Scholarly record

SOIL CHARACTERISTICS IN NUTRIENT RICH SCOTS PINE (PINUS SYLVESTRIS L.) STANDS IN TERVETE NATURE PARK IN LATVIA

Aigars Indriksons, Inga Straupe, Ieva Erdberga, Anna Duvina

Abstract

The forests of south-western part of Zemgale Plain in Latvia are characterized by Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands on fertile, nutrient rich soils. The existing information about these sites suggests of the calcium carbonate rich loamy sand soils formed by moraine. The Scots pine stands in area of Tervete National Park reach age of 260 years. The oldest and biggest trees reach considerable dimensions – up to 70 cm in diameter and height of 47 m, thus exceeding the country's average indices. These are the oldest pine stands in Latvia and in Baltic countries still growing in nowadays. In addition to a long-term ground vegetation survey (1957, 2003, 2013, 2018) in July of 2020 there were soil description in 8 pine stands provided to get the information of most important soil parameters: genetic horizons, texture, percentage of clay content, soil structure, color, pH, carbonates, percentage of organic matter, sum of adsorbed bases, content of P2O5 mg kg-1 of soil. Soil type, including all necessary characteristics, was determined using the national and the World Reference Base systems. The results of soil analyses were compared to tree stand characteristics. The soil types Cambisol, Arenosol and Regosol were represented in researched stands. Although the content of calcium carbonates has been considered as a prerequisite of soil fertility, only the part of stands had the carbonates abundant in the soil horizons up to 80 cm. The admixture of common oak (Quercus robur L.) and other broadleaves in stand composition was not dependent of the carbonates content in the upper soil horizons.

Publication details

Back to publication list