ABSTRACT: Selected properties of soils under beetle-killed lodgepole pine stands in Central British Columbia.

CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Abstract

The massive mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic has created a mosaic of dead and burned lodgepole pine stands in most parts of northern British Columbia (BC). This study was conducted to understand the impacts of the infestation to the forest ecosystems, particularly to determine the changes in soil properties. Soil samples were collected from 75 plots consisting of control (No MPB Unburned), attacked (MPB Unburned) and burned (MPB Burned) sites; additional 177 samples were collected from rhizosphere and bulk soils to compare physical, chemical, mineralogical and biological properties of soils under attacked and burned pine stands. Results showed that soils under MPB Unburned stands have mean pH CaCl2 5.8 compared to 6.0 in No MPB Unburned stands. Soils under No MPB Unburned stands have significantly higher ectomycorrhizal richness than in MPB Unburned sites (20 vs 16). The effects of forest fires in soils under MPB-killed stands are different between dry and wet sites. In wet sites, only pH water varies in burned vs unburned sites. In dry sites, total C, N, pH in water, conductivity, exchangeable Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, K, Mn, and Na, and CEC in MPB Burned sites are significantly lower than MPB Unburned sites. Mineralizable NH4-N in MPB Burned sites is 5.3 ppm compared to 12.7 ppm in MPB Unburned sites; available phosphorus (Bray P1) contents are 95 and 175 ppm for MPB Burned and MPB Unburned sites, respectively. We attributed the differential responses to the lower volumetric heat capacity of soil in dry sites compared to wet sites. We recommend that the standing dead pine trees in dry sites should be salvaged to reduce the occurrence of forest fire and thus, prevent further damage to soil fertility.

Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology