ABSTRACT
In this study, long-term timber skidding effects on herbaceous understory, forest floor and soil were investigated on a skid road in a stand of the eastern beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky). For this purpose, herbaceous understory, forest floor and soil samples were collected from the skid road and from an undisturbed area used as a control plot. The mass (kg ha-1) of herbaceous and forest floor samples was determined, and soil characteristics were examined at two depths (0-5 cm and 5-10 cm). We quantified sand, silt and clay content, as well as bulk density, compaction, pH, and organic carbon content in soil samples. The quantities of N, K, P, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu were determined in all herbaceous cover, forest floor and soil samples. The quantities of Na, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn in herbaceous understory samples from the skid road were considerably higher than those in the undisturbed area, while the quantity of Mg was considerably lower. These differences could have been caused by decreased herbaceous cover in addition to variations in the properties of the forest floor and soil after skidding. A lower amount of forest floor on the skid road was the result of skidding and harvesting activities. Mg and Zn contents in forest floor samples were found to be considerably lower for the skid road than for the undisturbed area. No significant differences were found in soil chemical properties (quantities of N, P, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn) at the 0-5 cm soil depth. Important differences exist between soil quantities of Mg at a 5-10 cm depth on the skid road and in undisturbed areas. Both 0-5 cm and 5-10 cm soil depths, the average penetrometer resistance values for the skid road was higher than for the undisturbed area. This result shows that the compaction caused by skidding is maintained to depth of 10 cm. Skid road soil showed higher bulk density values than undisturbed areas because of compaction.
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the effects of red deer grazing on some properties of soil (sand, silt, clay, pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, bulk density, fine soil weight, compaction and saturation capacity), and litter (unit weight-mass, organic matter content (%) and organic matter mass) properties on a red deer breeding area by comparing an undisturbed area in Istanbul Belgrad Forest-Turkey. According to the results obtained in this study, the litter mass in the breeding area has been found considerably lower. There were some crucial changes in the characteristics of the soil which has been investigated in 0-5 cm depth. No important difference had been detected between the breeding area and the undisturbed area in terms of electrical conductivity. However, other investigated soil properties in 0-5 cm depth showed significant differences between the undisturbed area and the breeding area. Soil was significantly compacted by red deer grazing. The soil pH was 2.18 unit higher in undisturbed area. Moreover, organic carbon content (1.395%) in the breeding area was found quite lower. Depending on the compaction of the soil and lessen quantity of soil organic matter, the value of saturation capacity (28.83%) on the breeding area is considerably lower, bulk density and fine soil weights were significantly higher. Mean silt and clay proportions (25.4 and 33.7%, respectively) are quite higher and the mean sand proportion (40.9%) was lower in the breeding area than in the undisturbed area. Results indicated that long term red deer grazing in the breeding area adversely affected litter and soil properties.
ABSTRACT
In this study some soil and forest floor characteristics of floodplain forest, thermophile forest and sand dune were investigated at Igneada, Turkey. In this context, surface soil samples were analyzed and compared to each other in the extension of soil physical, chemical properties and as plant nutrition environment. To investigate the soil characteristics soil samples were collected from 48 sampling point. The distribution of the soils revealed that remarkably physical soil properties figure the ordination of soils in principal component analysis (PCA). We concluded that floodplain forests have quite different soil properties from the thermophile forest and sand dunes under the continuous effect of surrounding thermophile forest land with less sandy proportion to soil texture 52.4 at floodplain forest, 64.0% at thermophile forest and 91.0% at sand dunes and highly organic carbon 5.619, 4.191 and 0.478% respectively at 0-5 cm depth and total nitrogen content 0.213, 0.078 and 0.056% for floodplain forest> thermophile forest> sand dune soils, respectively. Weight and organic matter contents of forest floor were significantly higher in the thermophile forests.