Soil Nitrogen Conditions Approach Preinvasion Levels following Restoration of Nitrogen-Fixing Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) Stands in a Pine–Oak Ecosystem

Restoring native plant communities on sites formerly occupied by invasive nitrogen‐fixing species poses unique problems due to elevated soil nitrogen availability. Mitigation practices that reduce available nitrogen may ameliorate this problem. We evaluated the effects of tree removal followed by soil preparation or mulching on native plant growth and soil nitrogen transformations in a pine–oak system formerly occupied by exotic nitrogen‐fixing Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) trees. Greenhouse growth experiments with native grasses, Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans, showed elevated relative growth rates in soils from Black locust compared with pine–oak stands. Field soil nutrient concentrations and rates of net nitrification and total net N‐mineralization were compared 2 and 4 years since Black locust removal and in control sites. Although soil nitrogen concentrations and total net N‐mineralization rates in the restored sites were reduced to levels that were similar to paired pine–oak stands after only 2 years, net nitrification rates remained 3–34 times higher in the restored sites. Other nutrient ion concentrations (Ca, Mg) and organic matter content were reduced, whereas phosphorus levels remained elevated in restored sites. Thus, 2–4 years following Black locust tree removal and soil horizon mixing achieved through site preparation, the concentrations of many soil nutrients returned to preinvasion levels. However, net nitrification rates remained elevated; cover cropping or carbon addition during restoration of sites invaded by nitrogen fixers could increase nitrogen immobilization and/or reduce nitrate availability, making sites more amenable to native plant establishment.     

Seed depredation negates the benefits of midstory hardwood removal on longleaf pine seedling establishment

Midstory hardwoods are traditionally removed to restore longleaf pine on fire‐excluded savannas. However, recent evidence demonstrating midstory hardwood facilitation on longleaf pine seedling survival has brought this practice into question on xeric sites. Also, midstory hardwoods could facilitate longleaf pine seedling establishment, as hardwood litter may conceal seeds from seed predators or improve micro‐environmental conditions for seedling establishment. However, little is known about these potential mechanisms. In this study, we tracked longleaf pine seed depredation and germination in artificially seeded plots (11 seeds/m²) in a factorial design fully crossing hardwood retention or removal with vertebrate seed predator access or exclusion in the Sandhills Ecoregion of North Carolina, U.S.A. Seed depredation averaged 78% across treatments and was greatest in unexcluded plots. Hardwood retention did not affect seed depredation. Longleaf pine averaged 3.6 germinants/4 m² across treatments, and was six times more abundant where vertebrates had been excluded. Hardwood removal had a strong positive effect on seedling germination, likely due to the removal of litter, but only when vertebrates were excluded. Our results indicated midstory hardwoods are not facilitating longleaf pine seedling establishment. Nevertheless, our results indicated that hardwood removal may not increase longleaf pine seedling establishment, as seed depredation diminished the effectiveness of hardwood removal under mast seed availability. Collectively, these results demonstrate the underlying complexity of the longleaf pine ecosystem, and suggest that planting may need to be part of the restoration strategy on sites where seed depredation limits longleaf pine natural regeneration.     

Carbon Offsets as Ecological Restorations

The explosive growth of carbon markets is creating unprecedented opportunities for landscape‐scale restoration worldwide. Most mandatory and voluntary greenhouse gas reduction programs allow use of carbon offset credits, including biosequestration projects, to replace actual emission reductions. Are the market schemes configured in a way that promotes ecosystem recovery and long‐term carbon storage? As importantly, is it likely that these efforts will provide significant social and environmental co‐benefits to justify trading offsets rather than actually reducing emissions? Compared with social scientists working in sustainable development, restoration ecologists have not offered much advice on the way carbon markets could be configured to support lasting restorations. Under current standards, the market price is likely governing the quality of restorations, not the reverse. A variety of reforms are needed to ensure that biosequestration projects deliver real, additional, and permanent removals of carbon dioxide. In particular, developing and adopting social and environmental impact assessment tools, changing accounting practices to allow for natural disturbances, universal adoption of strong additionality testing, and supporting critical research through tonnage fees could substantially improve what is accomplished through carbon offsets. Given the magnitude and importance of what carbon markets are attempting to achieve, insights from restoration ecologists are urgently needed to help shape their future.     

