276-5 Influence of Thinning On Carbon Storage In Soil and Forest Floor of Quercus Spp. Stands In Gangwon Province, Korea.



Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Henry Gonzalez Convention Center, Hall C, Street Level

Suin Ko1, Yowhan Son1, Nam Jin Noh1, Sue Kyoung Lee1, Haegeun Chung1, Choonsig Kim2, A-Ram Yang3, Sang-Won Bae4, Sang-Tae Lee4 and Jaehong Hwang3, (1)Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
(2)Department of Forest Resources, Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology, Jinju, South Korea
(3)Division of Forest Tree Improvement, Korea Forest Research Institute, Suwon, South Korea
(4)Forest Practice Research Center, Korea Forest Research Institute, Pocheon, South Korea
The goal of our study was to investigate the effects of thinning intensities on carbon (C) storage of soil and forest floor in Quercus spp. stands of Gangwon Province, Korea. Two study stands were located in Yangyang, Gangwon Province (stand I: 45-year-old, stand II: 50-year-old) and these stands were thinned in 2010. Each stand had three plots with different thinning intensities based on stand density: stand I (no thinning, Ct: 0%, light thinning, L: 4%, heavy thinning, H: 25%), stand II (no thinning, Ct: 0%, light thinning, L: 15%, heavy thinning, H: 35%). We measured the C storage of soil at 0-50 cm depth and that of forest floor in 2010. C storages of soil and forest floor were not significantly different among plots with three thinning intensities in stand I (Ct: 53.4 Mg C ha-1, L: 66.4 Mg C ha-1, H: 44.9 Mg C ha-1). On the other hand, forest floor C storage in H plot (6.9 Mg C ha-1) was higher than that in Ct plot (4.5 Mg C ha-1). In stand II, C storages of soil and forest floor in thinned plots (L: 85.6 Mg C ha-1, H: 74.6 Mg C ha-1) were higher than those in Ct plot (58.7 Mg C ha-1). Initial effects of thinning intensities on C storage were analyzed as a part of ten-year study, and we expect to determine thinning intensity that can optimize C storage of soil and forest floor by long-term monitoring of changes in C storage at this experimental site.
See more from this Division: S07 Forest, Range & Wildland Soils
See more from this Session: Management Effects In Forest Range and Wildland Soils: II