Evaluation of leaf litter mulching and incorporation on skid trails for the recovery of soil physico-chemical and biological properties of mixed broadleaved forests
Author(s)
Jourgholami, Meghdad
Khoramizadeh, Azadeh
Latterini, Francesco
Date Issued
2021
Type
article
Volume
10
Issue
6
Start Page
1
End Page
15
Journal
Abstract
Engineering applications can be used to mitigate the adverse effects of soil compaction and amend compacted soils. Previous literature has highlighted the beneficial effects of interventions such as litter mulching and incorporation on skid trails. However, little is known about the effectiveness of these alternatives in restoring forest soil quality after forest logging. The objective of this study was to properly elucidate the effects of the above mentioned soil protection methods, litter incorporation before skidding (LI) and litter mulching after skidding (LM), on the recovery of compacted soil’s physico-chemical and biological properties on skid trails over a 2-year period in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran to identify the best option for restoration intervention. The litter used in both methods consisted of dried leaves of the hornbeam and maple tree in three intensities of 3, 6, and 9 Mg ha−1 . The results showed that the application of both methods (LI and LM) significantly improved the soil properties when compared to the untreated skid trail. Results showed that the recovery values of soil properties in the LI treatments were significantly higher than those of the LM. The recovery values of soil properties by 6 and 9 Mg ha−1 were significantly higher than those of 3 Mg ha−1, while the differences were not significant between 6 and 9 Mg ha−1 . Our findings showed that soil properties were partially recovered (70–80%) over a 2-year period from treatment, compared to untreated, but the full recovery of soil properties required more time to return to the pre-harvest value. Overall, the results of this study demonstrated that the application of soil protection methods accelerates the process of recovering soil properties much faster than natural soil recovery, which can take more than 20 years in these forests.
Project(s)
This research was, in part, carried out within the framework of the MIUR (Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research) initiative “Departments of Excellence” (Law 232/2016), WP3&4, which financed the Department of Agriculture and Forest Science at the University of Tuscia. Authors would like to acknowledge the editor and the anonymous reviewers who provided useful comments and constructive suggestions which improved a previous version of this manuscript