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Root strength and density decay after felling in a Silver Fir-Norway Spruce stand in the Italian Alps

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Abstract

Aims

Forests induce a mechanical reinforcement of soil, generally quantified in terms of additional root cohesion (c r ), which decreases due to root decay after felling. The aim of this work is providing new field data on soil reinforcement by roots after trees cutting.

Methods

The present work investigated c r decay in a mixed Silver Fir-Norway Spruce (Abies alba Mill. Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stand in the Italian Alps over a period of 3 years after felling by monitoring the two c r driving variables: root tensile resistance and root density.

Results

Results showed that a significant difference in root resistance occurred only 3 years after felling, whereas the decrease in the number of roots was significant in the second year. The degradation process was more rapid in shallower layers and for thinner roots, as a consequence of the pattern of biological activity rate. The reduction of c r after felling was, for a reference profile depth of 70 cm, 55 % in the first 2 years and another 16 % in the third year.

Conclusions

The findings of this study, providing new data on the decrease of c r after felling, can be introduced into geotechnical models allowing a better estimation of the stability of forest hillslopes.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Bruno Paternoster of Corpo Forestale dello Stato, Dr. Giulio Zanetti and Dr. Nives Ghidotti of Comunità Montana Val Brembana, for their precious information in selecting the study site. We also thank Prof. Gianfranco Minotta for his precious suggestion during forest survey and the three anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions.

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  1. Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 2, 20133, Milano, Italy

    C. Vergani, E. A. Chiaradia, C. Bassanelli & G. B. Bischetti

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  1. C. Vergani
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Correspondence to G. B. Bischetti.

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Vergani, C., Chiaradia, E.A., Bassanelli, C. et al. Root strength and density decay after felling in a Silver Fir-Norway Spruce stand in the Italian Alps. Plant Soil 377, 63–81 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1860-4

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