Biomass and nutrient removals by conventional and whole-tree clear-cutting of a red spruce – balsam fir stand in central Nova Scotia

Abstract

Data are presented of biomass and nutrient removals by conventional and whole-tree clear-cutting of 0.5-ha blocks of an all-aged Picearubens – Abiesbalsamea stand in central Nova Scotia. The biomass yield from the conventional clear-cut plot was 105 200 kg dry weight•ha−1, and the removals of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg were 98.2, 16.3, 91.7, 180.9, and 17.0 kg•ha−1 respectively. Biomass removals from the whole-tree clear-cut plot were 152 500 kg dry weight•ha−1, and the removals of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg were 239.1, 35.2, 132.6, 336.5, and 36.9 kg•ha−1, respectively. These removals of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg from the whole-tree harvested plot, expressed as percentages of the quantities of these nutrients in the "total" pool within the exploitable soil horizons, were 5.0, 2.8, 1.0, 5.9, and 2.1%, respectively. However, when these removals were expressed relative to the quantities in the "available" soil pools, they were much larger, i.e., 500, 34, 184, 306, and 95% for N, P, K, Ca, and Mg, respectively.