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Influence of soil thickness on stand characteristics in a Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest

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Abstract

Soil thickness can be an important factor influencing vegetation, yet few spatially-explicit studies have examined soil horizon thickness and vegetation composition in summer-drought forests. We compared seismic and soil penetration measurements of combined A + C and Cr horizon thickness, soil moisture and temperature, and stand variables in a contiguous 4-ha mixed-conifer stand of the Sierra Nevada. Thickness of A + C and Cr horizons were highly variable but were not correlated to each other. Total basal area and canopy cover were positively related with A + C horizon thickness, and shrub cover was positively related with Cr horizon thickness. Basal area of white fir [Abies concolor (Gord and Glend) Lindl.] and incense-cedar [Calocedrus decurrens (Torrey) Florin] were positively correlated with A + C horizon thickness, but there was no relationship between A + C or Cr horizon thickness and basal area of Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi Grev. and Balf.), sugar pine (P. lambertiana Douglas), or red fir (A. magnifica A. Murray). Both white and red fir seedlings were associated with decreased soil temperature, but only white fir seedlings were positively associated with soil moisture. Soil penetration estimates of soil thickness were similar to seismic estimates for shallow soils (<50 cm depth) but were poorly related on deeper soils. Visual surface conditions and tile probe estimates of soil thickness can be highly misleading because ‘shallow’ areas may have a thick layer of weathered bedrock that can serve as a potential rooting medium for deep-rooted trees and shrubs. In our study only the refraction seismic method had the potential to measure total soil depth that included A + C and Cr horizon thickness.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this project was provided by the Joint Fire Sciences Program (project #01-3-2-02) and the Sierra Nevada Research Center of United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. We thank Teakettle field crews from 2002–2003 for assisting in data collection, Siyan Ma for collection of soil temperature data, and Brian Oakley, Nathan Williamson, Jim Innes, and Matthew Hurteau for logistic support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sierra Nevada Research Center, Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 2121 Second Street, Suite A-101, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Marc D. Meyer & Malcolm P. North

  2. Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Malcolm P. North

  3. Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Andrew N. Gray & Harold S. J. Zald

  4. Department of Forest Science, Oregon State University, 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Harold S. J. Zald

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  1. Marc D. Meyer
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  2. Malcolm P. North
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  3. Andrew N. Gray
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  4. Harold S. J. Zald
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Correspondence to Marc D. Meyer.

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Meyer, M.D., North, M.P., Gray, A.N. et al. Influence of soil thickness on stand characteristics in a Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest. Plant Soil 294, 113–123 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9235-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9235-3

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