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IMPACTS OF FOREST HARVEST REMOVAL AND FERTILIZER ADDITIONS ON

END-OF-ROTATION BIOMASS, CARBON AND NUTRIENT STOCKS OF PINUS
RADIATA.

By way of INTRODUCTION
The importance of forest soils for timber and fiber production in intensively managed forests is
well recognized. Soil fertility is sensitive to biomass removal at harvest time and can negatively
influence future site productivity.
In New Zealand, planted forests are dominated by Pinus radiata (90% of the planted area),
which is normally grown on a twenty-six year rotation and an average of twenty-nine years.
In New Zealand, a network of three LTSP Long Term Site Productivity trials was established
between nineteen eighty-six and nineteen ninety-one in (Woodhill, Tarawera, and Berwick). to
assess the effects of nutrient removal associated with intensive harvesting on soil fertility and
tree productivity of planted P. radiata forests at the end of the rotation.
The objectives of this paper are to use end-of-rotation data from these three sites to First) test
whether stand productivity declines with increasing biomass harvest intensity and forest floor
removal, and whether fertilizer additions can mitigate these losses, Second) test whether soil
carbon and nutrient stocks at the end of the rotation are reduced with intensive whole-tree (WT)
and whole-tree plus forest floor (FF) harvesting relative to log-only (SO) harvesting, and
whether fertilizer additions can mitigate these losses, and Third) examine and discuss the
implications of the research on stand productivity and ecosystem nutrient stock estimates.
Methods
2.1. Study site and trial design
The study was carried out using three experimental trials located in planted Pinus radiata forests
at Woodhill, Tarawera and Berwick in New Zealand (Table 1).

Variables such as latitude, longitude, temperature, precipitation, New Zealand soil classification, soil
taxonomy and other relevant data for each site as noted in the table. Tree biomass, understory
biomass, forest soil and mineral soil were sampled prior to harvesting the first stand as described in
Garrett et al. (2019).
A completely randomized split-plot block design was used, with three replicates at Woodhill
and four replicates at Tarawera and Berwick.
Residue removal treatments included whole-tree harvest plus forest floor removal (FF) at
Woodhill and Tarawera, whole-tree harvest (WT) and stem-only harvest (SO) at all sites. An
additional double cutting (DS) treatment, involving SO stem-only harvest plus double addition
of harvest residues, was conducted at Woodhill. Forest floor removal (FF treatment) and then
planting of test trees occurred within two to three months after harvest.
Each main plot was divided into treatments with fertilizer (F) and without fertilizer (NF).
Fertilizer was applied to each subplot according to treatment to maintain a surplus supply of
nutrients for the tree crop, with emphasis on nitrogen. Table two shows the cumulative amount
and timing of nutrient additions and the types of fertilizers used.

