Abstract
The role of tree uprooting in soil formation was studied in a natural forest in a Cambisol soil zone on both the fine pit-mound spatial scale and on the coarse forest ecosystem scale. The effect of a lack of pit-mound dynamics in managed forests was also assessed.
Properties of pit-mounds were studied in a 10.8 ha plot. From a total of 1562 pit-mounds, a representative sample of 51 was chosen for dendrochronological dating.
Ages were determined to be between 9 and 191 years. The development of soils was studied for 14 pit-mounds of all ages.
A total of 210 samples were taken from microsites at mounds, pits, and currently non-disturbed ground, from the depths 0–10, 15, 30, 50 and 100 cm. In addition, samples were taken from 9 profiles in managed forests in which tree uprooting dynamics have been prevented for at least 200 years (45 samples).
Each sample was analyzed for 38 chemical and physical soil characteristics.