Soil Nutrients, Aboveground Productivity and Vegetative Diversity After 10 Years of Experimental Acidification and Base Cation Depletion.

Soil acidification and base cation depletion are concerns for those wishing to manage central Appalachian hardwood forests sustainably.  In 1996 and 1997,  2 experiments were established in two forest types common in the central Appalachian hardwood forests, with the objective of examining how these important forests respond to depletion of nutrients such as calcium and magnesium.  Using a randomized block experimental design, treatment of the 0.2 ha plots has been consistent since study initiation, and include combinations of  1)whole-tree harvesting to remove above-ground nutrients; 2) fertilization to leach out base cations, and 3) liming to add back calcium and magnesium.  After 10 years of treatment, relatively few effects were detected in extractable soil nutrients,  total aboveground biomass, or species diversity, partly due to high spatial and temporal variability.  This research, which is affiliated with the Long Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) , will continue to monitor effects as the stands develop and as nutrient uptake and cycling changes over time.