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Changes in soil carbon and nitrogen stocks after conversion of subtropical natural forest to loblolly pine plantations

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Abstract

Pinus plantations have increased in Brazil, and native forest areas have been converted for timber production. The clearing and the long-term loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) land-use effects on soil carbon and nitrogen stocks were evaluated in a natural broadleaved forest and in loblolly pine sites cultivated for 29, 35, 38 and 49 years, as well the soil contribution as ecosystem carbon pool. According to the exponential-decay model fitted to changes in carbon stock, the initial soil carbon stock of 200 Mg ha−1 to a depth of 100 cm in the natural forest decreased by 36% over 49 years of pine cultivation (around 72.4 Mg ha−1 of C). Around two-thirds of this decrease occurred in the top 30 cm of the soil and intensively in the first 12 years of cultivation, but slowly faded as carbon stock tended to reach a new steady state after approximately 49 years of cultivation. The soil nitrogen stock in the natural forest was 14.2 Mg ha−1 to a depth of 100 cm and decreased by 36% over the 49 years. This decrease was linear according to the fitted model, especially in the top 30 cm where nitrogen decline was 83% and was proportionally more intense than the carbon decline. Despite the soil carbon decrease, soil remained the largest carbon reservoir in the ecosystem for the growing rotation time of loblolly pine in this region.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development for their financial support (Edital Universal), Embrapa (Projeto Saltus) and scholarships; the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel for financial support; R. C. Brevilieri and P. L. Simon for technical support in field and laboratory; W. A. Holler for technical support for the map production.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciência Do Solo, Departamento de Solos E Engenharia Agrícola, Universidade Federal Do Paraná, Rua dos Funcionários 1540, Curitiba, PR, 80035-050, Brasil

    Mariana Alves Ibarr, Jeferson Dieckow, Ricardo Henrique Ribeiro & Bruna Ramalho

  2. Embrapa Florestas, Estrada da Ribeira km 111, Colombo, PR, 83411-000, Brasil

    Josiléia Acordi Zanatta, Marcos Fernando Glück Rachwal & Denise Jeton Cardoso

  3. Klabin S.A., Unidade Monte Alegre S/N°, Telêmaco Borba, PR, 84275-000, Brasil

    James Stahl

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  1. Mariana Alves Ibarr
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Correspondence to Mariana Alves Ibarr.

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Ibarr, M.A., Zanatta, J.A., Dieckow, J. et al. Changes in soil carbon and nitrogen stocks after conversion of subtropical natural forest to loblolly pine plantations. Eur J Forest Res 141, 31–42 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-021-01424-6

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