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Carbon and Nutrient Accumulation and Decomposition in Forests

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A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2021) | Viewed by 21289

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Prof. Dr. Choonsig Kim

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Guest Editor

Division of Environmental Forest Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52725, Republic of Korea
Interests: forest soils; greenhouse gases; nutrient cycling; soil productivity
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Dr. Christopher Gough

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Co-Guest Editor

Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1000 W. Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Interests: plant physiological and ecosystem ecology; disturbance ecology; ecological succession; carbon and nitrogen cycling; biogeochemistry; urban forestry; tree–soil interactions; global change biology
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Prof. Dr. Chris Peterson

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Co-Guest Editor

Department of Plant Biology, 2502 Miller Plant Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
Interests: wind damage to trees and forests

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Carbon and nutrient accumulation (stocks) by forest stands play a significant role in assessing the potential impacts of sustainable forest management and biogeochemical cycles in forest ecosystems. The quantitative evaluation of these stocks in forest stands is important because of the role of carbon sequestration in mitigating global climate change and supporting sustainable forest productivity. Estimates of carbon and nutrient stocks in forest stands can be made at global, national, regional, landscape, and stand scales. For example, the role of such stocks in forest stands is likely to vary on a stand scale because the nutrient conversion rates and carbon allocation mechanisms differ between tree species. Other factors, such as tree biomass, site conditions, and forest management practices, can result in variations in carbon and nutrient stocks on a temporal and spatial scale. This Special Issue deals with these processes based on field experiments, modeling, and reviews, and highlights emerging technologies to evaluate carbon and nutrient accumulation, both aboveground and belowground, in forest stands. Studies focused on organic matter inputs and decomposition are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Choonsig Kim
Dr. Christopher Gough
Prof. Dr. Chris Peterson
Guest Editors

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Keywords

carbon sequestration
carbon and nutrient allocation
forest biomass
forest soils
litter fall and decomposition
nutrient cycling and dynamics
soil productivity
soil carbon and nutrient dynamics
stoichiometry

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1932 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Litterfall and Element Return in an Abies faxoniana Forest in Tibet—A Five-Year Study

by Weiting Wu, Yabei Zhang, Lifeng Wang, Yu Zhou, Yamei Chen, Shuqin He, Jian Zhang and Yang Liu

Forests 2021, 12(11), 1577; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12111577 - 17 Nov 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2069

Abstract

Forest litter is the main contributor to soil fertility and the main carrier of circulating material and energy in forest ecosystems. Abies faxoniana (Minjiang fir) is one of the dominant species in alpine forest ecosystems. Its litter input plays important roles in soil organic matter formation and biogeochemical cycles in these ecosystems, but the annual litterfall pattern and its components remain largely unknown. To determine the litter input and nutrient return of A. faxoniana, we measured the litterfall and element (carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), aluminium (Al), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn)) contents of different litter components (branches, leaves and epiphytes) from 2016 to 2020. The results showed that the annual litterfall in the A. faxoniana forest ranged from 2055.96 to 5384.15 kg·ha⁻¹·a⁻¹, and the average mass proportions of branches, leaves and epiphytes were 30.12%, 62.18% and 7.7%, respectively. The litterfall yield varied significantly with time and component; not only was the yield of litter in the nongrowing season higher than that in the growing season, but it also exhibited dramatic interannual variations. We also found that time had significant effects on the contents of all elements except for Ca in the litter. The return and input amounts of each element followed the same dynamics, which closely resembled a bimodal pattern. Moreover, there was significant interannual variability in the returned amounts of each element. The ranges of annual returns of C, N and P were 744.80~2275.12, 19.80~59.00 and 1.03~2.81 kg·ha⁻¹·a⁻¹, respectively. The ranges of annual returns of K, Ca, Na, Mg, Al, Fe and Mn were 0.91~2.00, 7.04~18.88, 0.13~0.58, 0.33~1.20, 0.55~2.29, 0.41~1.37 and 0.16~0.48 kg·ha⁻¹·a⁻¹, respectively, reflecting a seasonal double-peak pattern. These results have important implications for understanding the biogeochemical cycles and material migration processes in alpine forest ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon and Nutrient Accumulation and Decomposition in Forests)

