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Above- and belowground carbon stocks under differing silvicultural scenarios

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

Categorie(s): 

Scientific Article

Theme(s): 

Forestry Research, Forests

Departmental author(s): 

Raymond, Patricia

Author(s)

OLA, Anne, DEVOS, William, BOUCHARD, Mathieu, MAZEROLLE, Marc J., RAYMOND, Patricia and MUNSON, Alison D.

Year of publication :

2024

Keywords :

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

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