Version 1
: Received: 5 December 2023 / Approved: 6 December 2023 / Online: 6 December 2023 (12:26:14 CET)
How to cite:
Muscolo, A.; Oliva, M.; Mallamaci, C.; Canino., F. Enhancing Forest Sustainability: A Comprehensive Exploration of Thinning Practices and their Effects on Soil Chemical and Biochemical Properties. Preprints2023, 2023120327. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0327.v1
Muscolo, A.; Oliva, M.; Mallamaci, C.; Canino., F. Enhancing Forest Sustainability: A Comprehensive Exploration of Thinning Practices and their Effects on Soil Chemical and Biochemical Properties. Preprints 2023, 2023120327. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0327.v1
Muscolo, A.; Oliva, M.; Mallamaci, C.; Canino., F. Enhancing Forest Sustainability: A Comprehensive Exploration of Thinning Practices and their Effects on Soil Chemical and Biochemical Properties. Preprints2023, 2023120327. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0327.v1
APA Style
Muscolo, A., Oliva, M., Mallamaci, C., & Canino., F. (2023). Enhancing Forest Sustainability: A Comprehensive Exploration of Thinning Practices and their Effects on Soil Chemical and Biochemical Properties. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0327.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Muscolo, A., Carmelo Mallamaci and Francesco Canino.. 2023 "Enhancing Forest Sustainability: A Comprehensive Exploration of Thinning Practices and their Effects on Soil Chemical and Biochemical Properties" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0327.v1
Abstract
The adoption of sustainable forest management practices emerged as a contemporary imperative for forest biodiversity preservation, functional integrity, and mitigation of climate change. Within the spectrum of these practices, thinning is recognized as an environmentally sustainable strategy. The primary objective of thinning is the equitable redistribution of aboveground growth, diverting resources from younger trees to promote the accelerated development of more valuable specimens compared to unthinned forests. Thinning, while fostering aboveground changes, induces substantial alterations in soil chemical and biochemical properties. This review addresses the often-debated consequences of thinning on soil characteristics, focusing on the intricate interplay involving different thinning intensities and their impact on soil chemical and biochemical parameters. Specifically, the analysis delves into the modulation of organic carbon levels, microbial biomass, and enzymes crucial to the organic matter cycle. Two key aspects are scrutinized: firstly, the influence of thinning intensity and the temporal dimension post-thinning on soil properties; secondly, the comparative impact of thinning intensity versus the time elapsed from the thinning event on soil properties and associated biological processes. The findings underscore pivotal insights: a) temporal dynamics significantly affect soil organic matter across broadleaved (excluding beech), coniferous, and mixed forests, manifesting as early as 2-7 years post-thinning; b) thinning intensity, up to a threshold of 50%, enhances soil quality by augmenting organic carbon content, bolstering microbial communities, and amplifying associated enzyme activities. This review consolidates valuable information for forest managers, providing guidance to optimize natural processes in tandem with achieving specific management objectives. By illuminating the nuanced interactions between thinning practices and soil dynamics, this knowledge equips stakeholders to make informed decisions in the pursuit of sustainable forest management and ecological resilience.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
