Changes in Soil Carbon Following Afforestation

Quantifying changes in soil C may be an important consideration under large-scale afforestation or reforestation. We reviewed global data on changes in soil C following afforestation, available from 43 published or unpublished studies, encompassing 204 sites. Data were highly variable, with soil C either increasing or decreasing, particularly in young (<10-yr) forest stands. Because studies varied in the number of years since forest establishment and the initial soil C content, we calculated change in soil C as a weighted average (i.e. sum of C change divided by sum of years since forest establishment) relative to the soil C content under previous agricultural systems at <10 cm, >10 cm and <30 cm sampling depths. On average, soil C in the <10 cm (or <30 cm) layers generally decreased by 3.46% yr-1 (or 0.63% yr-1) relative to the initial soil C content during the first five years of afforestation, followed by a decrease in the rate of decline and eventually recovery to C contents found in agricultural soils at about age 30. In plantations older than 30 years, C content was similar to that under the previous agricultural systems within the surface 10 cm of soil, yet at other sampling depths, soil C had increased by between 0.50 and 0.86% yr-1. Amounts of C lost or gained by soil are generally small compared with accumulation of C in tree biomass.

The most important factors affecting change in soil C were previous land use, climate and the type of forest established. Results suggest that most soil C was lost when softwoods, particularly Pinus radiata plantations, were established on ex-improved pastoral land in temperate regions. Accumulation of soil C was greatest when deciduous hardwoods, or N2-fixing species (either as an understorey or as a plantation), were established on ex-cropped land in tropical or subtropical regions. Long-term management regimes (e.g. stocking, weed control, thinning, fertilizer application and fire management) may also influence accumulation of soil C. Accumulation is maximised by maintaining longer (20-50 year) forest rotations. Furthermore, inclusion of litter in calculations reversed the observed average decrease in soil C, so that amount of C in soil and litter layer was greater than under preceding pasture.

For related work, see:

Polglase et al. 2000. Change in Soil Carbon Following Afforestation or Reforestation. National Carbon Accounting System Technical Report No. 20, Australian Greenhouse Office (http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/ncas/reports/tr20final.html).

Paul et al. 2003. Predicted change in soil carbon following afforestation or reforestation, and analysis of controlling factors by linking a C accounting model (CAMFor) to models of forest growth (3PG), litter decompoistion (GENDEC) and soil C turnover (RothC) Forest Ecology and Management 177:485-501.

Paul et al. 2003. Sensitivity analysis of predicted change in soil carbon following afforestation Ecological Modelling 164:137-152.