Soil CO₂ efflux in boreal forests : A comparison of burned and clear-cut areas

Sammanfattning

Organic matter in boreal soils make up a large part of the global carbon pool. When soils are disturbed, it is possible for carbon sinks to instead become emission sources due to changes in the balance of soil respiration. This study compares the heterotrophic microbial soil CO₂ emissions caused by clearcutting to those caused by wildfires through the measurement of 36 disturbed plots of different ages in boreal Sweden. The factors of disturbance type, time since disturbance as well as the interaction between them are analysed using ANCOVA, multiple linear interactions and a Welch two sample t-test. The study finds no significant difference between any of the measured factors when adjusting for time but does find possible evidence for disturbance type affecting heterotrophic soil CO₂ emissions when not adjusting for time.