Effect of tree harvest, silvopastoral practices, and microclimate conditions on forest floor CO2 efflux in a sessile oak (Quercus petraea agg. [Matt.] Liebl.) forest
Key message
Forest floor CO 2 efflux ( R f ; consisted of soil and potential vegetation) increased after forest harvest, but this response was changed by actual weather (especially drought and rains).
Abstract
Context Soil respiration is a large source of CO2 released to the atmosphere and is sensitive to forest management practices and weather.
Aims To determine effects of harvest, ancient practices and weather in a newly established coppice forest on Rf.
Methods Rf, temperature, and moisture were measured during 1 year before and 2 years after harvest.
Results Pasturing and raking had no effect on Rf. It tended to increase during the first season after harvest. In the second year after harvest, differences in Rf between control and harvested plots became much greater because of intensively developing herbaceous vegetation on harvested plots. No difference between the control and harvested plots was found during severely dry conditions. Following intensive rain pulses, Rf was larger in the control than in the harvested plots.
Conclusion Findings indicate that the Rf response is not uniform in time and depends on microclimate, particularly on soil moisture. This may be crucial for estimation of the harvest impact on soil processes especially under changing climate.
Keywords
Harvest; Litter raking; Pasture; Quercus petraea; Soil respiration; Soil water content
Publication
Darenova, E., Kadavý, J., Knott, R. et al. Effect of tree harvest, silvopastoral practices, and microclimate conditions on forest floor CO2 efflux in a sessile oak (Quercus petraea agg. [Matt.] Liebl.) forest. Annals of Forest Science 78, 80 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-021-01101-z
For the read-only version of the full text:
https://rdcu.be/cxWkH
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Handling Editor
Andreas Bolte