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14 pages, 1983 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Stand-Level Comparison of Carbon and Nitrogen Distribution in an Exotic Japanese Cedar Plantation and a Natural Oak Stand

by Gyeongwon Baek, Eun-Ji Bae and Choonsig Kim

Forests 2021, 12(8), 963; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12080963 - 21 Jul 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2157

Abstract

This study compared carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) distribution at a stand level in an exotic Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) plantation and a natural Serrata oak (Quercus serrata Murray) stand growing under similar site conditions in South Korea. The aboveground biomass (stems, branches, and leaves) of 20 trees (10 of each species), the forest floor, and the mineral soils to a depth of 30 cm were sampled to determine C and N concentrations. Except in branches, C concentrations were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the Japanese cedar plantation than in the Serrata oak stand, whereas N concentrations, except in the stem bark, were significantly lower in the Japanese cedar plantation. Reforestation with an exotic coniferous species significantly increased the C stocks in the aboveground biomass and the N stocks in the forest floor and mineral soils compared with a natural oak stand. The N stocks in the aboveground biomass were dependent on either the N concentrations or the C stocks in the tree components, whereas soil C and N stocks were negatively related to soil fertility parameters such as C/N ratio. Although it is uncertain which factors are responsible for the difference in aboveground C and soil N stocks following the establishment of Japanese cedar plantations on former natural Serrata oak stands, tree replacement may have an impact on C and N allocation within different forest compartments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon and Nutrient Accumulation and Decomposition in Forests)

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13 pages, 5086 KiB

Open AccessArticle

First-Decade Biomass and Carbon Accumulation, and Woody Community Change after Severe Wind Damage in a Hemlock-White Pine Forest Remnant

by Chris J. Peterson

Forests 2021, 12(2), 231; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12020231 - 17 Feb 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2163

Abstract

Studies of biomass and carbon dynamics and community composition change after forest wind disturbance have predominantly examined trends after low and intermediate severity events, while studies after very severe wind disturbance have been few. This study documents trends in aboveground biomass and carbon across 10 years of forest recovery after severe wind disturbance. In July 1989, a tornado struck mature Tsugacanadensis-Pinusstrobus forest in northwest Connecticut, USA, causing damage across roughly 8 ha. Canopy tree damage and regeneration were surveyed in 1991 and 1999. Two primary hypotheses were tested, both of which derive from regeneration being primarily via the release of suppressed saplings rather than new seedling establishment: (1) Biomass and carbon accumulation will be faster than accumulation reported from a similar forest that experienced similar severity of wind disturbance; and (2) The stand will experience very little change in species composition or diversity. Estimated immediate post-disturbance (1989) aboveground live-tree carbon was 20.7 ± 43.9 Mg ha⁻¹ (9.9% of pre-disturbance) Ten years after the disturbance, carbon in aboveground live tree biomass increased to 37.1 ± 47.9 Mg ha⁻¹; thus for the first decade, annual accumulation averaged 1.6 Mg ha⁻¹ of carbon; this was significantly faster than the rate reported in a similar forest that experienced similar severity of wind disturbance. The species diversity of woody stems ten years after the disturbance was significantly higher (nonoverlapping confidence intervals of rarefaction curves) than pre-disturbance canopy trees. Thus, hypothesis 1 was confirmed while hypothesis 2 was rejected. This study augments the limited number of longer-term empirical studies that report biomass and carbon accumulation rates after wind disturbance, and can therefore serve as a benchmark for mechanistic and modeling research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon and Nutrient Accumulation and Decomposition in Forests)

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10 pages, 1876 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Aboveground Biomass and Carbon Accumulation 19 Years Post-Windthrow and Salvage Logging

by Callie Ashton Oldfield and Chris Jon Peterson

Forests 2021, 12(2), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12020173 - 2 Feb 2021

