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Forests
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Forest Soil Properties and Nutrient Dynamics under a Semiarid Climate
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Forest Soil Properties and Nutrient Dynamics under a Semiarid Climate

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Soil".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2021) | Viewed by 17297

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Francisco Bruno Navarro Reyes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Area of Forestry and Natural Resources (IFAPA, Andalusian Government), IFAPA Centro Camino de Purchil s/n, 18004 Granada, Spain
Interests: forest ecology and management; forest restoration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forest soil properties are crucial in the biogeochemical cycles of elements as important as carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and other macro- and micronutrients. An understanding of their relationships is essential in order to quantify the impact of land use changes and climate change in semiarid environments. The degradation over time of forest soils by intensive or inappropriate human practices, or their recovery through ecological restoration, such as through afforestation, passive restoration and mining reclamation, must be exhaustively analyzed and modeled in these environments. Furthermore, the roles of the adaptive and carbon-based silviculture, pastoralism and wildfire are important research topics. The economic quantification and valuation of ecosystem services provided by semiarid forest soils, especially regarding the water cycle and carbon sequestration, should be a priority for their management and for policymaking.

Dr. Francisco B. Navarro
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • ecosystem services
  • land use change
  • soil nutrient dynamics
  • climate change
  • semiarid
  • soil management
  • water cycle
  • forest fire

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2112 KiB  
Article
Effects of Afforestation on Plant Diversity and Soil Quality in Semiarid SE Spain
by Carmen Segura, María N. Jiménez, Emilia Fernández-Ondoño and Francisco B. Navarro
Forests 2021, 12(12), 1730; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12121730 - 8 Dec 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3307
Abstract
Farmland afforestation has been promoted in recent decades and is one of the main strategies included in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to recover degraded areas. However, the impacts of afforestation on plant diversity and soil quality indicators are still not well-understood [...] Read more.
Farmland afforestation has been promoted in recent decades and is one of the main strategies included in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to recover degraded areas. However, the impacts of afforestation on plant diversity and soil quality indicators are still not well-understood in semiarid environments. In this study, we assessed the relationships between plant diversity indicators (abundance, total richness, richness by functional groups, and Shannon diversity) and a large number of variables in 48 afforestation sites in southeast Spain. We considered associated environmental factors, such as geographical, climatic or edaphic variables, age, and land-use history. We compared plant diversity and soil properties following land-use change from cereal cropping to afforestation, which is one of the most common land-use changes in Mediterranean areas. Plant diversity in afforested sites was found to be dependent on previous land use, the proximity of natural vegetation, several soil properties (texture, pH, and total nitrogen), and plantation age. Afforested soils showed higher plant diversity and an improvement in edaphic parameters related to multifunctionality in semiarid ecosystems (i.e., soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and potassium) than arable cropped soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Soil Properties and Nutrient Dynamics under a Semiarid Climate)
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17 pages, 2898 KiB  
Article
Residual Influence of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium Doses on Soil and Eucalyptus Nutrition in Coppice
by Natasha Mirella Inhã Godoi, Rodolfo de Niro Gazola, Salatiér Buzetti, Arshad Jalal, Thiago de Souza Celestrino, Carlos Eduardo da Silva Oliveira, Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira, Alan Rodrigo Panosso and Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira Filho
Forests 2021, 12(10), 1426; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12101426 - 19 Oct 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2251
Abstract
The management of fertilizer is an important strategy for better nutrition and productivity of eucalyptus. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the isolated residual effect (carryover) of N, P and K fertilization on macro- and micronutrients in soil, leaf litter, [...] Read more.