Carbon stocks in above‐ground biomass of monoculture plantations,mixed species plantations and environmental restoration plantings in north‐east Australia

Summary The emergence of carbon markets has provided a potential source of funding for reforestation projects. However, there is concern amongst ecologists that these markets will promote the establishment of monoculture plantations rather than more diverse restoration plantings, on the assumption that fast‐growing monocultures are likely to store more carbon than restoration plantings. We examined the validity of this assumption for three predominantly rainforest plantation types established in the moist tropical uplands of north‐east Australia: monoculture plantations of native rainforest conifers (n = 5, mean age 13 years); mixed species plantations of rainforest cabinet timber species, rainforest conifers and eucalypts (n = 5, mean age 13 years); and, environmental restoration plantings comprised mostly of a diverse range of rainforest trees (n = 10, mean age 14 years). We found that restoration plantings stored significantly more carbon in above‐ground biomass than monoculture plantations of native conifers (on average, 106 t vs 62 t carbon per ha); and tended to store more carbon than mixed species timber plantations which were intermediate in value (86 t carbon per ha). Carbon stocks were higher in restoration plantings than in monoculture and mixed species plantations for three reasons. First, and most importantly, restoration plantings were more densely stocked than monoculture and mixed species plantations. Second, there were more large diameter trees in restoration plantings than monoculture plantations. Third, the trees used in restoration plantings had a higher average wood density than the conifers used in monoculture plantations. While, on average, wood density was higher in mixed species plantations than restoration plantings, the much higher stocking rate of restoration plantings meant they stored more carbon than mixed species plantations. We conclude that restoration plantings in the moist tropics of north‐east Australia can accumulate relatively high amounts of carbon within two decades of establishment. Comparison with reference rainforest sites suggests that restoration plantings could maintain their high stocking rates (and therefore high biomass) as they develop in future decades. However, because restoration plantings are currently much more expensive to establish than monoculture plantations, restoration plantings are unlikely to be favoured by carbon markets. Novel reforestation techniques and designs are required if restoration plantings are to both provide habitat for rainforest biota and store carbon in biomass at a cost comparable to monoculture plantations.     

人工油松林（Pinus tabulaeformis）恢复过程中土壤微生物生物量C、N的变化特征

采用时空替代法,选取15a（PF15）、25a（PF25）、30a（PF30）的人工油松林作为样地,并选取灌丛作为参考植被,研究了植被恢复过程中土壤微生物生物量C、N以及土壤养分的变化特征,同时探讨了它们之间的相互关系。研究结果表明随着恢复的进行,土壤质量得到了改善,主要表现为有机碳、全氮、粘粒含量、土壤含水量的上升和pH值、容重的下降。土壤微生物生物量C、N分别在155.00~885.64mg/kg和33.73~237.40mg/kg的范围内变化。土壤微生物生物量C、N在植被恢复的初期显著低于灌丛,而后随着恢复的进行逐步增长。土壤微生物生物量C、N与植被恢复时间的相关性没有达到统计学上的显著水平,但是土壤微生物生物量C与土壤有机碳、全氮、全磷呈显著正相关,这表明植被恢复过程中土壤微生物生物量与土壤养分状况关系密切,植被恢复通过改善土壤养分状况间接地影响土壤微生物生物量的变化。Cmic/TOC在1.38%~4.75%的范围内变化。Cmic/TOC随着植被恢复不断下降,Cmic/TOC与植被恢复时间和土壤有机碳呈显著负相关,这表明植被恢复过程中,惰性有机质积累导致供应土壤微生物的活性有机质减少,Cmic/TOC同时受土壤有机质的数量和质量影响。     

