Ecology and Management of Forest Soils

437 Pages·2012·12.416 MB·English

by  Dan Binkley&Richard F. Fisher

Ecology and ManagEMEnt of forEst soils
Ecology and
ManagEMEnt
of forEst soils
fifth Edition
Dan Binkley
northern arizona University
flagstaff, arizona
Richard F. Fisher
this edition first published 2020
© 2020 John Wiley & sons ltd.
4e: Binkley & fisher, 9780470979471, december 2012 Wiley‐Blackwell)
all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as
permitted by law. advice on how to obtain permission to reuse material from this title is available at
http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
the right of dan Binkley and richard f. fisher to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in
accordance with law.
Registered Office(s)
John Wiley & sons, inc., 111 river street, hoboken, nJ 07030, Usa
John Wiley & sons ltd, the atrium, southern gate, chichester, West sussex, Po19 8sQ, UK
Editorial Office
the atrium, southern gate, chichester, West sussex, Po19 8sQ, UK
for details of our global editorial offices, customer services, and more information about Wiley products visit us at
www.wiley.com.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats and by print‐on‐demand. some content that appears in
standard print versions of this book may not be available in other formats.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty
While the publisher and authors have used their best efforts in preparing this work, they make no representations
or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all
warranties, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
no warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives, written sales materials or promotional statements
for this work. the fact that an organization, website, or product is referred to in this work as a citation and/or potential
source of further information does not mean that the publisher and authors endorse the information or services
the organization, website, or product may provide or recommendations it may make. this work is sold with the
understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. the advice and strategies contained
herein may not be suitable for your situation. you should consult with a specialist where appropriate. further,
readers should be aware that websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work
was written and when it is read. neither the publisher nor authors shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other
commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data
names: Binkley, dan, author. | fisher, richard f., author.
title: Ecology and management of forest soils / dan Binkley, northern arizona
University, flagstaff, arizona, richard f. fisher.
description: fifth edition. | hoboken, nJ : Wiley, [2019] | includes
bibliographical references and index. |
identifiers: lccn 2019000082 (print) | lccn 2019000419 (ebook) | isBn
9781119455714 (adobe Pdf) | isBn 9781119455721 (ePub) | isBn 9781119455653
(paperback)
subjects: lcsh: forest soils. | soil ecology. | soil management. | forest
management.
classification: lcc sd390 (ebook) | lcc sd390 .f56 2019 (print) | ddc
577.5/7–dc23
lc record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019000082
cover design: Wiley
cover image: © Photos from allan Bacon
set in 9/12pt Meridien by sPi global, Pondicherry, india
Printed in the UK by Bell & Bain ltd, glasgow
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Preface, vii 9 Tree Species Influences, 205
Dedication, ix
10 Characterizing Soils Across Space
In Memoriam: Richard F. Fisher, xi
and Time, 237
1 Soil Foundations, 1 11 Soil Management: Harvesting, Site
Preparation, Conversion and Drainage, 265
2 Forest Soils Across Space and Time, 13
12 Fire Influences, 293
3 Minerals in Forest Soils, 45
4 Organic Matter in Forest Soils, 59 13 Nutrition Management, 319
5 Physics in Forest Soils: Soil Structure, Water, 14 Managing Forest Soils for Carbon
and Temperature, 83 Sequestration, 351
6 Life in Forest Soils, 109 15 Evidence‐Based Approaches, 373
7 Chemistry of Soil Surfaces and Solutions, 139
References, 393
8 Biogeochemistry, 163 Index, 435
v
Preface
The sheer volume of information on forest soils has learning about forest soils are new studies. More
probably increased by at least 10‐fold since the year importantly, historical studies have great value for
2000. Much of the information added new numbers insights about how our understanding of forest soils
to our understanding of the typical rates of soil pro- developed from our community of inquisitive col-
cesses. Other changes have been more fundamen- leagues over the decades. We’re sorry that a textbook
tal, such as the shift in the conceptualization of how format did not allow us to include all the great
organic matter is sequestered in soils: long‐lasting research from colleagues around the world. We hope
soil organic matter does not depend as much on the stories and examples we included form a founda-
chemical recalcitrance as on intricate soil environ- tion for building new understanding from additional
ments and ecological interactions (including aggre- study of the expanding worldwide literature.
gate formation). Forests and soils are whole systems, so it’s very
A textbook cannot provide a systematic review for arbitrary to pull out any single feature, such as soil
all the important topics addressed; authors need to chemistry, to examine in a single chapter when it’s
pick and choose examples that have strong educa- relevant to every other chapter. For this reason, we
tional value. Compiling examples into representative developed chapter topics to be general themes,
tables and histograms is more powerful than any sin- with diverse soil subjects entering each chapter,
gle example, but our compilations are intended to and with each topic arising in more than one
illustrate commonly observed situations rather than chapter. For example, a chapter on soil organic
provide reliable conclusions about the population of matter relies, in part, on the subjects of soil
all forest soils. chemistry and soil biota, but it also overlaps
This edition presents a large amount of new infor- somewhat with a chapter on carbon sequestration.