The table on the screen shows the cumulative amount and timing of nutrient additions and types
of fertilizer used in kg per ha for the three productivity experiments in the second rotation at
each of the sites. For example, Berwick had one application of N at age one, followed by six
monthly applications of fifty kg N ha until age six, then one hundred kg N ha until age eight,
and a single application of P, B, Mg at age three.
2.2. Measurements at the end of the second rotation and sample collection
Samples of forest soil, mineral soil and plant material were taken at the three sites to determine
biomass.
The final tree growth measurement occurred in April two thousand thirteen (age twenty-seven
years) at Woodhill, May-June 2015 (age twenty-six years) at Tarawera and June two thousand
seventeen (age twenty-six years) at Berwick.
2.2.1 Tree growth and aboveground biomass
Tree growth measurements included the diameter at breast height (DBH: m1.4) of each tree and
the height of every third tree. These measurements were used to calculate stand basal area, mean
maximum height and population per hectare.
Aboveground tree biomass of needles, live branches, dead branches, cones, stem wood and stem
bark was determined using standard biomass procedures previously developed for P. radiata.
The treatments selected for aboveground tree biomass were FF, WT and SO with and without
fertilizer addition.
The trunk diameter was measured on the bark at 2 m intervals along the trunk to the top of the
tree to determine the total stem volume.
Stem discs were sampled at 4 m intervals (50 mm thick) along the stem to the top of the tree to
determine wood density. In the three zones, two dead and two live sample branches were
randomly selected from each 3 m high zone, weighed fresh in the field and transported to the
laboratory for dry weight determination by component (branches/needles/cone).
All needles attached directly to the stem were collected for dry weight determination and
nutrient analysis. All cones were collected from the branches and stem and weighed fresh per
tree and transported to the laboratory for dry weight determination and nutrient analysis.
2.2.2 Forest floor and soil.
Leaf litter samples were taken from the forest floor (L; <10 cm diameter) and FH (Humic or
fermented) horizons. separately at six random points at Woodhill and Tarawera and at five
random points per subplot at Berwick.
Mineral soil samples for chemical analysis and bulk density were collected at 30 points per
subplot at the three sites at depths of (0 to 20203010,10 cm). Soil bulk density samples were
collected at two random points per subplot at the three sites at the same depths.
2.3 Sample preparation and analysis.
Samples of aboveground tree biomass components (trunk wood, trunk bark, roots, live and dead
branches, foliage, and cones) and forest floor (CWD; >10 cm diameter, L and FH) were oven-
dried at 70 ◦C to constant weight and chipped and ground to <2 mm prior to chemical analysis.
Live roots were removed from the FH horizon prior to oven drying.
All samples were analyzed for total carbon and total nitrogen by thermal combustion furnace
and for phosphorus and other elements (calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, aluminum,
boron, copper, iron, manganese, sulfur and zinc) by microwave-assisted dry digestion.
Mineral soil samples were air dried (<40 ◦C) and then sieved to retain mineral soil fractions <
two mm and > two mm. Soil bulk density samples (< two mm and mineral fractions > two mm)
were oven dried at 104 ◦C and weighed.
3. Results

At Woodhill, the most extreme crop removal (FF) treatment significantly (P < 0.05) reduced tree
basal area (48.9 m2 ha-1) compared to the WT (55.4 m2 ha-1) and SO (55.9 m2 ha-1)
treatments of crop residues without fertilizer addition.
Fertilizer addition produced a large and statistically significant (P < 0.001) increase in basal area
at Woodhill (NF = 53.7 m2 ha-1 and F = 62.8 m2 ha-1) and no significant (P < 0.05) impact on
growth at Tarawera or Berwick.
Time-change analysis of DBH for treatments without fertilizer addition at Woodhill revealed
that the FF treatment took three years longer (29 years) to reach a DBH of thirty-five cm than
the SO treatment (P < 0.05) at this site.
The addition of fertilizer at Woodhill also had a significant effect (P < 0.0.5), reducing the age at
which trees reached thirty-five cm DBH by three to five years.
Aboveground living biomass, forest soil, and soil carbon and nutrient stocks.
At the three sites measured, the removal of harvest residues (FF and WT) had no impact on
aboveground tree trunk wood and live biomass sum compared to the SO treatment for mass,
carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
Significant changes (P < 0.05) included decreased manganese and sulfur in stemwood in the
Tarawera FF treatment, decreased boron in stemwood, and increased sulfur in the Berwick FF
treatment compared to the SO treatment. Fertilizer addition significantly (P < 0.05) increased
Woodhill stem biomass, carbon, nitrogen, calcium, potassium and a decrease in inorganic
phosphorus. Fig. 1, Table 3.
The addition of harvest residues in Woodhill (DS) significantly (P < 0.05) increased forest floor
mass compared to the FF treatment.
Forest floor mass, carbon and nutrient stocks recovered from the FF harvest removal treatment
at both Woodhill and Tarawera and there were no significant differences (P < 0.05) between the
WT and SO treatments at all sites.
The addition of fertilizer significantly (P < 0.05) increased litter layer mass (LFH), resulting in
increased carbon and nitrogen at all sites.
Forest floor removal (FF) significantly (P < 0.05) reduced soil carbon stocks (0 - 10 and 0 - 30
cm) compared to WT and SO treatments at both Woodhill and Tarawera and significantly (P <
0.05) reduced soil nitrogen stocks compared to SO at Tarawera (Fig. 1 and Table 3). At
Woodhill, soil nitrogen reserves (0 - 10 and 0 - 30 cm) were significantly reduced by the FF
treatment compared to the WT treatment, but not by the SO treatment (Fig. 1).
Forest floor mass, carbon and nutrient stocks recovered from the FF harvest removal treatment
at the end of the second rotation at both Woodhill and Tarawera and there were no significant
differences (P < 0.05) between the WT and SO treatments at all sites.
The addition of harvest residues in Woodhill (DS) significantly (P < 0.05) increased forest floor
mass compared to FF treatment, and carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and zinc compared to FF and WT
treatment, and phosphorus and calcium compared to WT treatment.
Fertilizer addition increased soil carbon (0 to 30 cm) and nitrogen (0 to 10 and 0 to 30 cm)
stocks at Woodhill and Tarawera compared to treatments without fertilizer addition (Fig. 1 and
Table 3).
4. Debate

