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Long-term study of above- and below-ground biomass production in relation to nitrogen and carbon accumulation dynamics in a grey alder (Alnus incana (L.) Moench) plantation on former agricultural land

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Abstract

In the Northern and Baltic countries, grey alder is a prospective tree species for short-rotation forestry. Hence, knowledge about the functioning of such forest ecosystems is critical in order to manage them in a sustainable and environmentally sound way. The 17-year-long continuous time series study is conducted in a grey alder plantation growing on abandoned agricultural land. The results of above- and below-ground biomass and production of the 17-year-old stand are compared to the earlier published respective data from the same stand at the ages of 5 and 10 years. The objectives of the current study were to assess (1) above-ground biomass (AGB) and production; (2) below-ground biomass: coarse root biomass (CRB), fine root biomass (FRB) and fine root production (FRP); (3) carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) accumulation dynamics in grey alder stand growing on former arable land. The main results of the 17-year-old stand were as follows: AGB 120.8 t ha−1; current annual increment of the stem mass 5.7 t ha year−1; calculated CRB 22.3 t ha−1; FRB 81 ± 10 g m−2; nodule biomass 31 ± 19 g m−2; fine root necromass 11 ± 2 g m−2; FRP 53 g DM m−2 year−1; fine root turnover rate 0.54 year−1; and fine root longevity 1.9 years. FRB was strongly correlated with the stand basal area and stem mass. Fine root efficiency was the highest at the age of 10 years; at the age of 17 years, it had slightly reduced. Grey alder stand significantly increased N and Corg content in topsoil. The role of fine roots for the sequestration of C is quite modest compared to leaf litter C flux.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Estonian Science Foundation grant No. 9342 and by the Environmental Investment Centre projects No. 11-10-8/196 and No. 3406. We would like thank Ms. Ragne Rambi for revising the English text of the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Silviculture, Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, 51014, Tartu, Estonia

    Jürgen Aosaar, Mats Varik, Hardo Becker & Veiko Uri

  2. Department of Botany Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, 51005, Tartu, Estonia

    Krista Lõhmus & Ivika Ostonen

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  1. Jürgen Aosaar
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Aosaar, J., Varik, M., Lõhmus, K. et al. Long-term study of above- and below-ground biomass production in relation to nitrogen and carbon accumulation dynamics in a grey alder (Alnus incana (L.) Moench) plantation on former agricultural land. Eur J Forest Res 132, 737–749 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-013-0706-1

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