mation, taking advantage of the opportunities pre- We hope readers will find the weaving of topics
sented by color illustration. This edition retained within and among the chapters to be helpful in
about two‐thirds of the literature used in the previ- stitching together a coherent, holistic understanding
ous edition. The older case studies and research of forest soils.
papers often provide as strong a foundation for Dan Binkley
vii
Dedication
This book is dedicated to three groups of colleagues, are so fundamental to seeing forest soils change;
and especially to those with membership in all and
three: • generous organizers of workshops and field trips
that sustain the forest soils community we all
• pioneering scientists who give us new ways to cherish.
see inside forest soils;
• persistent investigators who create and maintain Our friend, Bob Powers (1939–2013) is at the top
the long‐term research sites (and databases) that of this Honor Roll.
ix
In Memoriam
Richard F. Fisher, Jr. 1941–2012
Dick Fisher grew up in Urbana, Illinois, where his in chemistry and geomorphology. Dr. Fisher then
ancestors were clever enough to realize that t reeless began a series of academic adventures, first an
prairie soils could make great farm soils. He com- assistant professor at his alma mater, the University
bined his undergraduate forestry major with a of Illinois, from 1969–1972. He moved to the
minor in the history and philosophy of science University of Toronto as an associate professor
(B.Sc. 1964); this broad and deep curiosity about (1972–1977), and then joined the University of
how things connect, and how things got to be the Florida as a professor and the Director of the
way they are, characterized Dick’s work with forest Cooperative Research in the Forest Fertilization
soils. He worked with Earl Stone at Cornell program (1977–1982). Dick next headed west, to
University for his PhD in soil science (1968), and become a professor and head of the Department of
again he picked up additional insights by minoring Forest Science at Utah State University (1982–1990).
xi
xii In Memoriam
His final academic positions were at Texas A&M for Tropical Studies field courses in Central America
University (1990–1999), where he was a p rofessor, from 1970 through 1999; some experiments he
the head of the Forest Science Department, and the established in Costa Rica are continuing to advance
director of the Institute of Renewable Natural our understanding of the connections between tree
Resources. Retirement from A&M freed Dick’s time species and soils. He served both the Soil Science
to dive into applied aspects of forest soils, which he Society of America (including chairing the Forest,
supported by working as the director of research Range and Wildland Soils Division) and the Society
and development for Temple‐Inland Forest Products of American Foresters (he was elected a Fellow of
Corporation in Dibol, Texas (1999–2006). the SAF). Dick authored and coauthored over 100
Dick’s career included a wide and deep set of refereed publications, co‐authored three editions of
contributions to his profession, students, and col- this book, and served as co‐editor‐in‐chief of the
leagues. He was an instructor in the Organization journal Forest Ecology and Management for 18 years.
Chapter 1
Soil Foundations
OVerVIeW limited when overstory trees were present. The
apparent inhibition of small trees by large trees
The forests of the world are shaped by the soils that extended too far away from the large trees for the
support them, and the soils are in turn shaped by the suppression to be about shading, and Aaltonen
trees. Soils change substantially across landscapes, in concluded that the key issue must be about compe­
response to changes in the parent materials in which tition for soil resources rather than for light
soils form, to differences in water flow, and the (Figure 1.1). If Aaltonen was right, then trenching
responses of plants and the rest of the ecosystem small plots to cut off competition for soil water and
biota. Differences in soils lead to large differences in nutrients with surrounding trees should stimulate
the species composition and growth rates of forests, the regenerating trees. This is exactly what hap­
largely mediated by the supply of water, nutrients, pened in tests around the world: removing below­
and sometimes oxygen in the soils. One of the most ground competition for water and nutrients leads
characteristic features of forest soils is the O horizon, to large increases in growth of understory plants
the commonly occurring uppermost soil layer com­ even when shaded by healthy overstory canopies.
posed of fresh litter, decaying litter, roots, and soil Competition for light is of course important for
organisms. The tapestry of our current understanding plants too, but the classic forestry idea of “shade
of forest soil comes from threads that reach far back tolerance” is often as much about soil resources as
into nineteenth century, with great detail added from about light (Coomes and Grubb 2000). Ancient
the advances of science in the twentieth century. The ideas about single resources limiting the growth of
broad variety of soils and forests across dimensions of trees need to be left in the past. The production of
space and time can be investigated with three stand­ most plants and ecosystems is limited by more than
ard questions: what’s up with this soil, how did it get one resource, and almost always limited by one or
that way, and what will it likely be in the future? more resources found in soils.
FOreSt SOILS here are DIFFereNt
eVerYthING IN FOreStS aND FrOM OVer there
FOreStrY CONNeCtS tO SOILS
Across Union County, South Carolina in the south­
A century ago, Aaltonen (1919) published a classic eastern United States, plantations of loblolly pine
assessment of Finnish forests, and he concluded differ in growth rates by more than twofold. About
that understory regeneration of pine trees was 15% of the land can grow less than 5 m3 ha−1 year−1
Ecology and Management of Forest Soils, Fifth Edition. Dan Binkley and Richard F. Fisher.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Published 2020 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
1