Diminishing legacy effects from forest fertilization on stand structure, vegetation community, and soil function. Larsson, M., Strengbom, J., Gundale, M. J., & Nordin, A. Forest Ecology and Management, 563:121967, July, 2024.
Diminishing legacy effects from forest fertilization on stand structure, vegetation community, and soil function [link]Paper  doi  abstract   bibtex   
While there is consensus that fertilization with nitrogen (N) is a cost-effective way of increasing both forest biomass yield and timber harvest profitability, the strength and longevity of legacy effects are debated. To quantify legacy effects of past fertilization, we analysed 21 mixed Pinus sylvesteris and Picea abies stands. The stands, on average 23 years old at the time of this study, were either unfertilized (n=7), fertilized with 150 kg N ha−1 once 36 years ago (n=7), or twice, 45 and 36 years ago, respectively (n=7), during the previous stand rotation. We performed measurements on soil N mineralisation and N availability, forest growth, ground vegetation community composition, soil and vegetation C/N ratios and soil C and N stocks, many of which responded to legacy N fertilization earlier in stand development. Our results show that the legacy effects of fertilization during the previous stand rotation have diminished through time, indicating an eventual convergence of stand properties. Specifically, all significant effects present in the previous measurement period (over a decade ago), were weaker or completely absent in the current study (i.e. 36 years after fertilization and 23 years after initiation of the new stands). None-the-less, this indicates a longer legacy effect of N fertilization than what is normally considered and suggests that care should be taken to mitigate unwanted, long-term effects when utilizing N addition to promote tree growth in boreal forests.
@article{larsson_diminishing_2024,
	title = {Diminishing legacy effects from forest fertilization on stand structure, vegetation community, and soil function},
	volume = {563},
	issn = {0378-1127},
	url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112724002792},
	doi = {10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121967},
	abstract = {While there is consensus that fertilization with nitrogen (N) is a cost-effective way of increasing both forest biomass yield and timber harvest profitability, the strength and longevity of legacy effects are debated. To quantify legacy effects of past fertilization, we analysed 21 mixed Pinus sylvesteris and Picea abies stands. The stands, on average 23 years old at the time of this study, were either unfertilized (n=7), fertilized with 150 kg N ha−1 once 36 years ago (n=7), or twice, 45 and 36 years ago, respectively (n=7), during the previous stand rotation. We performed measurements on soil N mineralisation and N availability, forest growth, ground vegetation community composition, soil and vegetation C/N ratios and soil C and N stocks, many of which responded to legacy N fertilization earlier in stand development. Our results show that the legacy effects of fertilization during the previous stand rotation have diminished through time, indicating an eventual convergence of stand properties. Specifically, all significant effects present in the previous measurement period (over a decade ago), were weaker or completely absent in the current study (i.e. 36 years after fertilization and 23 years after initiation of the new stands). None-the-less, this indicates a longer legacy effect of N fertilization than what is normally considered and suggests that care should be taken to mitigate unwanted, long-term effects when utilizing N addition to promote tree growth in boreal forests.},
	urldate = {2024-05-15},
	journal = {Forest Ecology and Management},
	author = {Larsson, Marcus and Strengbom, Joachim and Gundale, Michael J. and Nordin, Annika},
	month = jul,
	year = {2024},
	keywords = {Forest fertilization, Forest growth, Ion-exchange resin, Mineralization, Soil organic carbon, Vegetation community composition},
	pages = {121967},
}

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