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Effects of whole-tree harvesting on soil, soil water and tree growth – A dynamic modelling exercise in four long-term experiments

Erlandsson Lampa, Martin LU ; Belyazid, Salim LU ; Zanchi, Giuliana LU and Akselsson, Cecilia LU (2019) In Ecological Modelling 414.
Abstract
Whole tree harvesting (WTH) following final felling of productive forests is increasingly promoted as a method to extract biomass for energy purposes. Despite its importance, there is a limited number of experimental studies investigating the impacts of WTH on forest ecosystem sustainability. Modelling studies have previously been carried out to complement and explain empirical observations from four long-term WTH experiments in Sweden. The literature shows a significant discrepancy between these studies, and open questions remain as to the fate of the base cations that are not removed in the absence of WTH. This study uses the integrated ecosystem model ForSAFE, which simulate a forest ecosystem’s biogeochemical processes and the... (More)
Whole tree harvesting (WTH) following final felling of productive forests is increasingly promoted as a method to extract biomass for energy purposes. Despite its importance, there is a limited number of experimental studies investigating the impacts of WTH on forest ecosystem sustainability. Modelling studies have previously been carried out to complement and explain empirical observations from four long-term WTH experiments in Sweden. The literature shows a significant discrepancy between these studies, and open questions remain as to the fate of the base cations that are not removed in the absence of WTH. This study uses the integrated ecosystem model ForSAFE, which simulate a forest ecosystem’s biogeochemical processes and the feedbacks between these processes, to trace the fate of base cations for the said four long-term WTH experiments. The study shows that the model generally captures the observed effects of WTH on the stocks of base cations in the biomass and in the soil. The modelled results were also used to map how the base cations removed through WTH would otherwise (if left at the site) have been distributed in the ecosystem. The results indicate that the soil organic pool may be more important to the long-term base cation balance than the exchangeable pool, and should receive more attention in future research. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Ecological Modelling
volume
414
article number
108832
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85075199952
ISSN
0304-3800
DOI
10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.108832
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
fa6b9050-9fab-4da8-937a-88fa257598f8
date added to LUP
2019-11-13 08:31:38
date last changed
2022-04-18 19:01:41
@article{fa6b9050-9fab-4da8-937a-88fa257598f8,
  abstract     = {{Whole tree harvesting (WTH) following final felling of productive forests is increasingly promoted as a method to extract biomass for energy purposes. Despite its importance, there is a limited number of experimental studies investigating the impacts of WTH on forest ecosystem sustainability. Modelling studies have previously been carried out to complement and explain empirical observations from four long-term WTH experiments in Sweden. The literature shows a significant discrepancy between these studies, and open questions remain as to the fate of the base cations that are not removed in the absence of WTH. This study uses the integrated ecosystem model ForSAFE, which simulate a forest ecosystem’s biogeochemical processes and the feedbacks between these processes, to trace the fate of base cations for the said four long-term WTH experiments. The study shows that the model generally captures the observed effects of WTH on the stocks of base cations in the biomass and in the soil. The modelled results were also used to map how the base cations removed through WTH would otherwise (if left at the site) have been distributed in the ecosystem. The results indicate that the soil organic pool may be more important to the long-term base cation balance than the exchangeable pool, and should receive more attention in future research.}},
  author       = {{Erlandsson Lampa, Martin and Belyazid, Salim and Zanchi, Giuliana and Akselsson, Cecilia}},
  issn         = {{0304-3800}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{12}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Ecological Modelling}},
  title        = {{Effects of whole-tree harvesting on soil, soil water and tree growth – A dynamic modelling exercise in four long-term experiments}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.108832}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.108832}},
  volume       = {{414}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}