Tree structure,regeneration and woody biomass removal in a sub-tropical forest of Mamlay watershed in the Sikkim Himalaya

This paper reports on the tree structure, tree dimension relationships and woody biomass production and removal of a sub-tropical natural forest in the Mamlay watershed of the Sikkim Himalaya. The forest provides fuel, fodder and timber to four villages. Only 11 tree species were found growing in the tree stratum despite the high diversity in the stand (32 tree species). The forest shows good regeneration potential with 5474 seedlings/ha and 1776 saplings/ha, but the population structure revealed a marked paucity of trees of higher diameter classes due to removal of trees of lower diameters. Standing wood biomass of 362 Mg/ha is mainly shared by 4 dominating species in the stand. The boles are removed mainly for timber and fuel purposes and about 22 Mg/ha wood biomass was removed in between 1987–1991. Net Primary productivity of woody biomass of the forest is recorded to be 18 Mg/ha/year. 3.85 Mg/ha of annual woody biomass production was removed in the form of tree boles apart from lopping of branches.     

Effects of Road Decommissioning on Carbon Stocks,Losses, and Emissions in North Coastal California

During the last 3 decades, many road removal projects have been implemented on public and private lands in the United States to reduce erosion and other impacts from abandoned or unmaintained forest roads. Although effective in decreasing sediment production from roads, such activities have a carbon (C) cost as well as representing a carbon savings for an ecosystem. We assessed the carbon budget implications of 30 years of road decommissioning in Redwood National Park in north coastal California. Road restoration techniques, which evolved during the program, were associated with various carbon costs and savings. Treatment of 425 km of logging roads from 1979 to 2009 saved 72,000 megagrams (Mg) C through on‐site soil erosion prevention, revegetation, and soil development on formerly compacted roads. Carbon sequestration will increase in time as forests and soils develop more fully on the restored sites. The carbon cost for this road decommissioning work, based on heavy equipment and vehicle fuel emissions, short‐term soil loss, and clearing of vegetation, was 23,000 Mg C, resulting in a net carbon savings of 49,000 Mg C to date. Nevertheless, the degree to which soil loss is a carbon sink or source in steep mountainous watersheds needs to be further examined. The ratio of carbon costs to savings will differ by ecosystem and road removal methodology, but the procedure outlined here to assess carbon budgets on restoration sites should be transferable to other systems.     

Plant roots and GHG mitigation in native perennial bioenergy cropping systems

Native perennial bioenergy crops can mitigate greenhouse gases (GHG) by displacing fossil fuels with renewable energy and sequestering atmospheric carbon (C) in soil and roots. The relative contribution of root C to net GHG mitigation potential has not been compared in perennial bioenergy crops ranging in species diversity and N fertility. We measured root biomass, C, nitrogen (N), and soil organic carbon (SOC) in the upper 90 cm of soil for five native perennial bioenergy crops managed with and without N fertilizer. Bioenergy crops ranged in species composition and were annually harvested for 6 (one location) and 7 years (three locations) following the seeding year. Total root biomass was 84% greater in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and a four‐species grass polyculture compared to high‐diversity polycultures; the difference was driven by more biomass at shallow soil depth (0–30 cm). Total root C (0–90 cm) ranged from 3.7 Mg C ha^?1 for a 12‐species mixture to 7.6 Mg C ha^?1 for switchgrass. On average, standing root C accounted for 41% of net GHG mitigation potential. After accounting for farm and ethanol production emissions, net GHG mitigation potential from fossil fuel offsets and root C was greatest for switchgrass (?8.4 Mg CO2e ha^?1 yr^?1) and lowest for high‐diversity mixtures (?4.5 Mg CO2e ha^?1 yr^?1). Nitrogen fertilizer did not affect net GHG mitigation potential or the contribution of roots to GHG mitigation for any bioenergy crop. SOC did not change and therefore did not contribute to GHG mitigation potential. However, associations among SOC, root biomass, and root C : N ratio suggest greater long‐term C storage in diverse polycultures vs. switchgrass. Carbon pools in roots have a greater effect on net GHG mitigation than SOC in the short‐term, yet variation in root characteristics may alter patterns in long‐term C storage among bioenergy crops.     

