A Potential Solution to Mitigate Phosphorus Release Following Clearfelling in Peatland Forest Catchments

Water Air Soil Pollut (2011) 221:111 DOI 10.1007/s11270-011-0764-2

A Potential Solution to Mitigate Phosphorus Release Following Clearfelling in Peatland Forest Catchments

Connie ODriscoll & Michael Rodgers &

Mark OConnor & Zaki-ul-Zaman Asam &

Elvira de Eyto & Russell Poole & Liwen Xiao

Received: 19 October 2010 /Accepted: 26 January 2011 /Published online: 16 February 2011 # Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011

Abstract Since the 1950s, large areas of upland peat have been afforested in northern European countries. Due to the poor phosphorus (P) adsorption capacity and low hydraulic permeability in blanket peat soil and increased labile P sources, harvesting these blanket peat forests can significantly increase P concentrations in the receiving aquatic systems. This paper briefly reviews the current management practices on the control of P releases from forestry in Ireland and the UK, and proposes a possible novel practicegrass seeding clearfelled areas immediately after harvesting, which should reduce P release from blanket peat forest harvesting. The study was conducted in the Burrishoole Catchment in the west of Ireland. A field trial was carried out to identify the successful native grass species that could grow quickly in the blanket peat forest. The two successful grass speciesHolcus lanatus and Agrostis capillariswere sown in three blanket peat forest study plots with areas of 100, 360, and 660 m2 immediately after harvesting. Areas without grass seeding were used as controls. One year later, the P content in the aboveground vegetation biomass of the

three study plots were 2.83, 0.65, and 3.07 kg Pha1, respectively, which were significantly higher than the value of 0.02 kg Pha1 in the control areas. The water extractable phosphorus in the three study plots were8.44, 9.83, and 6.04 mg(kg dry soil)1, respectively, which were lower than the value of 25.72 mg(kg dry soil)1 in the control sites. The results indicate that grass seeding of the peatland immediately after harvesting can quickly immobilize significant amounts of P and warrants additional research as a new Best Management Practice following harvesting in the blanket peatland forest to mitigate P release.

Keywords P release . Blanket peat . Forest harvesting . Grass seeding . Holcus lanatus . Agrostis capillaris

1 Introduction

Forest harvesting disrupts the phosphorus (P) cycle of forest ecosystems and increases labile P sources in the...