4.1. Response to crop residue and forest floor disposal.

Crop residue removal trials conducted by Achat et al. (2015a) indicate that removal of crop
residues and forest floor residues reduced standing tree growth by an average of three to seven
percent for up to three decades after harvest.
The results, obtained over a similar time period in this study fall outside this mid-range, as the
FF treatment produced no discernible effect at Tarawera, but did produce a 12% reduction in
basal area growth (with no effect on trunk volume) at Woodhill, while the WT treatment had no
impact at any of the three sites studied.
On this basis, we conclude that other forest ecosystem properties at our sites (e.g., water
limitations, large initial nutrient capitals) have had a greater degree of influence on forest
productivity, making the currently completed tree rotation insensitive to harvesting treatments,
with the exception of the FF treatment at Woodhill.
Where soil nutrient reserves are already high, e.g. Berwick Forest (Fig. 1), the proportion of
forest ecosystem nutrients exported will be low so that nutrient export at harvest would be
expected to have limited impact on forest productivity. However, where soil nutrient reserves
are low, as observed in Woodhill and Tarawera (Fig. 1), nutrient export in harvest residues and
on the forest floor could be expected to have a risk on tree productivity.
Nutrient removal in harvest residues and on the forest floor (FF treatment) has been shown to
negatively impact tree productivity only on nutrient deficient sites. Our results demonstrate a
decrease in productivity with the FF treatment at Woodhill, but no negative impact on
productivity at Tarawera. In addition, there was no productivity response with the DS treatment
at Woodhill compared to the SO or FF treatment.
Leaf litter (LFH), in particular, was responsible for the significant increase in forest floor carbon
and nitrogen stocks.
Fertilizer additions increased forest floor biomass at the end of the rotation and nutrient stocks at
all three sites, as well as mineral soil carbon and nitrogen stocks at Woodhill and Tarawera, but
not at Berwick (Table 3). However, these large experimental fertilizer additions did increase tree
productivity in all crop residue treatments
Although the large fertilizer additions were sufficient to overcome growth losses over the
duration of the rotation due to crop removal, the legacy effects of crop residue and forest floor
 removal on the soil were, however, evident at the end of the second rotation, with unknown
consequences for long-term nutrient supply.
CONCLUSIONS.

The persistent negative impacts of biomass and forest floor removal on soil fertility and productivity
of P. radiata at the Woodhill site indicated the sensitivity of low-nutrient sites to such disturbances,
and clearly indicate the need to implement management practices that maintain harvest residues in
these types of environments. While the other sites in this study were not affected by biomass and
forest floor removal in terms of productivity beyond two rotations, the cumulative impacts of
repeated harvest removals are uncertain.
severe harvest residue and forest floor removal treatments on soil carbon and nitrogen stocks suggest
that repeated nutrient removals of this magnitude should be avoided to preserve soil fertility and
long-term forest productivity.
The application of large experimental amounts of nitrogen fertilizer along with other nutrients
increased soil carbon and nitrogen stocks for the more severe treatment of crop residue and forest soil
removal.
These findings highlight the need for site-specific management to ensure long-term sustainable forest
productivity.