Canadian Forest Service Publications

Évolution des stocks de carbone organique dans le sol après coupe dans la sapinière à bouleau jaune de l'est du Québec. 2000. St-Laurent, S.; Ouimet, R.; Tremblay, S.; Archambault, L. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 80 : 507-514.

Year: 2000

Issued by: Laurentian Forestry Centre

Catalog ID: 20498

Language: French

Availability: PDF (request by e-mail)

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Abstract

Following the Rio and Kyoto protocols, forest sequestration of organic C (C_org) appears to be among the measures to reduce atmospheric C. In this context, we assessed the evolution of soils’ reserves of C_org after complete whole-tree forest harvesting in the balsam fir–yellow birch forest of eastern Quebec. The experimental design consisted of eight plots in mature stands, and 10 plots in 7-, 12-, and 22-yr-old clearcuts in the "Seigneurie du Lac Métis", located 80 km south-east of Rimouski, Quebec, Canada. The soil type was an Orthic Humo-ferric Podzol. Major C_org losses occured in the forest floor of the 7-, 12- and 22-yr-old harvested plots compared with mature stands. The FH horizon of harvested plots showed a loss of 44% (–30.5 t ha^-1) in dry weight and 13.5% (–62.1 g kg^-1) in C_org content between 7 and 22-yr-old harvested plots. More than half the C_org content of the forest floor was lost in that time (–52% or –16.6 t ha^-1). The C_org stock of the L horizon were lowered only for the 7-yr-old treatment (2.5 t ha^-1) compared with mature stands (4.9 t ha^-1). No significant differences in the C_org stocked in the first 30 cm of the mineral soil were found between treatments. It appears that the forest floor of balsam fir-yellow birch stands has become a source of C_org for at least 22 yr after forest harvesting.