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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #400076
Research Project: Sustainable Intensification of Cropping Systems on Spatially Variable Landscapes and Soils

Location: Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research

Title: Soil chemical response to clearcut and single-tree selection management in the Missouri Ozarks

Author
item TAYLOR, ALEXANDER - Northwest Missouri State University
item GOYNE, KEITH - Virginia Tech
item KABRICK, JOHN - Us Forest Service (FS)
item Veum, Kristen

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/20/2022
Publication Date: 2/1/2023
Citation: Taylor, A., Goyne, K.W., Kabrick, J., Veum, K.S. 2023. Soil chemical response to clearcut and single-tree selection management in the Missouri Ozarks [abstract]. Missouri Natural Resources Conference (MNRC), February 7-9, 2023, Osage Beach, MO. Available: https://mnrc.org/presentations/

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Forest harvest activities have been shown to affect nutrient cycling; however, the specific impact and duration of the impact vary with climate and forest composition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of clearcut, single-tree selection, and no harvest (control) treatments on soil solution and bulk soil chemistry from preharvest to postharvest in a temperate climate mixed oak-hickory forest. To achieve our objective, eighteen sampling sites were identified at the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project site in southern Missouri, U.S.A., prior to harvest. Sampling sites were instrumented with canopy throughfall samplers, standard rain gauges, and zero-tension soil solution samplers installed at depths of 15 and 40 cm. Bulk soil samples were also collected annually within 20 meters of the instrumentation. Solution and soil samples were analyzed to determine nutrient concentrations and other soil chemical parameters from one year preharvest to five years postharvest. Evidence for a nutrient flush was observed in soil solution following clearcut harvest. Nutrient concentrations in solution increased between 2 to 15 months postharvest and remained elevated for 17 to 31 months postharvest. A significant nutrient flush was not observed in single-tree selection and control treatments. At five years postharvest, base cation concentrations in soil collected from the clearcut treatment were either elevated above preharvest levels or unchanged. Concentrations of total sulfur and nitrogen within soil under clearcut treatments increased; however, phosphorous concentrations were observed to decrease. These results contribute to a better understanding of the impact of harvest management practices on forest soils.