Simulating the effects of harvest and biofuel production on the forest system carbon balance of the Midwest,USA

Forests of the Midwestern United States are an important source of fiber for the wood and paper products industries. Scientists, land managers, and policy makers are interested in using woody biomass and/or harvest residue for biofuel feedstocks. However, the effects of increased biomass removal for biofuel production on forest production and forest system carbon balance remain uncertain. We modeled the carbon (C) cycle of the forest system by dividing it into two distinct components: (1) biological (net ecosystem production, net primary production, autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration, vegetation, and soil C content) and (2) industrial (harvest operations and transportation, production, use, and disposal of major wood products including biofuel and associated C emissions). We modeled available woody biomass feedstock and whole‐system carbon balance of 220 000 km² of temperate forests in the Upper Midwest, USA by coupling an ecosystem process model to a collection of greenhouse gas life‐cycle inventory models and simulating seven forest harvest scenarios in the biological ecosystem and three biofuel production scenarios in the industrial system for 50 years. The forest system was a carbon sink (118 g C m^?2 yr^?1) under current management practices and forest product production rates. However, the system became a C source when harvest area was doubled and biofuel production replaced traditional forest products. Total carbon stores in the vegetation and soil increased by 5–10% under low‐intensity management scenarios and current management, but decreased up to 3% under high‐intensity harvest regimes. Increasing harvest residue removal during harvest had more modest effects on forest system C balance and total biomass removal than increasing the rate of clear‐cut harvests or area harvested. Net forest system C balance was significantly, and negatively correlated (R² = 0.67) with biomass harvested, illustrating the trade‐offs between increased C uptake by forests and utilization of woody biomass for biofuel feedstock.     

Assessment of Aboveground Carbon in Primary and Selectively Harvested Tropical Forest in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has become the focus of climate change mitigation initiatives such as reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, but defensible estimates of forest carbon are lacking. Here we present a methodology for estimating aboveground forest carbon, and apply it to a large Permanent Sample Plot system maintained by Papua New Guinea Forest Research Institute. We report the first estimates of forest carbon in lowland tropical forest in PNG. Average aboveground carbon in stems >10 cm diam. for 115 selectively harvested 1-ha plots in lowland tropical forest was 66.3±3.5 Mg C/ha (95% CI) while for 10 primary forest plots the average was 106.3±16.2 Mg C/ha. We applied ratios based on field observations, in-country studies, and the literature to estimate unmeasured pools of aboveground carbon (stems <10 cm diam., fine litter and coarse woody debris). Total aboveground carbon was estimated at 90.2 and 120.8 Mg C/ha in selectively harvested and primary lowland forest, respectively. Our estimate for primary tropical forest is lower than biome averages for tropical equatorial forest, and we hypothesize that frequent disturbances from fire, frost, landslides, and agriculture are limiting carbon stock development. The methodology and estimates presented here will assist the PNG government in its preparedness for mitigation initiatives, are of interest to communities that are seeking to participate in voluntary carbon markets, and will encourage transparency and consistency in the estimation of forest carbon.     

