Keeping thinning-derived deadwood logs on forest floor improves soil organic carbon, microbial biomass, and enzyme activity in a temperate spruce forest

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Authors

  • Meisam Nazari
  • Johanna Pausch
  • Samuel Bickel
  • Nataliya Bilyera
  • Mehdi Rashtbari
  • Bahar S. Razavi
  • Kazem Zamanian
  • Amin Sharififar
  • Lingling Shi
  • Michaela A. Dippold
  • Mohsen Zarebanadkouki

Research Organisations

External Research Organisations

  • University of Göttingen
  • Aarhus University
  • University of Bayreuth
  • Graz University of Technology
  • Kiel University
  • University of Tübingen
  • University of Tehran
  • Technical University of Munich (TUM)
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Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)287-300
Number of pages14
JournalEuropean Journal of Forest Research
Volume142
Issue number2
Early online date7 Dec 2022
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2023

Abstract

Deadwood is a key component of forest ecosystems, but there is limited information on how it influences forest soils. Moreover, studies on the effect of thinning-derived deadwood logs on forest soil properties are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the impact of thinning-derived deadwood logs on the soil chemical and microbial properties of a managed spruce forest on a loamy sand Podzol in Bavaria, Germany, after about 15 years. Deadwood increased the soil organic carbon contents by 59% and 56% at 0–4 cm and 8–12 cm depths, respectively. Under deadwood, the soil dissolved organic carbon and carbon to nitrogen ratio increased by 66% and 15% at 0–4 cm depth and by 55% and 28% at 8–12 cm depth, respectively. Deadwood also induced 71% and 92% higher microbial biomass carbon, 106% and 125% higher microbial biomass nitrogen, and 136% and 44% higher β-glucosidase activity in the soil at 0–4 cm and 8–12 cm depths, respectively. Many of the measured variables significantly correlated with soil organic carbon suggesting that deadwood modified the soil biochemical processes by altering soil carbon storage. Our results indicate the potential of thinned spruce deadwood logs to sequester carbon and improve the fertility of Podzol soils. This could be associated with the slow decay rate of spruce deadwood logs and low biological activity of Podzols that promote the accumulation of soil carbon. We propose that leaving thinning-derived deadwood on the forest floor can support soil and forest sustainability as well as carbon sequestration.

