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Nave LE, DeLyser K, Domke GM, Holub SM, Janowiak MK, Keller AB, Peters MP, Solarik KA, Walters BF, Swanston CW. Land use change and forest management effects on soil carbon stocks in the Northeast U.S. CARBON BALANCE AND MANAGEMENT 2024; 19:5. [PMID: 38319455 PMCID: PMC10845599 DOI: 10.1186/s13021-024-00251-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In most regions and ecosystems, soils are the largest terrestrial carbon pool. Their potential vulnerability to climate and land use change, management, and other drivers, along with soils' ability to mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration, makes them important to carbon balance and management. To date, most studies of soil carbon management have been based at either large or site-specific scales, resulting in either broad generalizations or narrow conclusions, respectively. Advancing the science and practice of soil carbon management requires scientific progress at intermediate scales. Here, we conducted the fifth in a series of ecoregional assessments of the effects of land use change and forest management on soil carbon stocks, this time addressing the Northeast U.S. We used synthesis approaches including (1) meta-analysis of published literature, (2) soil survey and (3) national forest inventory databases to examine overall effects and underlying drivers of deforestation, reforestation, and forest harvesting on soil carbon stocks. The three complementary data sources allowed us to quantify direction, magnitude, and uncertainty in trends. RESULTS Our meta-analysis findings revealed regionally consistent declines in soil carbon stocks due to deforestation, whether for agriculture or urban development. Conversely, reforestation led to significant increases in soil C stocks, with variation based on specific geographic factors. Forest harvesting showed no significant effect on soil carbon stocks, regardless of place-based or practice-specific factors. Observational soil survey and national forest inventory data generally supported meta-analytic harvest trends, and provided broader context by revealing the factors that act as baseline controls on soil carbon stocks in this ecoregion of carbon-dense soils. These factors include a range of soil physical, parent material, and topographic controls, with land use and climate factors also playing a role. CONCLUSIONS Forest harvesting has limited potential to alter forest soil C stocks in either direction, in contrast to the significant changes driven by land use shifts. These findings underscore the importance of understanding soil C changes at intermediate scales, and the need for an all-lands approach to managing soil carbon for climate change mitigation in the Northeast U.S.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas E Nave
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, 49931, USA.
- Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, Houghton, MI, 49931, USA.
| | | | - Grant M Domke
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | | | - Maria K Janowiak
- Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, Houghton, MI, 49931, USA
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Houghton, MI, 49931, USA
| | - Adrienne B Keller
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, 49931, USA
- Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, Houghton, MI, 49931, USA
| | - Matthew P Peters
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Delaware, OH, 43015, USA
| | - Kevin A Solarik
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI), Montréal, Québec, H3A 3H3, Canada
| | - Brian F Walters
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
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Clark PW, D'Amato AW. Seedbed not rescue effect buffer the role of extreme precipitation on temperate forest regeneration. Ecology 2023; 104:e3926. [PMID: 36415040 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Alterations in global climate via extreme precipitation will have broadscale implications on ecosystem functioning. The increased frequency of drought, coupled with heavy, episodic rainfall are likely to generate impacts on biotic and abiotic processes across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Despite the demonstrated shifts in global precipitation, less is known how extreme precipitation interacts with biophysical factors to control future demographic processes, especially those sensitive to climate extremes such as organismal recruitment and survival. We utilized a field-based precipitation manipulation experiment in 0.1 ha forest canopy openings to test future climate scenarios characterized by extreme precipitation on temperate tree seedling survival. The effects of planting seedbeds (undisturbed leaf litter/organic material vs. scarified, exposed mineral soils), seedling ontogeny, species, and functional traits were examined against four statistically defined precipitation scenarios. Results indicated that seedlings grown within precipitation treatments characterized by heavy, episodic rainfall preceded by prolonged drying responded similarly to drought treatments lacking episodic inputs. Moreover, among all treatment conditions tested, scarified seedbeds most strongly affected seedling survivorship (odds ratio 6.9). Compared with any precipitation treatment, the effect size (predicted probabilities) of the seedbed was more than twice as important in controlling seedling survivorship. However, the interaction between precipitation and seedbed resulted in a 27.9% improvement in survivorship for moisture-sensitive species. Seedling sensitivity to moisture was variable among species, and most closely linked with functional traits such as seed mass. For instance, under dry moisture regimes, survivorship increased linearly with seed mass (log transformed; adjusted R2 = 0.72, p < 0.001), yet no relationship was apparent under wet moisture regimes. Although precipitation influenced survival, extreme rainfall events were not enough to offset moisture deficits nor provide a rescue effect under drought conditions. The relationships reported here highlight the importance of plant seedbeds and species (e.g., functional traits) as edaphic and biotic controls that modify the influence of extreme future precipitation on seedling survival in temperate forests. Finally, we demonstrated the biophysical factors that were most influential to early forest development and that may override the negative effects of increasingly variable precipitation. This work contributes to refinements of species distribution models and can inform reforestation strategies intended to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem function under increasing climate extremes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter W Clark
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Anthony W D'Amato
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
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Palik BJ, Clark PW, D'Amato AW, Swanston C, Nagel L. Operationalizing forest‐assisted migration in the context of climate change adaptation: Examples from the eastern
USA. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Brian J. Palik
- USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station Grand Rapids Minnesota USA
| | - Peter W. Clark
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Vermont Burlington Vermont USA
| | - Anthony W. D'Amato
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Vermont Burlington Vermont USA
| | - Chris Swanston
- USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station Houghton Michigan USA
| | - Linda Nagel
- College of Natural Resources Utah State University Logan Utah USA
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Clark PW, D'Amato AW, Evans KS, Schaberg PG, Woodall CW. Ecological memory and regional context influence performance of adaptation plantings in northeastern US temperate forests. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter W. Clark
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Vermont Burlington VT USA
| | - Anthony W. D'Amato
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Vermont Burlington VT USA
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