Coarse woody debris modifies surface soils of degraded temperate eucalypt woodlands

Sarah R. Goldin, Michael F. Hutchinson

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    31 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Aims: Reintroductions of coarse woody debris (CWD) to Australia's temperate eucalypt woodlands have been proposed to address the paucity of CWD in these landscapes. This study aimed to quantify the effects of CWD on surface soils. Methods: Values of C, N, C:N, P, NO3 -, NH4 +, pH and electrical conductivity (EC) were measured adjacent to, and at reference distances from CWD. Soils were measured at depths of 0-1 cm, 1-3 cm and 3-5 cm for 12 individual CWD samples of varying decay classes and diameters. A linear mixed model was used to test the effects of the presence of CWD, soil depth and CWD decay class and diameter. Results: Significantly larger values for C, N, C:N, P, NO3 -, EC, and significantly smaller values for pH were found adjacent to CWD. The greatest impact of CWD was on the upper most surface soil. CWD decay class and diameter had little influence on the measured soil characteristics. Conclusion: This is the first quantitative determination of the effects of eucalypt CWD on woodland soils in Australia. The effect of added CWD is rapid, occurring after just 2 years. The results suggest that the effects are due to the structural properties of CWD.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)461-469
    Number of pages9
    JournalPlant and Soil
    Volume370
    Issue number1-2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 2013

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