Beskydy 2015, 8, 79-90
Evaluation of chemical properties of througfall, forest floor and seepage water in Spruce and Beech stands in the Highlands area of the Czech Republic
The objective of the transformation of spruce monocultures to close-to-nature forests is to create natural relationships between the species composition and the soil environment in a forest ecosystem. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the input of chemical substances via precipitation into forest floor, chemical properties of the forest floor with a view to the aluminum (Al), and the output of chemical substances via seepage water from the forest floor to the soil profile in an unmixed, 30 to 40-year old beech and spruce stand during the time period of 2004 through 2008. The study was carried out in the Rájec-Němčice field research station of the Deparment of Forest Ecology, Mendel University in Brno. The station is located in the Drahanská vrchovina Upland (on the eastern edge of the Bohemian Massif) in the Czech Republic. The aim of the study was to evaluate (i) the concentration and deposition of BC substances (= Ca, Mg, K), N (= NO3-, NH4+), pH, conductivity of throughfall, (ii) concentration and reserves of substances (Altot, BC, N), pH, C/N, Ca/Al ratio, BC/Al ratio, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and base saturation (BS) in the forest floor, (iii) concentration, pH, conductivity, output of substances (Al, BC, N) in seepage water from the forest floor to the soil profile. The results obtained demonstrate significant differences between spruce and beech stands. The values of determined characteristics show better conditions in the beech stand, eg: pH = 5,6; Al = 0,02 [mmol. l-1]; BC/Al = 8,3 in seepage waters. In the spruce stand: pH = 5,0; Al = 0,01 [mmol. l-1]; BC/Al = 11,4. Based on the results obtained, it is possible to notice effects of the stand species on the condition of the forest floor and its development. These effects were less favorable for the 34-year old spruce monoculture aged as compared to the 40-year old the beech monoculture (for the latter we found some positive, soil-improving effects) grown over a time period of two generations of unmixed spruce stands.
Keywords
aluminum, forest floor, tree species composition, Drahanská vrchovina Upland, Czech Republic.
Funding
The paper is supported by the CR Ministry of Education research project COST LD14018 “Sustainable management of mixed forests in highland areas“ and COST Action FP1206 European Mixed Forests: Integrating Scientific Knowledge in Sustainable Forest Management (EuMIXFOR).
