Effects of leading and whole-tree harvesting on cation budgets of several forests
The effects of acid deposition, natural leaching, and harvesting on base cation export from forests in Maine, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Washington were compared. Based on previous literature, the authors hypothesized that base cation export via whole-tree harvesting (WTH) would be nearly independent of soil exchangeable base cation supplies; base cation export via leaching would be strongly dependent on the exchangeable cation supplies as well as the input, production, and mobility of anions. This hypothesis was supported by the data: mixed deciduous sites in Tennessee had among the highest base cation (principally Ca) exports via WTH (1.2 kmol/sub c/ ha/sup -1/ yr/sup -1/), yet the lowest soil exchangeable supplies (35 kmol/sub c/ ha/sup -1/), whereas the Washington sites had by far the highest base cation leaching (5-41 kmol/sub c/ ha/sup -1/ yr/sup -1/, due to very high levels of naturally produced HCO/sub 3//sup -/) and soil exchangeable supplies, yet only relatively moderate base cation exports via WTH (0.4 kmol/sub c/ ha/sup -1/ yr/sup -1/). Sulfate was either the dominant or a major anion in the soil solutions from the eastern sites, suggesting that atmospheric deposition was a major factor in soil leaching from these sites (0.2-2.1 kmol/sub c/ ha/sup -1/ yr/sup -1/), but total leaching rates from these sites were much lower than at the Washington sites. Indeed, some of the eastern sites showed a net annual accumulation of one of more base cations from atmospheric deposition. Some of the southeastern sites with Ultisols showed the expected net retention of SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/, but the sites in the Tennessee Valley near Oak Ridge showed surprisingly little ecosystem SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ retention, perhaps due to lower soil SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ adsorption in these soils than in other Ultisols.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 6607862
- Journal Information:
- J. Environ. Qual.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Environ. Qual.; (United States) Vol. 17:3; ISSN JEVQA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Comparative evaluation of the effects of acid precipitation, natural acid production, and harvesting on cation removal from forests
Comparative evaluation of the effects of acid precipitation, natural acid production, and harvesting on cation removal from forests
Related Subjects
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
510200* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACID RAIN
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CHEMISTRY
DISSOLUTION
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
FEDERAL REGION I
FEDERAL REGION IV
FEDERAL REGION X
FORESTS
LEACHING
MAINE
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RAIN
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOIL CHEMISTRY
SOUTH CAROLINA
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TENNESSEE
UPTAKE
USA
WASHINGTON