Logging Effects on Soil Organic Carbon and Hydraulic Property in North Appalachian Region of Ohio USA

Abstract

Forest soils play an important role in the global carbon cycle. Thus, documenting changes in carbon stocks and hydraulic property by logging are essential to sustainable management. However, information on logging in relation to soil organic carbon (SOC) stock is scarce and it can be site specific. Thus, the effects of logging on the SOC stock and hydraulic property were analyzed after logging at a site in the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed (NAEW) near Coshocton, Ohio, USA. The objectives of the study were to quantify the impacts of logging on SOC stock and hydraulic property. Results show that for the 0-30 cm soil depth, SOC stock after logging (61.5 Mg ha^-1) was 54.5% lower than that before logging (135.3 Mg ha^-1). Further, soil water retention at different potential was consistently higher before logging than that after logging. A plot of the hydraulic capacity vs. suction under natural forest differed significantly than that after logging at 0-10 cm soil depth. Thus, logging reduced SOC stock, and degraded hydraulic property of the surface layer.