Date of Award
2019
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Forest Science (PhD)
Administrative Home Department
College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Advisor 1
Evan Kane
Advisor 2
Dustin Bronson
Committee Member 1
Randall Kolka
Committee Member 2
Ann Maclean
Committee Member 3
Stanley Vitton
Abstract
The whole-tree harvest of an oak forest showed significant decreases to total nitrogen and potassium pools, and the calcium pool showed weaker evidence for significant declines in comparison to the stem-only harvest. Simulated whole-tree harvests in aspen decreased the total number of rotations by a full rotation on nutrient-poor outwash soils (Entic Haplorthods and Typic Udipsamments) by depleting the potassium, calcium, and magnesium pools in 180 years from whole-tree harvest in comparison to 225 years in the stem-only harvest. Nitrogen and phosphorus harvest removals did not compose a large percentage of ecosystem pools. Since harvest removals for some elements exceed the inputs at the current rotation length, inputs to the system should be increased if sustained yields at the current volumes are desired. In comparison to the ecosystem nutrient pools observed in this study, there is textural and management history variation across the landscape that could result in different ecosystem nutrient pool sizes located on the outwash soils.
Soil complexes (Alfic Haplorthods-Entic Haplorthods/Typic Udipsamments) have differing soil properties and are currently partially restricted at the estimated composition of the complex. Habitat type provides a tool to distinguish between the soil types within the soil complexes. Relative elevation in the form of the deviation from mean elevation (DEV) combined with the moisture stress index (MSI) provide a framework to estimate the soil types remotely. DEV performed best for mapping the landforms at the 1300-meter radius with 10-meter digital elevation models. Landform mapping in the water-worked glacial till context will misclassify coarser textured soils incorporated into the moraine and erosion from the finer textured soils of the moraine to the lower outwash regions. Habitat type will detect the coarser textured soils, and MSI will identify the cases of erosion where trees reside on finer soil textures. The National Cooperative Soil Survey pedon database allowed for the detection of differences in coarse silt between Entic Haplorthods and Typic Udipsamments.
Recommended Citation
Richard, Robert, "HARVEST INTENSITY AND DELINEATION OF OUTWASH SOILS IN WISCONSIN", Open Access Dissertation, Michigan Technological University, 2019.