Viewed by 2552

Abstract

Natural disturbances shape forest ecosystem characteristics, including carbon storage and structure. Often, natural disturbances are compounded with anthropogenic disturbances, which may alter the trajectory of forest carbon stock recovery. Heterogeneous levels of disturbance severity in compound disturbance events add an additional layer of complexity. This paper examines the effect of a moderate-severity wind disturbance and subsequent salvage logging on forest biomass and carbon stock recovery over 19 years. We investigate the recovery of aboveground tree biomass following a wind disturbance and salvage logging and examine the role of wind disturbance severity on biomass accumulation rates. We use pre-disturbance, 3 years post-wind disturbance and 19 years post-wind disturbance measurements of tree biomass across two adjacent sites at Natchez Trace State Forest for Site A and Site B in east central Tennessee. We found no significant difference in the carbon storage at Site A (pre = 92 MgC/ha; 19 years post-disturbance = 83 MgC/ha) or Site B (pre = 66 MgC/ha; 19 years post-disturbance = 67) when comparing the pre-disturbance level of aboveground tree carbon storage with the 19-years post-disturbance levels. Furthermore, we found no evidence that salvage logging reduced the rate of live tree carbon accumulation. The corresponding rates of mean annual carbon accumulation (MgC/ha) are as follows: Site A Unsalvaged (1.07), Site A Salvaged (1.25) and Site B Salvaged (2.02). Contrary to our prediction, greater wind damage severity was weakly associated with higher rates of biomass accumulation (R² = 0.17). While we found no negative effect of salvage logging on the aboveground tree carbon accumulation rate, salvage logging alters other carbon pools, including coarse woody debris. Salvage logging did not reduce the rate of carbon stock recovery, and a higher wind disturbance severity was associated with a greater rate of carbon stock recovery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon and Nutrient Accumulation and Decomposition in Forests)

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15 pages, 1511 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration and Active Carbon Component Changes Following Different Vegetation Restoration Ages on Severely Eroded Red Soils in Subtropical China

by Shengsheng Xiao, Jie Zhang, Jian Duan, Hongguang Liu, Cong Wang and Chongjun Tang

Forests 2020, 11(12), 1304; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11121304 - 4 Dec 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3088

Abstract

Degraded soil has a high carbon sink potential. However, the carbon sequestration capacity and efficiency of comprehensive control measures in soil erosion areas are still not fully understood, and this information is essential for evaluating the effects of adopted restoration measures. The objective of this study was to determine the restoration of soil organic carbon and active carbon components under the impact of soil erosion measures and reforestation following different restoration ages. A small watershed with four typical restored plots following the same control measures (combination measures with horizontal bamboo burl-groove + replanting trees, shrubs and grasses) but different restoration ages (4 years, 14 years, 24 years and 34 years) and two reference plots (bare land (carbon-depleted) and nearby undisturbed forest (carbon-enriched)) in subtropical China was studied. The results showed that the soil organic carbon contents at a 1 m soil depth and the dissolved organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon concentrations in the upper 60 cm of soils of the four restored lands were higher than those in the bare land. Furthermore, the restored lands of 4 years, 14 years, 24 years and 34 years had soil organic carbon stocks in the 1 m soil depth of 22.83 t hm⁻², 21.87 t hm⁻², 32.77 t hm⁻² and 39.65 t hm⁻², respectively, which were higher than the bare land value of 19.86 t hm⁻² but lower than the undisturbed forestland value of 75.90 t hm⁻². The restored forestlands of 34 years of ecological restoration also had a high potential of being a soil organic carbon sink. Compared to the bare land, the restored lands of 4 years, 14 years, 24 years and 34 years had soil organic carbon sequestration capacities of 2.97 t hm⁻², 2.01 t hm⁻², 12.91 t hm⁻² and 19.79 t hm⁻², respectively, and had soil organic carbon sequestration rates of 0.74 t hm⁻² a⁻¹, 0.14 t hm⁻² a⁻¹, 0.54 t hm⁻² a⁻¹ and 0.58 t hm⁻² a⁻¹, respectively. Our results indicated that the combined measures of horizontal bamboo burl-groove and revegetation could greatly increase carbon sequestration and accumulation. Suitable microtopography modification and continuous organic carbon sources from vegetation are two main factors influencing soil organic carbon recovery. Combination measures, which can provide suitable topography and a continuous soil organic carbon supply, could be considered in treating degraded soils caused by water erosion in red soil areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon and Nutrient Accumulation and Decomposition in Forests)

