Jun Kim C , Choonsig Kim D , Sang-Tae Lee E and Yowhan Son
F *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Center for Endangered Species, National Institute of Ecology, Yeongyang 36531, Gyeongbuk Province, Republic of Korea.
B Institute of Life Science and Natural Resources, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
C Department of Forest Resources, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea.
D Department of Forest Resources, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52725, Republic of Korea.
E Forest Technology and Management Research Center, National Institute of Forest Science, Pocheon 11186, Republic of Korea.
F Department of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
Soil Research 60(8) 839-849 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR22034
Submitted: 15 February 2022 Accepted: 13 April 2022 Published: 7 June 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Context: Labile soil carbon and nitrogen are important indicators for evaluating carbon sequestration and nutrient availability under forest management such as thinning.
Aims: This study assessed the effects of thinning on labile soil carbon and nitrogen indices in a naturally regenerated oak forest.
Methods: Un-thinned control, 15% thinning, and 30% thinning were set up, and labile soil carbon and nitrogen (microbial biomass, permanganate oxidisable carbon, dissolved carbon and nitrogen, and inorganic nitrogen) and C:N balance indices (C:N ratio and threshold element ratio) were measured after 6 years.
Key results: Thinning generally increased labile soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations (P < 0.01); however, their fraction within the total soil carbon and nitrogen decreased under thinning. Redundancy analysis revealed that the remaining deadwood mass was the most influential factor affecting such differences in labile soil carbon and nitrogen indices across the three treatments (P < 0.01), although soil moisture had an effect as well (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the dissolved C:N ratio was higher than threshold element ratio only in 15% and 30% thinnings, indicating that thinning could shift the limiting factor for microbial growth from carbon to nitrogen by adding deadwoods, which provided carbon-rich substrates.
Conclusions: Overall, results demonstrate that deadwood retention and soil microclimatic changes could be the significant factors affecting soil carbon and nitrogen storage and the associated microbial affinity in thinned forests.
Implications: Therefore, sustainable forestry strategies for thinning residue management should be addressed to reinforce soil carbon and nitrogen conditions and the forest ecosystem functions.
Keywords: carbon fraction, forest management, nitrogen availability, soil microbes, temperate oak forest, thinning intensity, thinning residue, threshold elemental ratio.
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