Soil and detrital carbon dynamics following forest cutting in the Southern Appalachians |
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Authors: | K G Mattson W T Swank |
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Institution: | (1) Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, 30601 Athens, GA, USA;(2) Southeastern Forest Experiment Station, Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, 999 Coweeta Lab Road, 28763 Otto, NC, USA;(3) Present address: EPA Environmental Research Lab-Corvallis, 200 Southwest 35th Street, 97333 Corvallis, OR, USA |
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Abstract: | Summary Soil-system CO2 efflux and detrital C pools were measured in three hardwood watersheds in the Southern Appalachians, USA. On two of the watersheds (hereafter referred to as clearcuts), forests were cut via clearcut logging methods and allowed to naturally regenerate; logging residue was removed on one clearcut and was left in place on the other. The third watershed was an uncut reference watershed. There was no statistically significant difference in CO2 efflux between the two types of residue treatments on the clearcuts; however, CO2 effluxes from the clearcuts were 33% less than effluxes from the uncut watershed. Lower CO2 effluxes on the two clearcuts were associated with higher soil temperatures, smaller live-root masses, and larger forest-floor masses. No long-term (5–8 years) changes in soil C pools were apparent following forest cutting. Therefore, reductions in CO2 efflux on the clearcuts appear to be due both to fewer live roots and to slower rates of forest-floor decomposition. Cutting of these forests followed by regeneration does not appear to result in large net C transfers to the atmosphere, as has been generally assumed. |
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Keywords: | CO2 Forest cutting Detrital carbon Soil Forest floor |
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