Soil respiration after slash and stump removal in three clear-cut areas with patch scarification and mounding

We studied the soil carbon dioxide respiration (R_s) at three clear-cut mesic forest sites in south, central and north central Finland, which had been treated with different intensities of stump lifting and slash removal and then patch mounded and planted with spruce. The follow-up period after the initial calibration lasted for five consecutive years. Throughout the study the R_s remained at fairly steady levels according to the study site and soil disturbance level. Based on a split-plot test using the general linear model there were no significant differences in the R_s between the different stump and slash removal treatments at the three study sites, but unaffected and moderately affected soil surfaces had significantly higher R_s than mounds and wheel ruts. We conclude that the removal of stumps and slash have minor direct effects on R_s, but large indirect effects through soil disturbance.