Jd. Knoepp et Wt. Swank, LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF COMMERCIAL SAWLOG HARVEST ON SOIL CATION CONCENTRATIONS, Forest ecology and management, 93(1-2), 1997, pp. 1-7
There is increasing concern about the effects of nutrient removal asso
ciated with various forest harvesting practices on long-term site prod
uctivity. We measured exchangeable soil cation concentration responses
to a commercial clearcut sawlog harvest in mixed hardwoods on a 59-ha
watershed in the southern Appalachians. Soils were sampled 17 months
prior to, and periodically for 17 years after, harvest. Concentrations
of Ca, Mg, and K, increased significantly in the 0-10-cm soil layer f
or 3 years following harvest compared to pre-treatment levels. Concent
rations of Mg and K were still significantly above pre-treatment level
s 17-20 years following harvest. Calcium concentrations did not change
significantly at the 10-30 cm depth, but both Mg and K showed signifi
cantly higher concentrations in some post-treatment years. Soils in th
e adjacent reference watershed showed no significant changes in soil c
ation concentrations over the same 17-year period. Results indicate th
at sawlog harvest using cable-yarding techniques on these sites does n
ot adversely impact soil cation concentrations. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scie
nce B.V.