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Title: Changes in Soil Carbon Following Afforestation

Abstract

Quantifying changes in soil C may be an important consideration under large-scale afforestation or reforestation. We reviewed global data on changes in soil C following afforestation, available from 43 published or unpublished studies, encompassing 204 sites. Data were highly variable, with soil C either increasing or decreasing, particularly in young (<10-y) forest stands. Because studies varied in the number of years since forest establishment and the initial soil C content, we calculated change in soil C as a weighted average (i.e. sum of C change divided by sum of years since forest establishment) relative to the soil C content under previous agricultural systems at <10 cm, >10 cm and <30 cm sampling depths. On average, soil C in the <10 cm (or <30 cm) layers generally decreased by 3.46% y–1 (or 0.63% y–1) relative to the initial soil C content during the first five years of afforestation, followed by a decrease in the rate of decline and eventually recovery to C contents found in agricultural soils at about age 30. In plantations older than 30 years, C content was similar to that under the previous agricultural systems within the surface 10 cm of soil, yet at other sampling depths, soilmore » C had increased by between 0.50 and 0.86% y–1. Amounts of C lost or gained by soil are generally small compared with accumulation of C in tree biomass.The most important factors affecting change in soil C were previous land use, climate and the type of forest established. Results suggest that most soil C was lost when softwoods, particularly Pinus radiata plantations, were established on ex-improved pastoral land in temperate regions. Accumulation of soil C was greatest when deciduous hardwoods, or N2-fixing species (either as an understorey or as a plantation), were established on ex-cropped land in tropical or subtropical regions. Long-term management regimes (e.g., stocking, weed control, thinning, fertilizer application and fire management) may also influence accumulation of soil C. Accumulation is maximised by maintaining longer (20-50 year) forest rotations. Furthermore, inclusion of litter in calculations reversed the observed average decrease in soil C, so that amount of C in soil and litter layer was greater than under preceding pasture.« less

Authors:
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Publication Date:
Other Number(s):
doi:10.3334/CDIAC/TCM.008
Research Org.:
Environmental System Science Data Infrastructure for a Virtual Ecosystem (ESS-DIVE) (United States); Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Keywords:
Earth Science > Soil Carbon
OSTI Identifier:
1389525
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3334/CDIAC/TCM.008

Citation Formats

Paul, K. I., Polglase, P. J., Nyakuengama, J. G., and Khanna, P. K. Changes in Soil Carbon Following Afforestation. United States: N. p., 2003. Web. doi:10.3334/CDIAC/TCM.008.
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Paul, K. I., Polglase, P. J., Nyakuengama, J. G., & Khanna, P. K. Changes in Soil Carbon Following Afforestation. United States. doi:https://doi.org/10.3334/CDIAC/TCM.008
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Paul, K. I., Polglase, P. J., Nyakuengama, J. G., and Khanna, P. K. 2003. "Changes in Soil Carbon Following Afforestation". United States. doi:https://doi.org/10.3334/CDIAC/TCM.008. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1389525. Pub date:Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2003
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@article{osti_1389525,
title = {Changes in Soil Carbon Following Afforestation},
author = {Paul, K. I. and Polglase, P. J. and Nyakuengama, J. G. and Khanna, P. K.},
abstractNote = {Quantifying changes in soil C may be an important consideration under large-scale afforestation or reforestation. We reviewed global data on changes in soil C following afforestation, available from 43 published or unpublished studies, encompassing 204 sites. Data were highly variable, with soil C either increasing or decreasing, particularly in young (<10-y) forest stands. Because studies varied in the number of years since forest establishment and the initial soil C content, we calculated change in soil C as a weighted average (i.e. sum of C change divided by sum of years since forest establishment) relative to the soil C content under previous agricultural systems at <10 cm, >10 cm and <30 cm sampling depths. On average, soil C in the <10 cm (or <30 cm) layers generally decreased by 3.46% y–1 (or 0.63% y–1) relative to the initial soil C content during the first five years of afforestation, followed by a decrease in the rate of decline and eventually recovery to C contents found in agricultural soils at about age 30. In plantations older than 30 years, C content was similar to that under the previous agricultural systems within the surface 10 cm of soil, yet at other sampling depths, soil C had increased by between 0.50 and 0.86% y–1. Amounts of C lost or gained by soil are generally small compared with accumulation of C in tree biomass.The most important factors affecting change in soil C were previous land use, climate and the type of forest established. Results suggest that most soil C was lost when softwoods, particularly Pinus radiata plantations, were established on ex-improved pastoral land in temperate regions. Accumulation of soil C was greatest when deciduous hardwoods, or N2-fixing species (either as an understorey or as a plantation), were established on ex-cropped land in tropical or subtropical regions. Long-term management regimes (e.g., stocking, weed control, thinning, fertilizer application and fire management) may also influence accumulation of soil C. Accumulation is maximised by maintaining longer (20-50 year) forest rotations. Furthermore, inclusion of litter in calculations reversed the observed average decrease in soil C, so that amount of C in soil and litter layer was greater than under preceding pasture.},
doi = {10.3334/CDIAC/TCM.008},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2003},
month = {1}
}
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3334/CDIAC/TCM.008
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Works referencing / citing this record:

Impact of tropical land-use change on soil organic carbon stocks - a meta-analysis: SOIL ORGANIC CARBON AND LAND-USE CHANGE
journal, November 2010

Response of Soil Properties and Microbial Communities to Agriculture: Implications for Primary Productivity and Soil Health Indicators
journal, July 2016

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