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Short-term effects of nutrient compensation following whole-tree harvesting on soil and soil water chemistry in a young Norway spruce stand

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Abstract

A growing demand for bioenergy from conventional forestry in Sweden will increase the need of nutrient compensation, that preferably should be made relatively shortly after harvesting and have no undesired side-effects. This study compared the effects of granulated wood ash (Ash), N-free, dolomite-based fertiliser (Vitality) and the green fraction of harvest residues (Residues) on the podsolic soil and soil solution of a young Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) stand in SW Sweden. The treatments were applied three years after clear-felling and whole-tree harvesting. The soil solution was repeatedly sampled in the rooting zone 2–5 years after treatment. The soil study was performed 4 years after the Ash treatment and 3 years after Residues treatment and the last Vitality treatment (the Vitality treatment was applied on two occasions over 2 years). The Vitality treatment increased base saturation and effective CEC in the humus layer in relation to the other treatments, and also increased Ca and K concentrations in the soil solution. The Ash treatment resulted in higher exchangeable K concentration than Vitality in the litter layer, and Residues increased K concentrations in the soil water. No treatment influenced the KCl-exchangeable nitrate concentrations in the soil or the nitrate levels in the soil water. The results indicate that granulated wood ash could be used for long-term nutrient compensation without undesired short-term side-effects.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Ulf Johansson, director of the Tönnersjöheden Experimental Forest, and his staff for establishing and maintaining the experiment, as well as carrying out the samplings. We are grateful to Aili Irene Colbing, Kerstin Ahlström, Berit Solbreck, Thomas Grönqvist for laboratory assistance, Birgitta Vegerfors-Persson for help with statistical analyses of the soil water data and Mary McAfee for linguistic revision of the text. P-O Brandtberg gave valuable comments on a previous version of the text. Financial support was received from the Swedish Energy Agency.

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  1. Helen Arvidsson

    Present address: Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7012, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden

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  1. Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7044, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden

    Pei Wang, Bengt A. Olsson & Helene Lundkvist

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  1. Pei Wang
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  2. Bengt A. Olsson
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Correspondence to Bengt A. Olsson.

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Responsible Editor: Tibor Kalapos.

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Wang, P., Olsson, B.A., Arvidsson, H. et al. Short-term effects of nutrient compensation following whole-tree harvesting on soil and soil water chemistry in a young Norway spruce stand. Plant Soil 336, 323–336 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0484-1

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