Thirteen-year monitoring of liming and PK fertilization effects on tree vitality in Norway spruce and European beech stands

The chemical fertility of the forest soils in the Belgian Ardenne is threatened by acidifying and eutrophying deposition and by the nutrient removal due to timber harvesting. Experiments were launched to evaluate the ability of liming and fertilization to improve foliar nutrition, maintain or restore crown condition and promote tree growth. In 1995, 10 liming and fertilization trials were installed in even-aged stands of European beech (5) and Norway spruce (5) distributed throughout the Ardenne. In each stand, two treatments were tested: liming with 3,000 kg ha⁻¹ of dolomitic limestone and liming plus fertilization with 0 to 800 kg ha⁻¹ of rock phosphate and 0 to 350 kg ha⁻¹ of K₂SO₄. Between 1995 and 2006, the foliar Ca and Mg status of spruce and beech trees improved in the limed stands, which limited significantly but did not prevent the decline in crown condition triggered by the summer drought in 2003. For spruce, liming also increased the increment in basal area. The additional fertilization increased the foliar nutrition in P but had no significant effects on soil chemistry and tree vitality.