Effects of winter selective tree harvest on soil microclimate and surface CO2 flux of a northern hardwood forest

Soil surface CO₂ flux (S_flux) is the second largest terrestrial ecosystem carbon flux, and may be affected by forest harvest. The effects of clearcutting on S_flux have been studied, but little is known about the effect of alternative harvesting methods such as selective tree harvest on S_flux. We measured S_flux before and after (i) the creation of forest canopy gaps (simulating group tree selection harvests) and (ii) mechanized winter harvest but no tree removal (simulating ground disturbance associated with logging). The experiment was carried out in a sugar maple dominated forest in the Flambeau River State Forest, Wisconsin. Pre-treatment measurements of soil moisture, temperature and S_flux were measured throughout the growing season of 2006. In January–February 2007, a harvester created the canopy gaps (200–380 m²). The mechanization treatment consisted of the harvester traveling through the plots for a similar amount of time as the gap plots, but no trees were cut. Soil moisture and temperature and S_flux were measured throughout the growing season for 1 year prior to harvest and for 2 years after harvest. Soil moisture and temperature were significantly greater in the gap than mechanized and control treatments. Instantaneous S_flux was positively correlated to soil moisture and soil temperature at 2 and 10 cm, but temperature at 10 cm was the single best predictor. Annual S_flux was not significantly different among treatments prior to winter 2007 harvest, and was not significantly different among treatments after harvest. Annual (+1 std. err.) S_flux averaged 967 + 72, 1011 + 72, and 1012 + 72 g C m⁻² year⁻¹ in the control, mechanized and gap treatments, respectively, for the 2-year post-treatment period. The results from this study suggest selective group tree harvest significantly increases soil moisture and temperature but does not significantly influence S_flux.