Evaluation of Leaf Litter Mulching and Incorporation on Skid Trails for the Recovery of Soil Physico-Chemical and Biological Properties of Mixed Broadleaved Forests
Engineering applications can be used to mitigate the adverse effects of soil compaction and amend compacted soils. Previous literature has highlighted the beneficial effects of interventions such as litter mulching and incorporation on skid trails. However, little is known about the effectiveness of...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Land |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/6/625 |
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| author | Meghdad Jourgholami Azadeh Khoramizadeh Angela Lo Monaco Rachele Venanzi Francesco Latterini Farzam Tavankar Rodolfo Picchio |
| author_facet | Meghdad Jourgholami Azadeh Khoramizadeh Angela Lo Monaco Rachele Venanzi Francesco Latterini Farzam Tavankar Rodolfo Picchio |
| author_sort | Meghdad Jourgholami |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Engineering applications can be used to mitigate the adverse effects of soil compaction and amend compacted soils. Previous literature has highlighted the beneficial effects of interventions such as litter mulching and incorporation on skid trails. However, little is known about the effectiveness of these alternatives in restoring forest soil quality after forest logging. The objective of this study was to properly elucidate the effects of the above mentioned soil protection methods, litter incorporation before skidding (LI) and litter mulching after skidding (LM), on the recovery of compacted soil’s physico-chemical and biological properties on skid trails over a 2-year period in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran to identify the best option for restoration intervention. The litter used in both methods consisted of dried leaves of the hornbeam and maple tree in three intensities of 3, 6, and 9 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup>. The results showed that the application of both methods (LI and LM) significantly improved the soil properties when compared to the untreated skid trail. Results showed that the recovery values of soil properties in the LI treatments were significantly higher than those of the LM. The recovery values of soil properties by 6 and 9 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup> were significantly higher than those of 3 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup>, while the differences were not significant between 6 and 9 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup>. Our findings showed that soil properties were partially recovered (70–80%) over a 2-year period from treatment, compared to untreated, but the full recovery of soil properties required more time to return to the pre-harvest value. Overall, the results of this study demonstrated that the application of soil protection methods accelerates the process of recovering soil properties much faster than natural soil recovery, which can take more than 20 years in these forests. |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:29:52Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
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| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj.art-ff505f5febfd45468266d4c87f37ff3e2023-11-21T23:48:19ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2021-06-0110662510.3390/land10060625Evaluation of Leaf Litter Mulching and Incorporation on Skid Trails for the Recovery of Soil Physico-Chemical and Biological Properties of Mixed Broadleaved ForestsMeghdad Jourgholami0Azadeh Khoramizadeh1Angela Lo Monaco2Rachele Venanzi3Francesco Latterini4Farzam Tavankar5Rodolfo Picchio6Department of Forestry and Forest Economics, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj 999067, IranDepartment of Forestry and Forest Economics, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj 999067, IranDepartment of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, ItalyCREA Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria-Research Centre for En-gineering and Agro-Food Processing, 00015 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Forestry, Khalkhal Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khalkhal 56817-31367, IranDepartment of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, ItalyEngineering applications can be used to mitigate the adverse effects of soil compaction and amend compacted soils. Previous literature has highlighted the beneficial effects of interventions such as litter mulching and incorporation on skid trails. However, little is known about the effectiveness of these alternatives in restoring forest soil quality after forest logging. The objective of this study was to properly elucidate the effects of the above mentioned soil protection methods, litter incorporation before skidding (LI) and litter mulching after skidding (LM), on the recovery of compacted soil’s physico-chemical and biological properties on skid trails over a 2-year period in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran to identify the best option for restoration intervention. The litter used in both methods consisted of dried leaves of the hornbeam and maple tree in three intensities of 3, 6, and 9 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup>. The results showed that the application of both methods (LI and LM) significantly improved the soil properties when compared to the untreated skid trail. Results showed that the recovery values of soil properties in the LI treatments were significantly higher than those of the LM. The recovery values of soil properties by 6 and 9 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup> were significantly higher than those of 3 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup>, while the differences were not significant between 6 and 9 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup>. Our findings showed that soil properties were partially recovered (70–80%) over a 2-year period from treatment, compared to untreated, but the full recovery of soil properties required more time to return to the pre-harvest value. Overall, the results of this study demonstrated that the application of soil protection methods accelerates the process of recovering soil properties much faster than natural soil recovery, which can take more than 20 years in these forests.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/6/625forest harvestingskid trailsoil compactionleaf littermulchingincorporation |
| spellingShingle | Meghdad Jourgholami Azadeh Khoramizadeh Angela Lo Monaco Rachele Venanzi Francesco Latterini Farzam Tavankar Rodolfo Picchio Evaluation of Leaf Litter Mulching and Incorporation on Skid Trails for the Recovery of Soil Physico-Chemical and Biological Properties of Mixed Broadleaved Forests Land forest harvesting skid trail soil compaction leaf litter mulching incorporation |
| title | Evaluation of Leaf Litter Mulching and Incorporation on Skid Trails for the Recovery of Soil Physico-Chemical and Biological Properties of Mixed Broadleaved Forests |
| title_full | Evaluation of Leaf Litter Mulching and Incorporation on Skid Trails for the Recovery of Soil Physico-Chemical and Biological Properties of Mixed Broadleaved Forests |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of Leaf Litter Mulching and Incorporation on Skid Trails for the Recovery of Soil Physico-Chemical and Biological Properties of Mixed Broadleaved Forests |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of Leaf Litter Mulching and Incorporation on Skid Trails for the Recovery of Soil Physico-Chemical and Biological Properties of Mixed Broadleaved Forests |
| title_short | Evaluation of Leaf Litter Mulching and Incorporation on Skid Trails for the Recovery of Soil Physico-Chemical and Biological Properties of Mixed Broadleaved Forests |
| title_sort | evaluation of leaf litter mulching and incorporation on skid trails for the recovery of soil physico chemical and biological properties of mixed broadleaved forests |
| topic | forest harvesting skid trail soil compaction leaf litter mulching incorporation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/6/625 |
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