Summary:
Published in Forest Ecology and Management 558: 121785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121785
Despite the need for climate change mitigation and altered forest management practices, little is known about the impacts of silvicultural practices such as partial-cuts and clear-cuts on forest ecosystem carbon (C) dynamics. Specifically, the effect of these two overstory treatments on C pools other than the aboveground biomass of trees remains poorly understood. Here, C stocks were estimated for a northern temperate mixed forest located in eastern Québec, Canada, five years after clear-cutting and partial-cutting, either with or without a brushing treatment to control the competing vegetation. The biomass of the aboveground vegetation (trees, saplings, understory), litter and woody debris (coarse, small, fine), as well as the roots (diameter ≤ 1.5 cm) was evaluated. Additionally, soil C pools up to a depth of 35 cm of the mineral soil were assessed. Total ecosystem C stocks were influenced by the overstory treatments reflecting harvest intensities. Although the belowground C pools were major contributors to total ecosystem C stocks, silvicultural treatments only influenced forest floor and aboveground C stocks. However, assessments like the one presented here capture contemporary C stocks, which highlights the need for monitoring to build suitable forest ecosystem C models and to understand long-term C dynamics.
Sector(s):
Forests
Catégorie(s):
Scientific Article
Theme(s):
Forestry Research, Forests
Departmental author(s):
Author(s):
OLA, Anne, DEVOS, William, BOUCHARD, Mathieu, MAZEROLLE, Marc J., RAYMOND, Patricia and MUNSON, Alison D.
Year of publication:
2024
How to get the publication:
Keyword(s):
article scientifique, scientific article, silviculture and yield of natural forests - mixed stands, sylviculture et rendement des forêts naturelles - peuplements mixtes, assisted migration, clearcut, partial cut, scarification, vegetation control, temperate mixedwood forest, migration assistée, coupe totale, coupe partielle, scarifiage, contrôle de la végétation concurrente, forêt mixte tempérée