Soil fertility and growth of Pinus patula Schiede ex Schltdl. & Cham. in two commercial forest plantations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29298/rmcf.v17i97.1667Keywords:
carbon stocks, carbon capture, tree density, soil fertility, allometric modeling, forest soilsAbstract
The productivity of commercial forest plantations largely depends on soil fertility and stand density. The objective of this study was to compare soil properties and their influence on tree growth, as well as to develop site-specific height–diameter models for two 18-year-old Pinus patula plantations. The tree variables that were measured included diameter at breast height and total height, and the basal area, tree biomass and tree carbon stock were calculated. Soil fertility was characterized through chemical analyses of the 0-30 cm soil layer. Fourteen height–diameter models were fitted. Trees in Plantation A reached greater height, whereas those in Plantation B exhibited larger diameter, basal area, and carbon stock per tree. However, aboveground carbon stocks at the stand level were similar (75.6 Mg ha-1 in A and 73.7 Mg ha-1 in B). Soil in Plantation B contained higher levels of SOM, N, Ca, Mg, and greater CEC, which was reflected in higher SOC storage. The height-diameter models showed relatively low coefficients of determination (R2=0.25-0.34); however, model MT1 achieved the best overall fit and normally distributed residuals. In conclusion, soil fertility and stand density were key factors determining productivity and carbon storage. Nevertheless, additional variables should be incorporated into height-diameter modeling to improve their predictive accuracy at the local scale.
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