Effects of clear-felling on soil nutrient pools and nitrogen mineralization and nitrification in Tiantong, Zhejiang Province

Revealing the effects of forest clear-felling frequencies on soil nutrient pools and nitrogen transformation is important for understanding the response of nutrient cycling to clear-felling. In this study, three pairs of control and clear-felling (at different frequencies) communities were selected in evergreen broad-leaved forests in Tiantong, Zhejiang Province, to study the influence of clear felling on soil organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus pools, as well as soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrification. The results showed that repeated clear felling significantly lowered the stocks of soil total nitrogen and organic carbon (P<0. 05), while significantly increased soil phosphorus, ammonium and nitrate contents, and soil bulk density (P <0. 05). Repeated clear felling did not cause significant changes in soil nitrogen mineralization and ammonification rates (P>0. 05), but significantly increased the soil nitrogen nitrification rate (P<0. 05).