Glen Murphy, Rod Brownlie, Mark Kimberley, Peter Beets. (2009). Impacts of forest harvesting related soil disturbance on end-of-rotation wood quality and quantity in a New Zealand radiata pine forest. Silva Fennica vol. 43 no. 1 article id 221. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.221

Keywords: Pinus radiata; harvesting; compaction; wood density; tree growth; stiffness; litter removal; nitrogen deficiency

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The long-term effect of soil disturbance (litter removal, topsoil removal and compaction) from forest harvesting on wood quality and quantity of second-rotation Pinus radiata growing on a clay loam soil, was assessed at the end the rotation, 26 years after planting. Relative to Control plots, average tree and stand total volume at rotation end was not significantly affected by litter removal and nil or light compaction, but was significantly reduced by 28% by litter and topsoil removal and moderate subsoil compaction, and further reduced by 38% by heavy compaction. Wood density at breast height in the inner rings of trees in the most disturbed treatments was elevated by up to 30 kg m^–3. This occurred because these treatments were more N deficient as reflected by foliar N levels during the first 11 years of growth relative to the Control. However, no treatment differences in wood density were evident in outer rings, and by rotation age overall mean density did not differ significantly between treatments. Neither acoustic velocity of standing trees, nor acoustic velocity of logs, was significantly affected by soil disturbance, indicating that stiffness of lumber cut from trees in the trial was likely to be similar for all treatments. Economic impacts of soil disturbance and compaction on this soil type will therefore result largely from the considerable negative impacts on final tree size, with little or no compensation from improved wood properties.

Murphy, Forest Engineering, Resources and Management Department, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA E-mail: glen.murphy@oregonstate.edu
Brownlie, Scion Research, Rotorua, New Zealand E-mail: rb@nn.nz
Kimberley, Scion Research, Rotorua, New Zealand E-mail: mk@nn.nz
Beets, Scion Research, Rotorua, New Zealand E-mail: pb@nn.nz

article id 416, category Research article

Glen Murphy, John G. Firth, Malcolm F. Skinner. (2004). Long-term impacts of forest harvesting related soil disturbance on log product yields and economic potential in a New Zealand forest. Silva Fennica vol. 38 no. 3 article id 416. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.416

Keywords: Pinus radiata; harvesting; compaction; tree growth; litter removal

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

The effect of soil disturbance (litter removal, topsoil removal and compaction) from forest harvesting on the productivity, log product yields and economic potential of second-rotation Pinus radiata growing on a clay loam soil, was assessed in a long-term trial 21 years after planting. The results are projected forward to the expected harvest age of 28 years. Relative to control plots, average tree volume at 21 years was reduced by 8% in the plots where the litter had been removed and the topsoil had been compacted, and by up to 42% in the plots where the topsoil had been removed and the subsoil compacted. The “degree of compaction” did not have a significant effect on average tree volume in the plots where litter had been removed but did have a significant effect where the topsoil had been removed. Per tree economic potential was reduced to a greater extent (up to 60% loss in value) than average tree volume was reduced. This was largely due to changes in log product yield distribution. Projecting tree growth forward to the end of the rotation at age 28 indicated that the impacts of soil disturbance on tree growth, economic potential and log product yields are likely to be similar in relative terms to those found at age 21.

Murphy, Forest Engineering Department, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA E-mail: glen.murphy@orst.edu
Firth, Forest Research, Sala Street, Rotorua, New Zealand E-mail: jgf@nn.nz
Skinner, Forest Research, Sala Street, Rotorua, New Zealand E-mail: mfs@nn.nz

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