Characteristics of Soil Structure and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes on Ten-Year Old Skid Trails with and without Black Alders (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.)

Abstract

Forest soil compaction caused by heavy machines can cause ecosystem degradation, reduced site productivity and increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Recent studies investigating the plant-mediated alleviation of soil compaction with black alder showed promising results (Alnus glutinosa). This study aimed to measure soil recovery and GHG fluxes on machine tracks with and without black alders in North-East Switzerland. In 2008, two machine tracks were created under controlled conditions in a European beech (Fagus sylvatica) stand with a sandy loam texture. Directly after compaction, soil physical parameters were measured on one track while the other track was planted with alders. Initial topsoil bulk density and porosity on the track without alders were 1.52 g cm−3 and 43%, respectively. Ten years later, a decrease in bulk density to 1.23 g cm−3 and an increase in porosity to 57% indicated partial structure recovery. Compared with the untreated machine track, alder had no beneficial impact on soil physical parameters. Elevated cumulative N2O emission (+30%) under alder compared with the untreated track could result from symbiotic nitrogen fixation by alder. Overall, CH4 fluxes were sensitive to the effects of soil trafficking. We conclude that black alder did not promote the recovery of a compacted sandy loam while it had the potential to deteriorate the GHG balance of the investigated forest stand.