The management of fertilizer is an important strategy for better nutrition and productivity of eucalyptus. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the isolated residual effect (carryover) of N, P and K fertilization on macro- and micronutrients in soil, leaf litter, leaf nutritional diagnosis and initial growth attributes of eucalyptus in a coppice system. Three experiments were carried out in a randomized block design with five replications. Experiment 1: four residual doses of N (0, 70, 105 and 140 kg ha−1) were applied as ammonium nitrate. Experiment 2: four residual doses of P2O5 (0, 40, 70 and 100 kg ha−1) were applied to plantations in furrows using triple superphosphate. Experiment 3: four residual K2O doses (0, 90, 135 and 180 kg ha−1) were applied as potassium chloride. The residual N doses did not influence leaf nutrient contents and initial growth of eucalyptus; however, increasing P residual doses increased soil P and Zn content, litter K content, decreased leaf Mg content, and increased initial growth (height and wood volume of eucalyptus). The residual K doses increased leaf litter K content and leaf Mn and Zn content but decreased leaf litter Ca, B and Fe and leaf Mg content. Residual potassium fertilization did not significantly influence the initial growth of eucalyptus in the Brazilian Cerrado. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Soil Properties and Nutrient Dynamics under a Semiarid Climate)
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20 pages, 2507 KiB  
Article
Influence of Soil Properties on P Pools and Its Effect on Forest Productivity in Mediterranean Calcareous Soils
by Ruth C. Martín-Sanz, Valentín Pando, Teresa Bueis and María-Belén Turrión
Forests 2021, 12(10), 1398; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12101398 - 14 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2316
Abstract
Although soil phosphorus is essential for vegetation growth it is not always found in labile forms, hampering its absorption by plants, and is limited in forest ecosystems. This study explores soil P state and availability in calcareous soils, determining which processes affect its [...] Read more.
Although soil phosphorus is essential for vegetation growth it is not always found in labile forms, hampering its absorption by plants, and is limited in forest ecosystems. This study explores soil P state and availability in calcareous soils, determining which processes affect its different pools and which soil parameters influence forest productivity of a Mediterranean pine species. We used a sequential fractionation method to determine P fractions in the soil according to their lability and their organic or inorganic nature. Those fractions were related to different soil and climatic parameters and to the site index in 32 Pinus halepensis plots of the National Spanish Forest Inventory. Soil texture, carbonates content, water retention capacity and organic matter substantially affected P fractions in the calcareous soils studied. Membrane extractable P was mainly influenced by organic matter-related parameters while the predominant P fraction in these soils, the primary P, was linked to the carbonates content. The biological mineralization processes played a key role in the soil P cycle. Total P, carbonates content, soil texture and water availability drove forest productivity in the studied plots. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Soil Properties and Nutrient Dynamics under a Semiarid Climate)
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15 pages, 2065 KiB  
Article
Effect of Environmental Factors on Soil Nutrient Loss under Conditions of Mining Disturbance in a Coalfield
by Ziguan Wang, Guangcai Wang, Chengshu Wang, Xiaohui Wang, Meiling Li and Tingyu Ren
Forests 2021, 12(10), 1370; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12101370 - 9 Oct 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2622
Abstract
Underground coal mining can result in land deformation (e.g., land subsidence and ground fissures), and may consequently change the soil nutrients. Soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), and available phosphorus (AP) are critical indicators of soil fertility and eco-restoration in mining areas. [...] Read more.
Underground coal mining can result in land deformation (e.g., land subsidence and ground fissures), and may consequently change the soil nutrients. Soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), and available phosphorus (AP) are critical indicators of soil fertility and eco-restoration in mining areas. In this study, soil samples (depth: 0–20 cm) were collected twice from 20 sampling points in pre-mining and post-mining in the No.12 panel of Caojiatan coalfield, in the Loess Plateau of China. SOM, TN, and AP in soil samples were measured, and the nutrient loss was evaluated. Ten environmental factors affecting soil nutrient loss were identified from a 5-m resolution digital elevation map (DEM). The paired t-test was utilized to evaluate the differences between SOM, TN, and AP in pre-mining and post-mining soil. The mechanisms of the effects of environmental factors on soil nutrient loss were revealed based on multiple linear regression, redundancy analysis (RDA), and the random forest algorithm (RF). Ordinary kriging and RF were utilized to predict and optimize the spatial distribution of the soil nutrient loss. The results showed that significant differences existed between the SOM, TN, and AP in the pre-mining and post-mining soil. The model established by RF provided a higher accuracy in terms of fitting the correlation between soil nutrient loss and environmental factors compared to the model established by multiple linear regression, and the feature importance obtained by RF showed that profile curvature, distance to working panel margin, and surface roughness were the most significant factors affecting the loss of SOM, TN, and AP, respectively. This study provides a theoretical reference for eco-restoration, as well as soil and water conservation, in subsided lands in coalfields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Soil Properties and Nutrient Dynamics under a Semiarid Climate)
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17 pages, 2096 KiB  
Article
Economic Evaluation of Ecological Restoration of Degraded Lands through Protective Afforestation in the South of the Russian Plain
by Evgenia A. Korneeva
Forests 2021, 12(10), 1317; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12101317 - 26 Sep 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3436
Abstract
The latest international climate documents emphasize the great importance of protective forest stands in ensuring the sustainable development of agriculture, and the main requirement is the use of the forest-forming factor by landowners in the interests of improving the environment. In Russia, until [...] Read more.