Carbon stocks in the Guinea savanna of Ghana: estimates from three protected areas

Savannas are widespread in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) and play a major role in the global carbon balance. Extensive quantification of savanna carbon stocks in SSA will therefore contribute to better accounting of the global carbon budget in the era of climate change. In this study, we investigated the spatial distribution of carbon stocks of different soil fractions and aboveground biomass within three forest reserves in the Guinea savanna zone of Ghana. Soil carbon stocks (SCSs) ranged from 4.80 to 12.61 Mg C/ha in surface soils (0–10 cm depth). Higher SCSs were associated with the silt +clay fraction than microaggregates and small macroaggregates in all three reserves. Relative to the dominant tree species (Vitellaria paradoxa), the highest SCSs were recorded under the sub‐canopy (SC), drip line (DL), and interspace (2 * SC + DL) zones for the Klupene, Sinsablegbinni, and Kenikeni forest reserves, respectively. The highest tree carbon stock was 60.01 Mg C/ha in Kenikeni. Sinsablegbinni had an average stock of 26.74 Mg C/ha and had the highest tree density. Average carbon capture by a single tree ranged from 0.04 to 0.34 Mg C. Aboveground grass carbon stock ranged from 0.08 to 0.47 Mg C/ha, while the belowground carbon stock ranged from 0.03 to 0.44 Mg C/ha. Accumulation of carbon in the aboveground grass biomass was greater at Klupene with low forest cover.     

How does plant population density affect the biomass of Ravenna grass?

Ravenna grass, Tripidium ravennae (L.) H. Scholz, is known to produce an abundance of biomass, but how plant density affects its biomass potential remains unknown. The objectives were to determine the effects of plant density on biomass yield; plant growth traits; biomass?carbon, nitrogen, and ash concentrations; heating value; nitrogen removal; and sucrose concentration in leaves and culms. The treatments consisted of five plant densities (1,250; 2,500; 5,000; 10,000; and 20,000 plants per hectare) in a randomized complete block design with four blocks. Plots were nonirrigated, unfertilized, and harvested once during the dormant season each year. Data were collected from 2015?2019. Dependent variables that varied with plant population density (p < .05) were biomass yield, number of reproductive culms per plant, reproductive culm diameter, reproductive culm sucrose concentration, and nitrogen removal with biomass. Biomass yield ranged from 5.6 to 16.3 Mg/ha for plant densities of 1,250–20,000 plants per hectare, respectively. Combined over years, nonlinear regression of the data showed the equation for biomass yield to plateau at 16.2 Mg/ha at a plant density of 10,640 plants per hectare. As plant density increased, the number of reproductive culms per plant, culm diameter, and culm sucrose concentration significantly decreased. At 1,250 plants per hectare, the number of reproductive culms per plant, culm diameter, and culm sucrose averaged 70, 10.2 mm, and 63.2 g/kg, respectively. Nitrogen removed with biomass significantly increased as biomass yield increased with plant density. At a density of 10,000 and 20,000 plants per hectare, the amount of nitrogen removed annually in the harvested biomass averaged 88 kg/ha. The data suggest that 10,000 plants per hectare would produce the greatest annual biomass yields; however, research is needed to determine the nutrient requirement for Ravenna grass to sustain biomass production at that density.     

Damaged forests provide an opportunity to mitigate climate change

British Columbia (BC) forests are estimated to have become a net carbon source in recent years due to tree death and decay caused primarily by mountain pine beetle (MPB) and related post‐harvest slash burning practices. BC forest biomass has also become a major source of wood pellets, exported primarily for bioenergy to Europe, although the sustainability and net carbon emissions of forest bioenergy in general are the subject of current debate. We simulated the temporal carbon balance of BC wood pellets against different reference scenarios for forests affected by MPB in the interior BC timber harvesting area using the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM‐CFS3). We evaluated the carbon dynamics for different insect‐mortality levels, at the stand‐ and landscape level, taking into account carbon storage in the ecosystem, wood products and fossil fuel displacement. Our results indicate that current harvesting practices, in which slash is burnt and only sawdust used for pellet production, require between 20–25 years for beetle‐impacted pine and 37–39 years for spruce‐dominated systems to reach pre‐harvest carbon levels (i.e. break‐even) at the stand‐level. Using pellets made from logging slash to replace coal creates immediate net carbon benefits to the atmosphere of 17–21 tonnes C ha^?1, shortening these break‐even times by 9–20 years and resulting in an instant carbon break‐even level on stands most severely impacted by the beetle. Harvesting pine dominated sites for timber while using slash for bioenergy was also found to be more carbon beneficial than a protection reference scenario on both stand‐ and landscape level. However, harvesting stands exclusively for bioenergy resulted in a net carbon source unless the system contained a high proportion of dead trees (>85%). Systems with higher proportions of living trees provide a greater climate change mitigation if used for long lived wood products.     

