Seasonal patterns of soil respiration and CO2 evolution following harvesting in the white spruce forests of interior Alaska

Abstract

The effect of timber harvesting on soil respiration was investigated in a white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench.) Voss) forest in interior Alaska. Clear-cutting increased respiration levels, especially in midsummer. Respiration estimates from an uncut, 133-year-old stand of white spruce averaged about 0.45 g•m−2•h−1 over two field seasons. In two adjacent cleared areas, the evolution of CO2 from the soil occasionally exceeded 0.6 g•m−2•h−1. Soil temperature and moisture regimes were increased after harvesting, presumably owing to increased insolation and reduced evapotranspiration. It was possible to relate the changes in these environmental parameters, by soil horizon, to respiration through previously developed nonlinear models and linear regression.