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Abstract
Productivity of forest and range land soils is based on a combination of diverse physical, chemical and biological properties. In ecosystems characteristic of eastside regions of Oregon and Washington, the productive zone is usually in the upper 1 or 2 m. Not only are the biological processes that drive both soil productivity and root development concentrated in limited organic horizons, but also they have evolved historically in a natural system that includes mostly modest surface disturbance. Typical disturbances include erosional, seismic, or tip-over events, and modest surface heating by periodic wild?re. This combination of properties and processes produces soils with an extremely wide range of productivity potential, but productivity can be highly sensitive to disturbances from heavy machinery or ?re, when fuel accumulations are well beyond historical norms. Limited moisture-holding capacity and nitrogen storage often impose a need for carefully balancing developing vegetation with available soil resources.
Keywords
Soil management strategy,
soil productivity,
soil sustainability,
soil damage,
soil moisture,
soil microbiology,
soil-disease interaction,
soil-climate interaction,
soil wood,
coarse woody debris,
organic matter,
water storage and use,
nutrient cycling,
nitrogen ?xation,
ectomycorrhizal activity,
carbon cycling,
harvest effects,
?re effects,
fertilizer effects,
forest health,
physical properties,
chemical properties
Citation
Harvey, Alan E.; Geist, J. Michael; McDonald, Gerald L; Jurgensen, Martin F.; Cochran, Patrick H.; Zabowski, Darlene; Meurisse, Robert T. 1994. Biotic and abiotic processes in eastside ecosystems: the effects of management on soil properties, processes, and productivity. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-323. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.