High carbon storage and oxygen (O2) release potential of Mahagony (Swietenia macrophylla) woodlot plantation in Bangladesh

Woodlot plantation takes our attention nowadays because of having high wood value, biomass and carbon stock. It also has considerable potential for regulating climate change by sinking CO₂. This study investigated the market value of Swietenia macrophylla woodlots concerning the current carbon trade mechanism, local timber and oxygen value. The carbon-di-oxide equivalence (CO_2e) and release oxygen (O_{2 Release}) ranged from 125.5 to 1004.5 Mg/ha (mean 436.3 Mg/ha) and 91.25–730.26 Mg/ha (mean 317.2 Mg/ha), respectively. Form carbon trade, the Swietenia macrophylla woodlots owner will earn 4,285–34,470 BDT/ha (mean 14,900 BDT/ha). It also seemed that the present market value of release oxygen (O_{2 Release}) ranged from 3.2 to 25.5 million BDT/ha (average 11.1 million BDT/ha). However, the study area's average DBH, height, density, and basal area were 18.9 cm, 12.6 m, 1233 stem/ha, and 36.6 m²/ha, respectively. The above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass, and total biomass ranged from 45.9 to 389.7 Mg/ha (mean 166.5 Mg/ha), 22.5–157.7 Mg/ha (mean 71.2 Mg/ha), and 68.4–547.4 Mg/ha (mean 237.7 Mg/ha) correspondingly. Besides, the produced wood volume ranged from 64.95-1225.19 m³/ha (average 481.48 m³/ha). While the price of wood ranged from 0.8 to 15.14 million BDT/ha (mean 5.95 million BDT/ha). However, the above-ground, below-ground, and total carbon ranged 22.97–194.85 Mg/ha (mean 87.27 Mg/ha, 11.23–78.85 Mg/ha (35.61 Mg/ha), and 34.2–273.7 Mg/ha (118.89 Mg/ha) independently. Moreover, our three developed basal area-based allometric models are fit for calculating the carbon stock of Swietenia macrophylla woodlots. This study explores the potentiality of woodlots in Bangladesh. Policymakers should encourage the farmers to create more woodlots that actively participate in climate change mitigation.     

Net change in carbon emissions with increased wood energy use in the United States

Use of wood biomass for energy results in carbon (C) emissions at the time of burning and alters C stocks on the land because of harvest, regrowth, and changes in land use or management. This study evaluates the potential effects of expanded woody biomass energy use (for heat and power) on net C emissions over time. A scenario with increased wood energy use is compared with a dynamic business-as-usual scenario where wood energy use is driven by its historical relationship with gross domestic product. At the national level, we projected that up to 78% of increased cumulative C emissions from increased wood burning and up to 80% of increased cumulative radiative forcing would be offset over 50 years by change in forest area loss, biomass regrowth on land, C storage in harvested wood products, and C in logging slash left in forests. For example, forest area is projected to decline in both scenarios, but 3.5 million hectares more are retained in the high wood energy-use case. Projected C offsets over a 50 year period differed substantially by US region (16% in the North, 50% in the West, and 95% in the South) not only because of differences in forest regrowth and induced investment in retaining and planting forest, but also because of shifts in competitive advantage among regions in producing various wood products. If wood systems displace coal systems that have 75% of the C emissions of wood energy systems per unit energy, then the nationwide net C emissions offset would be reduced to 71–74%. If displacing natural gas systems that have 40% of the level of wood bioenergy emissions per unit energy, the nationwide net C emissions offset would be 46–52%.     

