Effects of Quercus rubra L. on soil properties and humus forms in 50-year-old and 80-year-old forest stands of Lombardy plain

Study sites: Bosco Vacaressino (BV) and Bosco Ginestre (BG)

Key message Besides the well-known effects on the native plant community, red oak may also impact the soil; the effects of afforestation with red oak involve both organic layers and mineral soil, resulting in changes in organic carbon quantity and quality and in soil acidification.
Context Many alien species have become widespread in Europe; among these, red oak is a common invader of temperate forests.
Aims The effects of substitution of natural mixed forest by red oak forest on humus forms and soil properties were investigated in two paired plots: a 50-year-old (Bosco Vacaressino) and 80-year-old (Bosco Ginestre) forest stand.
Methods Soil sampling was performed from 3 layers at 40 and 49 points in Bosco Vacaressino and Bosco Ginestre respectively to determine humus forms, soil pH, organic carbon stock, carbon-nitrogen ratio (C:N), available phosphorus, and texture.
Results Red oak resulted in a shift from Mull to Moder humus forms; soil acidification, higher C:N ratio, and soil organic carbon stock were observed compared with mixed forests.
Conclusion The major changes were reflected in a change toward less active humus forms; the effects of vegetation conversions were also visible in mineral layers; many of the modifications were more evident with increasing stand age.

Keywords
Alien species, Red oak, Forest Conversion, Humus form, Soil spatial variability, Mixed model

Publication
Ferré, C., Comolli, R. Effects of Quercus rubra L. on soil properties and humus forms in 50-year-old and 80-year-old forest stands of Lombardy plain. Annals of Forest Science 77, 3 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-019-0893-0

For the read-only version of the full text: https://rdcu.be/b1RsQ

Data availability
The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available in the Pangaea repository (Ferré and Comolli 2019) at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.905854.

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