Boreal forest soil biotic communities are affected by harvesting, site preparation with no additional effects of higher biomass removal 5 years post-harvest

15 S.

e-journal

200211175

The market for forest products has diversified to include biomass energy products sourced from materials that
were typically left on-site after harvest. In this study we examined whether intensified biomass removal following harvest will effect site soil biological diversity and metabolic functioning, and how decisions surrounding sampling, in sites prepared with disc-trenching soil scarification, influence the effect assessment of harvesting activities. We compared the influence of harvesting, below-ground biomass removal, stem only versus full tree harvesting, micro-topographic features and seasonal effects on soil biota. We assessed soil biotic changes using potential enzyme activity assays and metabarcoding using targeted primers for four groups (arthropods, bacteria, fungi and broad eukaryotes).
Keywords: Soil, Bacteria, Fungi, Arthropods, Harvesting, Biomass, Microtopography, DNA metabarcoding, Enzyme activity