Effects of Drainage on Carbon Stock in Hemiboreal Forests: Insights from a 54-Year Study

Stefānija Dubra, Valters Samariks, Ieva Līcīte, Aldis Butlers, Dana Purviņa, Ainārs Lupiķis and Āris Jansons ()
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Stefānija Dubra: Latvian State Forest Research Institute ‘Silava’, Rigas 111, LV-2169 Salaspils, Latvia
Valters Samariks: Latvian State Forest Research Institute ‘Silava’, Rigas 111, LV-2169 Salaspils, Latvia
Ieva Līcīte: Latvian State Forest Research Institute ‘Silava’, Rigas 111, LV-2169 Salaspils, Latvia
Aldis Butlers: Latvian State Forest Research Institute ‘Silava’, Rigas 111, LV-2169 Salaspils, Latvia
Dana Purviņa: Latvian State Forest Research Institute ‘Silava’, Rigas 111, LV-2169 Salaspils, Latvia
Ainārs Lupiķis: Latvian State Forest Research Institute ‘Silava’, Rigas 111, LV-2169 Salaspils, Latvia
Āris Jansons: Latvian State Forest Research Institute ‘Silava’, Rigas 111, LV-2169 Salaspils, Latvia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 24, 1-12

Abstract: In the Northern Hemisphere, forests play an important role in carbon storage. During the past few decades in the eastern Baltic and Nordic regions, forest drainage has been a common occurrence, which also has an effect on carbon stock. Most of the studies on this issue were carried out in boreal zones and were focused on short-term effects. Thus, our aim was to evaluate the long-term (after 54 years) effect of drainage on carbon stock (CS) changes in organic soil (Fibric histosols) in hemiboreal forests. Three forest types were selected in drained ( Myrtillosa turf. mel (Mmel)) and undrained ( Caricoso–phragmitosa (CP) and Sphagnosa (Sph)) parts of the same area. Surface level changes, soil penetration resistance, and soil and tree biomass carbon stock were assessed to evaluate the drainage effect. Drainage caused an average surface level drop of 25 cm, but did not deplete the soil carbon pool, resulting in significantly and substantially higher (2 to 6 times) tree biomass carbon stock. The drainage of organic soils in managed wet forests leads to an increased long-term contribution to climate change mitigation, thus such areas should be established or maintained in conjunction with areas that maximize other ecosystem services to ensure the sustainability of forest landscapes.

Keywords: carbon storage; climate change mitigation; drained forest; organic soil (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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