Effects of soil compaction and vegetation weeding on the above-, and belowground growth of boreal evergreen conifer seedlings

Berlin

Springer

2024

143-156

23 S.

e-journal

200211968

New Forests 2024 : ONLINE ONLY : An international journal ; biology, biotechnology, and management of afforestation and reforestation ; Jrg. 55 ; 4 (2024) , 23 S., 143-156

If soil compaction caused by the operation of forestry machines does not suppress the growth of planted seedlings, this operation may be an alternative method to conventional weeding for controlling vegetation competition. To evaluate the effects of soil compaction and vegetation weeding on the seedlings of three boreal evergreen coniferous species, a field experiment was conducted for two years. Under the weeding conditions, the main target species, Abies sachalinensis, which has thick fine roots, showed relatively robust belowground growth under soil compaction compared with the other Picea species, which has thin fine roots. Soil compaction suppressed the density and height of the vegetation, mitigating the light conditions. In A. sachalinensis seedlings, the leaf mass per area, nitrogen content per leaf area, and specific root length of fine roots showed positive responses to the weeding treatment without soil compaction. No weeding suppressed the relative growth rate in terms of the root collar diameter and aboveground volume, while these changes were not observed under soil compaction.
Keywords: Forestry machine; Soil physicality; Root morphology; Shade tolerance; Abies sachalinensis