Conversion of Secondary Forests into Chestnut Forests Affects Soil Nutrients in Anji County, China

Shiyong Sun, Zebo Li, Rongjia Wang, Jianfeng Zhang, Chunxia Pan and Zeyu Cai
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Shiyong Sun: Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou 311400, China
Zebo Li: Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou 311400, China
Rongjia Wang: Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou 311400, China
Jianfeng Zhang: Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou 311400, China
Chunxia Pan: Anji Department of Forestry, Anji 313300, China
Zeyu Cai: Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou 311400, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-14

Abstract: The maintenance of drinking water safety is a major environmental issue. It is necessary to strengthen environmental protection in water source areas and establish good vegetation coverage. This study examined the effects of secondary forests transformation on chestnut forests on soil nutrient changes in the Fuji Reservoir, Anji County, Zhejiang province, China. Plots were set up in a chestnut plantation and a nearby secondary forest to measure the nutrient contents of soil samples that were collected from different soil depths. Differences of soil nutrient content from the two stands were significant at 0–20 cm soil depth. There were no significant differences in the contents of total phosphorus and total potassium between the two forests; however, the available phosphorus content in chestnut stands was 2.73 mg/kg higher than in secondary forests. Overall, the soil nutrient contents under chestnut stands were lower than those under secondary forests. Some of the soil surface is exposed due to the low diversity of the chestnut forest. The soil nutrients in the chestnut forest are usually carried and transferred in soil particle form and they become dissolved in the runoff during rainfall and lost, which explains the lower soil nutrient contents in the chestnut forest than the secondary forest. Therefore, for economic forests, such as chestnut forests, measures should be taken to protect understory vegetation and enhance soil and water conservation capacity, which is conducive to retaining soil nutrients.

Keywords: soil nutrient; chestnut stands; secondary forests; water source (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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