Introduction
The UK has committed to a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% (from the 1990 baseline) by 2050 (Climate Change Act, 2008).
Attainment of this goal will require that all sectors of British industry search for sensible and meaningful approaches to reducing emissions and improving
net carbon (C) sequestration in terrestrial bodies. Forests and woodlands are a key component of the global C cycle, and their effective management at
global and regional scales is an important mechanism for reducing atmospheric GHG concentrations. Slight changes in the soil C could have a large
impact on the overall GHG balance and would affect the climate change mitigation forest could provide.
Rationale
This project will improve our knowledge of how forest management that considers the soil C pool can help combat climate change. The impact of this
work will be on policymakers, enabling them to target forest management regulation and/or incentives, and practitioners benefiting from guidelines and
advice on management actions that will protect and enhance the soil C in their forests.
FFF
This PhD is funded by the University of Cumbria (in collaboration with Forest Research)
FOREST MANAGEMENT AND BELOW-GROUND LITTER: CARBON DYNAMICS OF UK FOREST SOILS
Aims and objectives
The aim of this study is to investigate the effect
of a number of forest management practices
on forest soil C pools and nutrient content.
The objectives are to quantify differences:
1. Between Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland
(ASNW) and Plantation on Ancient
Woodland Sites (PAWS).
2. Between Clearfelling and Replanting (C&R)
and Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF).
3. Between Conventionally Harvested(CH)
and Whole-Tree Harvesting (WTH) sites.
The major part of C flow into forest soil consists
of continually renewed fine roots, which are
also returned to the soil on relatively short time
scales (Sariyildiz, 2015).
The project will include the study of root litter
quality, quantity and decomposition rates
across forest ecosystems and environmental
gradients.
Mauro Lanfranchi 1514738 – National School of Forestry, University of Cumbria 19th May 2016
PAWS
Planted forests of native or non-native tree
species that have replaced the original
‘natural’ woods on sites with a long history of
woodland cover.
Clearfell (system)
The stand overstorey is generally removed in
one harvest. New even-aged stands are
regenerated after harvest within the previously
cleared block.
WTH
The removal from a felled site of every part of
the above-ground tree, except the stump.
CCF
The use of silvicultural systems whereby the
forest canopy is maintained at one or more
levels without clear felling (UK forestry standard,
2011).
The minirhizotron system is designed to slide
down inside a transparent tube in the ground
and to take pictures of roots below-ground.
It allows us to observe root growth over time
and trace single roots in the course of their
development. Within one tube images are taken at ∼ 5 cm intervals every ∼ two weeks.
The acquired images are subsequently
analysed using software which provides us
with information about root length and
diameters of each single image.
Methods
Soil samples will be taken from soil pits but also
from a spatial coring survey across the
selected plots to study and analysed for soil
C, bulk density and nutrients using EU
harmonised soil sampling and analyse
methodology (EU Soil manual, FSCC, 2006).
Sampled will be analysed by Forest Research
Laboratory at Alice Holt.
The purpose of the soil survey is:
• The assessment of basic information on the
chemical soil status and its changes over
time.
• The assessment of soil properties.
• Allow the evaluation of the quality of forest
soils on a European scale.
Globally, the quantity of C stored in the soil is
second only to that in the ocean (38,400 Gt). While the terrestrial biotic C pool is ∼ 560 Gt of
organic C, the soil C pool is more than four
times this figure (Stockmann, et al., 2013).
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the percentage
measure of C derived from living organisms in
soil. Stability of soil organic matter (SOM) can
be defined in terms of how easily C and
nitrogen in the SOM can be decomposed
(Bajgai, et al., 2013).
Due to the implications in the permanence of
SOC during sequestration there is scientific
interest in fractionation of SOM into different
fractions.
Fine root turnover
http://s0.geograph.org.uk/
http://www.acqu.be//
http://carbon.wr.usgs.gov/
http://www.geert.com/
• http://carbon.wr.usgs.gov/soilclass.html
• http://geert.com/minirhizotron/
• https://mitesisacostarica.wordpress.com/
• http://s0.geograph.org.uk/photos/10/46/104678_dc71b5b5.jpg
ASNW An ancient woodland where the trees and
shrubs are semi-natural, i.e. predominantly
composed of trees and shrubs that are native to
the site and are not obviously planted; features
of ancient woodland often remain (wildlife and
structures of archaeological interest).
https://mitesisacostarica.wordpress.com/
Soil carbon fractionation analysis
References
• Bajgai, Y. et al., 2013. Developments in Fractionation and Measurement of Soil Organic Carbon: A Review. Open Journal of Soil Science, 03(08), pp.356–360. Available at: http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=41585&#abstract [Accessed May 13, 2016].
• Faget, M. et al., 2010. A minirhizotron imaging system to identify roots expressing the green fluorescent protein. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 74(1), pp.163–167. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168169910001274 [Accessed May 12, 2016].
• FSCC (Forest Soil Co-Ordinating Centre), 2006. Manual IIIa: sampling and analysis of soil. In: ICP Forests, 2006: Manual on Methods and Criteria for Harmonized Sampling, Assessment, Monitoring and Analysis of the Effects of Air Pollution on Forests. UNECE ICP Forests Programme Co-ordinating Centre, Hamburg, 26pp + annexes. http://www.icp-forests.org/Manual.htm.
• Sariyildiz, T., 2015. Effects of tree species and topography on fine and small root decomposition rates of three common tree species (Alnus glutinosa, Picea orientalis and Pinus sylvestris) in Turkey. Forest Ecology and Management, 335, pp.71–86. Available at: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84908542692&partnerID=tZOtx3y1 [Accessed
September 10, 2015].
• Sohi, S. et al., 2001. A procedure for isolating soil organic matter fractions suitable for modeling. Soil science society of america journal, 65(4). Available at: http://www.research.ed.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/a-procedure-for-isolating-soil-organic-matter-fractions-suitable-for-modeling(787f7e53-396f-4094-a0cd-b6ff3b2634f5)/export.html [Accessed May 6, 2016].
• Stockmann, U. et al., 2013. The knowns, known unknowns and unknowns of sequestration of soil organic carbon. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 164, pp.80–99. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880912003635 [Accessed December 1, 2015].
• The UK Forestry Standard, 2011, 3rd ed., Edinburgh: Forestry Commission.
Websites:
• Climate Change Act, 2008 - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2008/27/contents
• http://acqu.be/A-LIRE
• http://durhambiodiversity.org.uk/ancient-semi-natural-woodland-including-paws-and-rnwas/
Stockmann, U. et al., 2013
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