Effects of boreal tree species on soil fertility, litter quality, and decomposition in Lapland, Finland: A case study of Kivalo area

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Jihwi Jang, New Zealand School of Forestry, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand and Heljä-Sisko Helmisaari, Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Background/Question/Methods
Tree litterfall is one of the major fluxes of forest carbon, and soil nutrient inputs via litterfall are important for maintaining soil nutrient availability in forest ecosystems. This study aimed to investigate the biogeochemical soil properties, litterfall accumulation, and belowground carbon input via needles and leaves under three different tree species (Betula pendula Roth., Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Pinus sylvestris (L.)) growing on originally same soil (glacial till soil) in the boreal forest on the marginal soils in Kivalo region (66° 20 ́N, 26° 40 ́E), Lapland (Arctic circle) of Finland.
We explored seasonal and annual patterns of litterfall, carbon, and nitrogen cycling in these three tree species. The measurements used in this experiment were litterfall production during the period between 1999 and 2002 using four litter collectors per plot (total nine plots), measuring every month (Ø=0.78 m; H=1.5m).
Results/Conclusions
Total litter production (sample dry weight: 24h, 70°C) among different three tree species was not significantly different though Picea abies had the highest litterfall values. Litter production per tree parts was the highest in brown leaves, followed by bark. Leaf nitrogen concentration in B.pendula was the highest by a significant margin among the three different tree species, whereas that in the P. sylvestris was lowest (p ≤ 0.05). Leaf carbon concentration in all tree litters had similar values, and they all fell roughly 50%. Moreover, it was confirmed that the leaf litter production of three species had a significant correlation with total litter production. These results provide a better understanding of nutrient cycling of main tree species of barren boreal forests located in the Arctic circle area and can be good references to investigate forest biogeochemistry and boreal forestry in future climate change projection scenarios.