Carbon sequestration in riparian forests: A global synthesis and meta‐analysis

Restoration of deforested and degraded landscapes is a globally recognized strategy to sequester carbon, improve ecological integrity, conserve biodiversity, and provide additional benefits to human health and well‐being. Investment in riparian forest restoration has received relatively little attention, in part due to their relatively small spatial extent. Yet, riparian forest restoration may be a particularly valuable strategy because riparian forests have the potential for rapid carbon sequestration, are hotspots of biodiversity, and provide numerous valuable ecosystem services. To inform this strategy, we conducted a global synthesis and meta‐analysis to identify general patterns of carbon stock accumulation in riparian forests. We compiled riparian biomass and soil carbon stock data from 117 publications, reports, and unpublished data sets. We then modeled the change in carbon stock as a function of vegetation age, considering effects of climate and whether or not the riparian forest had been actively planted. On average, our models predicted that the establishment of riparian forest will more than triple the baseline, unforested soil carbon stock, and that riparian forests hold on average 68–158 Mg C/ha in biomass at maturity, with the highest values in relatively warm and wet climates. We also found that actively planting riparian forest substantially jump‐starts the biomass carbon accumulation, with initial growth rates more than double those of naturally regenerating riparian forest. Our results demonstrate that carbon sequestration should be considered a strong co‐benefit of riparian restoration, and that increasing the pace and scale of riparian forest restoration may be a valuable investment providing both immediate carbon sequestration value and long‐term ecosystem service returns.     

Soil nitrogen dynamics as an indicator for longleaf pine restoration

Assessing the status of soil nutrients with their corresponding microbial communities provides important information about degraded soils during the restoration of coastal wet pine forests. Net nitrogen mineralization, nitrogen‐oxidizing bacteria (NOB), and soil microbial biomass were compared with patch‐derived volume along a 110‐year longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) chronosequence for identifying a trajectory and ecological benchmark during forest restoration. Net nitrogen mineralization rates decreased significantly in the maturing‐aged, pine patches, driven by a larger drop in net nitrification. Net nitrification and abundance of NOB were higher in young pine patches compared to soils from the maturing (86–110 years) pine patches. Gross nitrate fluxes followed the nonfungal portion of the soil microbial biomass along the chronosequence, declining in 64‐year‐old pine patches. Microbial biomass peaked in patches 17–34 years of age, but significantly declined in the older patches. Fungal biomass leveled off without decline. Ammonium was the major source of nitrogen within the maturing pine patches as well as the wetland patches, indicating that ammonium maintains longleaf pine during growth‐limiting conditions. Nitrate dominated during rapid tree growth, optimally in mesic conditions. The relative amounts of available ammonium to nitrate can be used to model nitrogen cycling in facultative‐wetland pine forests of the coastal United States as soils alternate between wet and mesic conditions. A key restoration benchmark occurred after 86 years of pine development when pine patch growth rates slowed, with lower numbers of NOB, when the nonfungal biomass leveled off, and net nitrification rates are at a minimum, during pine maturation.     

Non‐native mangroves support carbon storage,sediment carbon burial,and accretion of coastal ecosystems

