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VARIATION IN SOIL CARBON CONCENTRATION AMONG FOREST MANAGEMENT TREATMENTS

Abstract

Soil carbon storage is a crucial component of carbon cycling, playing a vital role in regulating atmospheric greenhouse gases and influencing climate. Forest management practices can affect soil carbon storage, and evaluating these practices helps identify those that best promote sequestration. Our study examined soil organic carbon (SOC) in Bartram Forest in Milledgeville, GA (two managed pine sites and one unmanaged hardwood site) and compared it to SOC from an unmanaged pine stand at Andalusia Farm, also in Milledgeville. We predicted that older stands and less intensive interventions would favor SOC accumulation due to increased biomass and reduced disturbance. One hundred twenty soil samples were taken at Bartram (20 per site, separated into 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm) and analyzed for percent SOC (%OC) using the loss-on-ignition method, which measures weight difference between oven-dried (105℃) and ashed samples (360℃). Soil texture for combined depths was determined using the hydrometer method. Data for Andalusia Farm were collected during a previous SOC study and focused on the top 15 cm with 15 samples. One-way ANOVA results showed the unmanaged hardwood site had significantly higher %OC than managed sites (P = 0.007 and P < 0.001) in the top 15 cm at Bartram. However, while %OC in hardwoods exceeded that of Andalusia pine, it was not statistically significant. In the bottom 15 cm, the more recently disturbed site had significantly lower %OC than the older pine and hardwood sites. Texture results showed significantly higher %silt in hardwoods than pine sites, which had significantly higher %sand. These findings highlight that management intensity and stand age significantly influence soil carbon storage, with less disturbed and older stands tending to retain more SOC.

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