Forest management practices change topsoil carbon pools and their stability

Area of Science:

• Forestry science
• Soil science
• Ecology

Background:

• Forest management practices significantly influence soil carbon dynamics and stability.
• Understanding these impacts is crucial for sustainable forest management and climate change mitigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of different forest management strategies on soil organic carbon (SOC) pools and their stability.
• To identify key soil properties and microbial factors mediating these changes.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of four management strategies: cultivating target trees (CNFM), optimizing spatial structure (SBFM), reducing density (SFCS), and unmanaged control (NT).
• Analysis of topsoil (0-10 cm) for SOC, labile organic carbon, microbial communities, and chemical composition (NMR).
• Assessment of soil total nitrogen, enzyme activities (β-glucosidase, cellobiohydrolase), fine-root carbon, and fungal operational taxonomic units.

Main Results:

• CNFM and SFCS strategies showed lower dissolved organic carbon compared to NT and SBFM.
• The CNFM strategy enhanced SOC stability by increasing the ratio of alkyl C to o-alkyl C.
• Management practices altered SOC and labile pools via changes in soil nitrogen, enzyme activity, fine-root carbon, and fungal diversity.

Conclusions:

• Cultivating target trees by removing interference trees (CNFM) in natural oak forests can decrease overall soil organic carbon but enhance its stability.
• Soil nitrogen, enzyme activities, fine roots, and fungal communities are key regulators of SOC pools.
• Soil fungal composition plays a significant role in influencing SOC stability.