Graduation Date
Fall 2016
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Natural Resources, option Forestry, Watershed, & Wildland Sciences
Committee Chair Name
Susan Edinger Marshall
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Deborah Page-Dumroese
Second Committee Member Affiliation
Community Member or Outside Professional
Third Committee Member Name
Rosemary Sherriff
Third Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Fourth Committee Member Name
Lucy Kerhoulas
Fourth Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Keywords
Forestry, Forest soils, Soil organic mater, Soil carbon
Abstract
Soil carbon (C) affects the active gases in the atmosphere, nutrient cycling, and diversity of flora and fauna. Soil organic matter (SOM) is partially comprised of C, and a widely-accepted ratio of 0.58 organic carbon (OC) to organic matter (OM) is used to measure soil C on a landscape scale. However, this ratio varies according to vegetation, depth, hydrology, and may lead to miscalculations of soil C and SOM estimates. Soil C and SOM are inherently complex and it is not completely understood which environmental factors have the most influence in their formation, which occurs on a time scale of decades to thousands of years. In order to accurately assess soil C and SOM on an appropriate time scale, baseline studies of inventory and investigations of relationships with environmental factors are needed.
Soils from two trenches at the L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm (LWSDTF) were sampled for SOM and SOC. The east trench was trench located at the toe slope in a position of accumulation and the west trench was located at the edge of a convex shoulder. This study investigated the amount of SOM and SOC currently present at LWSDTF using site specific OC:OM ratios, and analyzed the relationships between SOM and depth, bulk density, roots, and distance from tree bole.
I found a negative correlation of SOM with depth and bulk density, and a positive correlation between SOM and root abundance. I found large variability with SOC and SOM estimates with different sampling methods, and it is possible that the variability in SOM attributed to land use is smaller than the variability in SOM attributable to bulk density measurements. Soil organic matter increased with distance from tree bole, but this relationship is confounded by a forested setting and is not thought to accurately reflect ecological processes. The baseline inventory of SOM was 670 Mg OM ha-1 from east trench data and 490 Mg OM ha-1 from west trench data. The baseline inventory of SOC was 322 Mg C ha-1 from east trench data, and 200 Mg C ha-1 from west trench data using site specific ratios. These numbers represent a large potential C storage at the LWSDTF, and these findings may be used in future studies to inform future land management decisions.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Ernest, Hollie A., "Soil organic matter distribution in a Douglas-Fir-Tanoak Forest, Humboldt County, California" (2016). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 18.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/18
Included in
Forest Biology Commons, Other Forestry and Forest Sciences Commons, Soil Science Commons
Comments
this is a RESUBMISSION, with format corrections made. PLEASE email me to make sure you got this as a resubmission.