The latest international climate documents emphasize the great importance of protective forest stands in ensuring the sustainable development of agriculture, and the main requirement is the use of the forest-forming factor by landowners in the interests of improving the environment. In Russia, until recently, the ecological significance of forest plantations was underestimated, which created the ground for discussions about their effectiveness. In this regard, a new approach is proposed that emphasizes the positive impact of forests, including sustainable development, environmental security of the agricultural sector and reducing the degradation of agricultural land. The purpose of the work was an economic assessment and regularities of the dynamics of humus-regulating and nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK)-regulating efficiency of protective forest plantations on lands with deflation-hazardous soils. By means of a system analysis, the change in the soil cover of land use due to the influence of forest plantations on the balance of soil fertility elements in forested cells is comprehensively analyzed. The different spatial placement of trees from each other under different degrees of deflation in semiarid conditions is modeled. These models are used to determine the nature of the dynamics of soil nutrients in forested areas: in protection zones and outside protection. It is established that the anti-deflationary effect of agroforestry depends on the indicator of the protective forest cover of the land, the level of deflationary danger, and the operational life of the plantings. In semiarid conditions, it increases in proportion to the increase in the protection of land and amounts to EUR 376–EUR 4222 ha−1. With an increase in the intensity of deflation to the level of dust storms, the prevented damage from the loss of soil nutrients increases almost four times. In systems of plantings from early-maturing fast-growing rocks, the anti-deflationary effect is 6–7% higher on an average annual basis than in systems of plantings from long-lasting, slow-growing rocks. The greatest efficiency of forest reclamation in ensuring a positive balance of humus and NPK substances in the soil (EUR 1002–EUR 4222 ha−1) is achieved when placing plantings after 15 H. The study will confirm the need to subsidize the integration of trees into farm systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Soil Properties and Nutrient Dynamics under a Semiarid Climate)
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21 pages, 3801 KiB  
Article
Comparative Dynamics of Nutrient Release through Litter Decomposition in Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden and Pinus taeda L. Stands
by Andrés Baietto, Andrés Hirigoyen, Jorge Hernández and Amabelia del Pino
Forests 2021, 12(9), 1227; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12091227 - 9 Sep 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2172
Abstract
The installation of commercial stands with exotic forest species on low fertility soils originally covered by native pastures is an unusual situation worldwide. In recent years, the area occupied by forest systems designed for pulp or wood production with immediate replanting has increased [...] Read more.
The installation of commercial stands with exotic forest species on low fertility soils originally covered by native pastures is an unusual situation worldwide. In recent years, the area occupied by forest systems designed for pulp or wood production with immediate replanting has increased strongly in the Pampean region of South America. In this context, the study of nutrient recycling from forest litter decomposition acquires particular relevance. This work seeks to evaluate and compare the nutrient release from the decomposition of forest litter produced by 14-year-old Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden and Pinus taeda L. stands and test the applicability of a new sampling methodology in the nutrient recycling assessment. For two years, the evaluation of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn dynamics during litter decomposition was carried out. In general, K concentration decreased through decomposition, meanwhile, all other nutrients showed some degree of immobilization, but this was counteracted by biomass loss for most of them. This mainly resulted in net nutrient release from litter. A higher release rate of all nutrients from P. taeda forest litter compared to E. grandis, with the exception of Mn, was verified. Fe immobilization was observed in both species showing a higher immobilization rate in E. grandis compared to P. taeda. Finally, Zn exhibited immobilization processes in E. grandis and releases in P. taeda. This might suggest higher temporal and quantitative availability of nutrients in P. taeda, due their faster return to the soil. These findings could be relevant in the development of models for sustainable management, adapting the demand for nutrients to the supply during forest rotations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Soil Properties and Nutrient Dynamics under a Semiarid Climate)
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