Keywords

    Carbon sequestration, Picea abies, Soil organic matter, Wood decomposition

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Cite this

Keeping thinning-derived deadwood logs on forest floor improves soil organic carbon, microbial biomass, and enzyme activity in a temperate spruce forest. / Nazari, Meisam; Pausch, Johanna; Bickel, Samuel et al.
In: European Journal of Forest Research, Vol. 142, No. 2, 04.2023, p. 287-300.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Nazari, M, Pausch, J, Bickel, S, Bilyera, N, Rashtbari, M, Razavi, BS, Zamanian, K, Sharififar, A, Shi, L, Dippold, MA & Zarebanadkouki, M 2023, 'Keeping thinning-derived deadwood logs on forest floor improves soil organic carbon, microbial biomass, and enzyme activity in a temperate spruce forest', European Journal of Forest Research, vol. 142, no. 2, pp. 287-300. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-022-01522-z
Nazari, M., Pausch, J., Bickel, S., Bilyera, N., Rashtbari, M., Razavi, B. S., Zamanian, K., Sharififar, A., Shi, L., Dippold, M. A., & Zarebanadkouki, M. (2023). Keeping thinning-derived deadwood logs on forest floor improves soil organic carbon, microbial biomass, and enzyme activity in a temperate spruce forest. European Journal of Forest Research, 142(2), 287-300. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-022-01522-z
Nazari M, Pausch J, Bickel S, Bilyera N, Rashtbari M, Razavi BS et al. Keeping thinning-derived deadwood logs on forest floor improves soil organic carbon, microbial biomass, and enzyme activity in a temperate spruce forest. European Journal of Forest Research. 2023 Apr;142(2):287-300. Epub 2022 Dec 7. doi: 10.1007/s10342-022-01522-z
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title = "Keeping thinning-derived deadwood logs on forest floor improves soil organic carbon, microbial biomass, and enzyme activity in a temperate spruce forest",
abstract = "Deadwood is a key component of forest ecosystems, but there is limited information on how it influences forest soils. Moreover, studies on the effect of thinning-derived deadwood logs on forest soil properties are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the impact of thinning-derived deadwood logs on the soil chemical and microbial properties of a managed spruce forest on a loamy sand Podzol in Bavaria, Germany, after about 15 years. Deadwood increased the soil organic carbon contents by 59% and 56% at 0–4 cm and 8–12 cm depths, respectively. Under deadwood, the soil dissolved organic carbon and carbon to nitrogen ratio increased by 66% and 15% at 0–4 cm depth and by 55% and 28% at 8–12 cm depth, respectively. Deadwood also induced 71% and 92% higher microbial biomass carbon, 106% and 125% higher microbial biomass nitrogen, and 136% and 44% higher β-glucosidase activity in the soil at 0–4 cm and 8–12 cm depths, respectively. Many of the measured variables significantly correlated with soil organic carbon suggesting that deadwood modified the soil biochemical processes by altering soil carbon storage. Our results indicate the potential of thinned spruce deadwood logs to sequester carbon and improve the fertility of Podzol soils. This could be associated with the slow decay rate of spruce deadwood logs and low biological activity of Podzols that promote the accumulation of soil carbon. We propose that leaving thinning-derived deadwood on the forest floor can support soil and forest sustainability as well as carbon sequestration.",
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note = "Funding Information: We would like to thank Mr. Kurt Sollmann for kindly thinning the stand, Ms. Ilse Thaufelder for her kind laboratory assistance, and Mr. Andreas Kolb for determining the soil texture. We also acknowledge the German Federal Environmental Foundation for funding the Ph.D. studies of Meisam Nazari during the preparation of the manuscript. ",
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AU - Nazari, Meisam

AU - Pausch, Johanna

AU - Bickel, Samuel

AU - Bilyera, Nataliya

AU - Rashtbari, Mehdi

AU - Razavi, Bahar S.

AU - Zamanian, Kazem

AU - Sharififar, Amin

AU - Shi, Lingling

AU - Dippold, Michaela A.

AU - Zarebanadkouki, Mohsen

N1 - Funding Information: We would like to thank Mr. Kurt Sollmann for kindly thinning the stand, Ms. Ilse Thaufelder for her kind laboratory assistance, and Mr. Andreas Kolb for determining the soil texture. We also acknowledge the German Federal Environmental Foundation for funding the Ph.D. studies of Meisam Nazari during the preparation of the manuscript.

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N2 - Deadwood is a key component of forest ecosystems, but there is limited information on how it influences forest soils. Moreover, studies on the effect of thinning-derived deadwood logs on forest soil properties are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the impact of thinning-derived deadwood logs on the soil chemical and microbial properties of a managed spruce forest on a loamy sand Podzol in Bavaria, Germany, after about 15 years. Deadwood increased the soil organic carbon contents by 59% and 56% at 0–4 cm and 8–12 cm depths, respectively. Under deadwood, the soil dissolved organic carbon and carbon to nitrogen ratio increased by 66% and 15% at 0–4 cm depth and by 55% and 28% at 8–12 cm depth, respectively. Deadwood also induced 71% and 92% higher microbial biomass carbon, 106% and 125% higher microbial biomass nitrogen, and 136% and 44% higher β-glucosidase activity in the soil at 0–4 cm and 8–12 cm depths, respectively. Many of the measured variables significantly correlated with soil organic carbon suggesting that deadwood modified the soil biochemical processes by altering soil carbon storage. Our results indicate the potential of thinned spruce deadwood logs to sequester carbon and improve the fertility of Podzol soils. This could be associated with the slow decay rate of spruce deadwood logs and low biological activity of Podzols that promote the accumulation of soil carbon. We propose that leaving thinning-derived deadwood on the forest floor can support soil and forest sustainability as well as carbon sequestration.

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