Soil Natural Recovery Process and Fagus orientalis Lipsky Seedling Growth after Timber Extraction by Wheeled Skidder

Farzam Tavankar, Rodolfo Picchio, Mehrdad Nikooy, Meghdad Jourgholami, Ramin Naghdi, Francesco Latterini and Rachele Venanzi
Additional contact information
Farzam Tavankar: Department of Forestry, Khalkhal Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khalkhal 56817-31367, Iran
Rodolfo Picchio: Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, Tuscia University, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Mehrdad Nikooy: Forestry Department, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara 41996-13776, Iran
Meghdad Jourgholami: Department of Forestry and Forest Economics, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Tehran 14174-66191, Iran
Ramin Naghdi: Forestry Department, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara 41996-13776, Iran
Francesco Latterini: CREA Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Research Centre for Engineering and Agro-Food Processing, Via della Pascolare, 16, 00015 Rome, Italy
Rachele Venanzi: Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, Tuscia University, 01100 Viterbo, Italy

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: The growth and quality of natural seedlings are important goals of forest management in uneven-aged high stands. In this study, the recovery process of the physical and chemical properties of soil, as well as growth variables of beech seedlings on the skid trails after skidding operations in three time periods (10, 20, and 30 years) were investigated in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran. Results revealed that the soil chemical properties (organic C, total N, and pH) were fully recovered after 20 years, while soil physical properties (bulk density, porosity, and penetration resistance) were not yet fully recovered even after 30 years. The values of growth characteristics (stem and root system) and the quality index of beech seedlings were not statistically different from those of the control area ones after 20 years. According to our findings, the process of recovering soil characteristics after forest operations is long and takes more than 30 years. Considering the effect that soil compaction can have on seedling establishment and growth, proper planning of the forest operation is needed to limit the negative effects of forest operations, which meets the requirements of sustainable forest management. We suggest designing skid trails with a minimum distance of 140 m from each other and with a longitudinal slope of less than 15%, in compliance with the principles of best management practice (BMP).

Keywords: skidding; soil compaction; root growth; seedling quality; beech seedling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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