Martin T. Moroni

Harvesting and slash piling affects soil respiration, soil temperature, and soil moisture regimes in Newfoundland boreal forests

The effect of harvesting and slash piling on soil respiration, temperature and moisture was examined in a balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and a black spruce (Picea marinara) forest located in western Newfoundland, Canada, 2 mo to 2.5 yr following harvesting. Within 4 mo of harvesting, soil temperature, moisture, and soil respiration rates were affected by harvesting and slash piling. Clearcut areas without slash (CC-S) had significantly lower soil respiration rates than uncut forests (F). However, clearcut areas with slash cover (CC+S) had significantly higher soil respiration rates than CC-S. When harvested areas with and without slash were combined, harvesting decreased soil respiration in the black spruce forest but had no effect on soil respiration in the balsam fir forest. Harvesting increased soil temperatures at 10 cm, however CC+S temperatures were cooler than CC-S temperatures. Harvested areas tended to dry faster than F, although soil moisture levels at >3.5 cm were not significantly depleted. Howev...

Forest carbon stocks in Newfoundland boreal forests of harvest and natural disturbance origin II: model evaluation

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends that countries that use advanced (Tier 3) models to meet their international reporting obligations on forest greenhouse gas emissions and removals evaluate model predictions against independent field data. Unfortunately, estimates of total ecosystem C stocks and stock changes are scarce and consequently the recommended evaluations are rarely completed. The Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM-CFS3) is the core model of Canada’s National Forest Carbon Monitoring, Accounting, and Reporting System that implements an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Tier 3 approach. It accounts for biomass, dead organic matter, and soil C pools as affected by natural and anthropogenic disturbances. We used data from a recent study of total ecosystem C stocks for black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) boreal forest chronosequences of different disturbance origins in Newfoundland, Canada, to evaluate ...