Biochar increases tree biomass in a managed boreal forest, but does not alter N2O, CH4, and CO2 emissions
Abstract Biochar soil amendment may provide the forestry sector with a formidable tool to simultaneously sequester carbon (C) in the soil and aboveground by enhancing plant productivity, yet several key uncertainties remain. Crucially, empirical evidence of long‐term effects of biochar management on...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:952aa90bc3e547ea8ac6322637030bc7 2023-05-15T17:45:04+02:00 Biochar increases tree biomass in a managed boreal forest, but does not alter N2O, CH4, and CO2 emissions Roger Grau‐Andrés Melissa R. A. Pingree Mats G. Öquist David A. Wardle Marie‐Charlotte Nilsson Michael J. Gundale 2021-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12864 https://doaj.org/article/952aa90bc3e547ea8ac6322637030bc7 EN eng Wiley https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12864 https://doaj.org/toc/1757-1693 https://doaj.org/toc/1757-1707 1757-1707 1757-1693 doi:10.1111/gcbb.12864 https://doaj.org/article/952aa90bc3e547ea8ac6322637030bc7 GCB Bioenergy, Vol 13, Iss 8, Pp 1329-1342 (2021) carbon sequestration charcoal forest management greenhouse gas emission Pinus sylvestris plant community composition Renewable energy sources TJ807-830 Energy industries. Energy policy. Fuel trade HD9502-9502.5 article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12864 2022-12-31T06:29:27Z Abstract Biochar soil amendment may provide the forestry sector with a formidable tool to simultaneously sequester carbon (C) in the soil and aboveground by enhancing plant productivity, yet several key uncertainties remain. Crucially, empirical evidence of long‐term effects of biochar management on vegetation and on greenhouse gas emissions in forest ecosystems is scarce. Using a large field experiment in a young managed boreal forest in northern Sweden, we investigated the effects of biochar (applied either on the soil surface or mixed in the soil 8–9 years prior to this study) on supply rates of soil nutrients, on survival and growth of planted Pinus sylvestris, on community composition of the understory vegetation, and on forest floor fluxes of N2O, CH4, and CO2. We found that biochar promoted P. sylvestris survival only when biochar was applied on the soil surface. Conversely, biochar enhanced P. sylvestris growth overall, resulting in a 19% increase in C stored in biomass. Biochar also altered the composition of the understory vegetation, especially when mixed into the soil, and promoted a more resource‐conservative community (i.e., with more ericaceous shrubs and less graminoids and forbs). Meanwhile, supply rates of the main soil nutrients were largely unaffected by biochar. Finally, we found that biochar did not alter overall N2O and CO2 emissions and CH4 uptake from the forest floor. Our findings show that biochar amendment increased the net C input to the system, since, besides directly increasing soil C stocks, biochar enhanced biomass growth without increasing soil C losses. Therefore, our study suggests that biochar could potentially be used for emissions abatement in intensively managed boreal forests. Article in Journal/Newspaper Northern Sweden Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles GCB Bioenergy 13 8 1329 1342 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
carbon sequestration charcoal forest management greenhouse gas emission Pinus sylvestris plant community composition Renewable energy sources TJ807-830 Energy industries. Energy policy. Fuel trade HD9502-9502.5 |
spellingShingle |
carbon sequestration charcoal forest management greenhouse gas emission Pinus sylvestris plant community composition Renewable energy sources TJ807-830 Energy industries. Energy policy. Fuel trade HD9502-9502.5 Roger Grau‐Andrés Melissa R. A. Pingree Mats G. Öquist David A. Wardle Marie‐Charlotte Nilsson Michael J. Gundale Biochar increases tree biomass in a managed boreal forest, but does not alter N2O, CH4, and CO2 emissions |
topic_facet |
carbon sequestration charcoal forest management greenhouse gas emission Pinus sylvestris plant community composition Renewable energy sources TJ807-830 Energy industries. Energy policy. Fuel trade HD9502-9502.5 |
description |
Abstract Biochar soil amendment may provide the forestry sector with a formidable tool to simultaneously sequester carbon (C) in the soil and aboveground by enhancing plant productivity, yet several key uncertainties remain. Crucially, empirical evidence of long‐term effects of biochar management on vegetation and on greenhouse gas emissions in forest ecosystems is scarce. Using a large field experiment in a young managed boreal forest in northern Sweden, we investigated the effects of biochar (applied either on the soil surface or mixed in the soil 8–9 years prior to this study) on supply rates of soil nutrients, on survival and growth of planted Pinus sylvestris, on community composition of the understory vegetation, and on forest floor fluxes of N2O, CH4, and CO2. We found that biochar promoted P. sylvestris survival only when biochar was applied on the soil surface. Conversely, biochar enhanced P. sylvestris growth overall, resulting in a 19% increase in C stored in biomass. Biochar also altered the composition of the understory vegetation, especially when mixed into the soil, and promoted a more resource‐conservative community (i.e., with more ericaceous shrubs and less graminoids and forbs). Meanwhile, supply rates of the main soil nutrients were largely unaffected by biochar. Finally, we found that biochar did not alter overall N2O and CO2 emissions and CH4 uptake from the forest floor. Our findings show that biochar amendment increased the net C input to the system, since, besides directly increasing soil C stocks, biochar enhanced biomass growth without increasing soil C losses. Therefore, our study suggests that biochar could potentially be used for emissions abatement in intensively managed boreal forests. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Roger Grau‐Andrés Melissa R. A. Pingree Mats G. Öquist David A. Wardle Marie‐Charlotte Nilsson Michael J. Gundale |
author_facet |
Roger Grau‐Andrés Melissa R. A. Pingree Mats G. Öquist David A. Wardle Marie‐Charlotte Nilsson Michael J. Gundale |
author_sort |
Roger Grau‐Andrés |
title |
Biochar increases tree biomass in a managed boreal forest, but does not alter N2O, CH4, and CO2 emissions |
title_short |
Biochar increases tree biomass in a managed boreal forest, but does not alter N2O, CH4, and CO2 emissions |
title_full |
Biochar increases tree biomass in a managed boreal forest, but does not alter N2O, CH4, and CO2 emissions |
title_fullStr |
Biochar increases tree biomass in a managed boreal forest, but does not alter N2O, CH4, and CO2 emissions |
title_full_unstemmed |
Biochar increases tree biomass in a managed boreal forest, but does not alter N2O, CH4, and CO2 emissions |
title_sort |
biochar increases tree biomass in a managed boreal forest, but does not alter n2o, ch4, and co2 emissions |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12864 https://doaj.org/article/952aa90bc3e547ea8ac6322637030bc7 |
genre |
Northern Sweden |
genre_facet |
Northern Sweden |
op_source |
GCB Bioenergy, Vol 13, Iss 8, Pp 1329-1342 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12864 https://doaj.org/toc/1757-1693 https://doaj.org/toc/1757-1707 1757-1707 1757-1693 doi:10.1111/gcbb.12864 https://doaj.org/article/952aa90bc3e547ea8ac6322637030bc7 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12864 |
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GCB Bioenergy |
container_volume |
13 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
1329 |
op_container_end_page |
1342 |
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1766147814798131200 |