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15 pages, 2815 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Soil Microbes on Forest Recovery to Climax Community through the Regulation of Nitrogen Cycling

by Dandan Qi, Fujuan Feng, Yanmei Fu, Ximei Ji and Xianfa Liu

Forests 2020, 11(10), 1027; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11101027 - 23 Sep 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3155

Abstract

Microbes, as important regulators of ecosystem processes, play essential roles in ecosystem recovery after disturbances. However, it is not clear how soil microbial communities and functions change and affect forest recovery after clear-cutting. Here, we used metagenome sequencing to systematically analyse the differences in soil microbial community composition, functions, and nitrogen (N) cycling pathways between primary Korean pine forests (PF) and secondary broad-leaved forests (SF) formed after clear-cutting. Our results showed that the dominant phyla of the two forest types were consistent, but the relative abundance of some phyla was significantly different. Meanwhile, at the genus level, the fold-changes of rare genera were larger than the dominant and common genera. The genes related to microbial core metabolic functions, virulence factors, stress response, and defence were significantly enriched in SF. Additionally, based on the relative abundance of functional genes, a schema was proposed to analyse the differences in the whole N cycling processes between the two forest types. In PF, the stronger ammoniation and dissimilatory nitrate reduction (DNRA) and the weaker nitrification provided a genetic explanation for PF dominated by ammonium (NH₄⁺) rather than nitrate (NO₃⁻). In SF, the weaker DNRA, the stronger nitrification and denitrification, the higher soil available phosphorus (AP), and the lower nitrogen to phosphorus ratio (N/P) comprehensively suggested that SF was faced with a greater degree of N limitation. These results offer insights into the potential relationship between soil microbes and forest recovery, and aid in implementing proper forestry management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon and Nutrient Accumulation and Decomposition in Forests)

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25 pages, 2413 KiB

Open AccessReview

How Can Litter Modify the Fluxes of CO₂ and CH₄ from Forest Soils? A Mini-Review

by Anna Walkiewicz, Adrianna Rafalska, Piotr Bulak, Andrzej Bieganowski and Bruce Osborne

Forests 2021, 12(9), 1276; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12091276 - 17 Sep 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5078

Abstract

Forests contribute strongly to global carbon (C) sequestration and the exchange of greenhouse gases (GHG) between the soil and the atmosphere. Whilst the microbial activity of forest soils is a major determinant of net GHG exchange, this may be modified by the presence of litter through a range of mechanisms. Litter may act as a physical barrier modifying gas exchange, water movement/retention and temperature/irradiance fluctuations; provide a source of nutrients for microbes; enhance any priming effects, and facilitate macro-aggregate formation. Moreover, any effects are influenced by litter quality and regulated by tree species, climatic conditions (rainfall, temperature), and forest management (clear-cutting, fertilization, extensive deforestation). Based on climate change projections, the importance of the litter layer is likely to increase due to an litter increase and changes in quality. Future studies will therefore have to take into account the effects of litter on soil CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes for various types of forests globally, including the impact of climate change, insect infestation, and shifts in tree species composition, as well as a better understanding of its role in monoterpene production, which requires the integration of microbiological studies conducted on soils in different climatic zones. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon and Nutrient Accumulation and Decomposition in Forests)

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