Mangrove forests play an important role in climate change adaptation and mitigation by maintaining coastline elevations relative to sea level rise, protecting coastal infrastructure from storm damage, and storing substantial quantities of carbon (C) in live and detrital pools. Determining the efficacy of mangroves in achieving climate goals can be complicated by difficulty in quantifying C inputs (i.e., differentiating newer inputs from younger trees from older residual C pools), and mitigation assessments rarely consider potential offsets to CO₂ storage by methane (CH₄) production in mangrove sediments. The establishment of non‐native Rhizophora mangle along Hawaiian coastlines over the last century offers an opportunity to examine the role mangroves play in climate mitigation and adaptation both globally and locally as novel ecosystems. We quantified total ecosystem C storage, sedimentation, accretion, sediment organic C burial and CH₄ emissions from ~70 year old R. mangle stands and adjacent uninvaded mudflats. Ecosystem C stocks of mangrove stands exceeded mudflats by 434 ± 33 Mg C/ha, and mangrove establishment increased average coastal accretion by 460%. Sediment organic C burial increased 10‐fold (to 4.5 Mg C ha^?1 year^?1), double the global mean for old growth mangrove forests, suggesting that C accumulation from younger trees may occur faster than previously thought, with implications for mangrove restoration. Simulations indicate that increased CH₄ emissions from sediments offset ecosystem CO₂ storage by only 2%–4%, equivalent to 30–60 Mg CO₂‐eq/ha over mangrove lifetime (100 year sustained global warming potential). Results highlight the importance of mangroves as novel systems that can rapidly accumulate C, have a net positive atmospheric greenhouse gas removal effect, and support shoreline accretion rates that outpace current sea level rise. Sequestration potential of novel mangrove forests should be taken into account when considering their removal or management, especially in the context of climate mitigation goals.     

Quantifying Disturbance in Terrestrial Communities: Abundance–Biomass Comparisons of Herpetofauna Closely Track Forest Succession

Herpetofauna are frequently cited as ideal indicators for environmental and restoration monitoring due to their importance to ecological functioning, dominance of vertebrate biomass, and sensitivity to environmental change. Despite this relevance, herpetofauna have yet to be fully integrated into comprehensive, community‐scale restoration monitoring methodologies. We tested the applicability of one such method, abundance–biomass comparisons (ABCs), to monitoring restoration success in a longleaf pine ecosystem currently undergoing restoration via prescribed burning. W statistics (a metric of environmental perturbation) for herpetofaunal assemblages in longleaf pine stands managed under varying fire intervals closely tracked forest succession from recently burned longleaf pine stands to those characterized by longer times since last burn and high levels of hardwood encroachment. Our results suggest that ABCs may be an applicable method for terrestrial restoration monitoring that encompasses entire faunal assemblages and allows for generality in restoration or disturbance response. We emphasize, however, that applications of this method and others need to take into account the specific ecological characteristics of study organisms and the natural history of study sites to avoid incorrect interpretations of disturbance response and inappropriate management recommendations.     

Effects of Management on Carbon Sequestration in Forest Biomass in Southeast Alaska

The Tongass National Forest (Tongass) is the largest national forest and largest area of old-growth forest in the United States. Spatial geographic information system data for the Tongass were combined with forest inventory data to estimate and map total carbon stock in the Tongass; the result was 2.8 ± 0.5 Pg C, or 8% of the total carbon in the forests of the conterminous USA and 0.25% of the carbon in global forest vegetation and soils. Cumulative net carbon loss from the Tongass due to management of the forest for the period 1900–95 was estimated at 6.4–17.2 Tg C. Using our spatially explicit data for carbon stock and net flux, we modeled the potential effect of five management regimes on future net carbon flux. Estimates of net carbon flux were sensitive to projections of the rate of carbon accumulation in second-growth forests and to the amount of carbon left in standing biomass after harvest. Projections of net carbon flux in the Tongass range from 0.33 Tg C annual sequestration to 2.3 Tg C annual emission for the period 1995–2095. For the period 1995–2195, net flux estimates range from 0.19 Tg C annual sequestration to 1.6 Tg C annual emission. If all timber harvesting in the Tongass were halted from 1995 to 2095, the economic value of the net carbon sequestered during the 100-year hiatus, assuming $20/Mg C, would be $4 to $7 million/y (1995 US dollars). If a prohibition on logging were extended to 2195, the annual economic value of the carbon sequestered would be largely unaffected ($3 to $6 million/y). The potential annual economic value of carbon sequestration with management maximizing carbon storage in the Tongass is comparable to revenue from annual timber sales historically authorized for the forest.