Changes in soil’s chemical and biochemical properties induced by road geometry in the hyrcanian temperate forests

Saeid Rahbarisisakht; Mohammad Hadi Moayeri; Elyas Hayati; Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi; Sebastian Kepfer-Rojas; Mohammad Hadi Pahlavani; Inger Kappel Schmidt; Stelian Alexandru Borz

doi:10.3390/f12121805

Changes in soil’s chemical and biochemical properties induced by road geometry in the hyrcanian temperate forests

Saeid Rahbarisisakht^*, Mohammad Hadi Moayeri, Elyas Hayati, Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi, Sebastian Kepfer-Rojas, Mohammad Hadi Pahlavani, Inger Kappel Schmidt, Stelian Alexandru Borz

^*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

13 Citationer (Scopus)

19 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Forest roads play an important role in providing access to forest resources. However, they can significantly impact the adjacent soil and vegetation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of road geometry (RG) on the chemical and biochemical properties of adjacent soils to assist in environmentally friendly forest road planning in mountainous areas. Litter layer, canopy cover, soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, total nitrogen (TN), the activity of dehydrogenase (DHA), and urease (UA) enzymes at a 0–20 cm soil depth were measured by sampling at various distances from the road edge to 100 m into the forest interior. The measurements were done for three road geometries (RG), namely straight, curved, and bent roads, to ensure data heterogeneity and to reflect the main geometric features of the forest roads. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the effects of RG on the measured variables were statistically significant. Spearman’s correlation test clearly showed a strong positive correlation between environmental conditions, SOC, TN, DHA, and UA for given RGs. Based on piecewise linear regression analysis, the down slope direction of the straight and the inside direction of bent roads accounted for the lowest and highest ranges of ecological effects, respectively. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the environmental effects brought about by road geometry, which can be important for forest road managers when applying the best management practices.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Artikelnummer	1805
Tidsskrift	Forests
Vol/bind	12
Udgave nummer	12
ISSN	1999-4907
DOI	https://doi.org/10.3390/f12121805
Status	Udgivet - 2021

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
Funding: This research received no external funding and the APC was funded by the Department of Forest Engineering, Forest Management Planning and Terrestrial Measurements, Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov.

Funding Information:
Acknowledgments: This work was partially supported by the Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the University of Copenhagen. 12 of 15

Funding Information:
Acknowledgments: This work was partially supported by the Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the University of Copenhagen.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

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10.3390/f12121805Licens: CC BY

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Citationsformater

Changes in soil’s chemical and biochemical properties induced by road geometry in the hyrcanian temperate forests. / Rahbarisisakht, Saeid; Moayeri, Mohammad Hadi; Hayati, Elyas; Sadeghi, Seyed Mohammad Moein; Kepfer-Rojas, Sebastian; Pahlavani, Mohammad Hadi; Schmidt, Inger Kappel; Borz, Stelian Alexandru.

I: Forests, Bind 12, Nr. 12, 1805, 2021.

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

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AB - Forest roads play an important role in providing access to forest resources. However, they can significantly impact the adjacent soil and vegetation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of road geometry (RG) on the chemical and biochemical properties of adjacent soils to assist in environmentally friendly forest road planning in mountainous areas. Litter layer, canopy cover, soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, total nitrogen (TN), the activity of dehydrogenase (DHA), and urease (UA) enzymes at a 0–20 cm soil depth were measured by sampling at various distances from the road edge to 100 m into the forest interior. The measurements were done for three road geometries (RG), namely straight, curved, and bent roads, to ensure data heterogeneity and to reflect the main geometric features of the forest roads. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the effects of RG on the measured variables were statistically significant. Spearman’s correlation test clearly showed a strong positive correlation between environmental conditions, SOC, TN, DHA, and UA for given RGs. Based on piecewise linear regression analysis, the down slope direction of the straight and the inside direction of bent roads accounted for the lowest and highest ranges of ecological effects, respectively. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the environmental effects brought about by road geometry, which can be important for forest road managers when applying the best management practices.

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