Soil Conservation Research

Overview
Current Focus Areas
Research Highlights
Consultations
Recent Publications and Presentations
Ministry Contacts

Overview

Productive soils, along with clean water and air, are the foundation of productive forest ecosystems. Forest management practices have the potential to degrade soil productivity, and can leave soils compacted, resulting in poor aeration and increased soil strength that prevents root growth. Such practices can also cause loss of nutrient-rich surface soils, forcing plant roots to grow in inappropriate rooting media. By removing living trees and changing the future supply of dead wood, timber harvesting alters the biodiversity of a site and the productivity of species such as pine mushrooms and chanterelles, important non-timber forest products.

Soil conservation activities maintain productive forest soil conditions and also protect water. British Columbia’s forest soil conservation strategy provides a framework for identifying soil-degrading disturbances, and establishes maximum allowable levels of soil disturbance on harvested forest land. Soil rehabilitation programs aim to restore productivity to degraded soils, either as part of ongoing field operations, or after identifying high-priority sites that were degraded in the past.

Soil conservation research provides new information on soil characteristics, processes, and management for the diversity of ecosystems in British Columbia. The information is being used to evaluate and improve existing soil conservation strategies and techniques, and to identify new approaches to protect our province’s forest soils and mitigate the impacts of climate change. 

Current Focus Areas

• Monitoring and analyzing long-term soil productivity research trials that study the impacts of soil compaction and organic matter loss on soil characteristics at 14 installations in the interior forests of British Columbia. [more]
• Investigating the impacts of intensive fertilization regimes on soil biology on pine and spruce plantations in the interior of British Columbia. This research has implications for mitigating mid-term timber supply falldown.
• Studying the impact of several silvicultural systems and extended rotation treatments on soil biotic diversity and function, including below-ground ecology as part of the Silviculture Treatments for Ecosystem Management in the Sayward (STEMS) interdisciplinary project. [more]
• Studying mycorrhizal relationships of salal and hemlock in the coastal western hemlock zone to contribute to understanding poor growth of regeneration. [link]
• Conducting non-timber forest products research and extension on the ecology and productivity of commercial macrofungi, such as chanterelle mushrooms.
• Studying the long-term impacts of forest soil rehabilitation techniques on a variety of forest ecosystems through field experiments and retrospective studies.
• Studying the response of forest soil physical properties to forest management activities and their role in maintaining sustainable and productive ecosystems. Developing field methods and cost-effective indicators for monitoring physical conditions and associated tree growth. [more]
• Studying soil productivity and forest regeneration success on reclaimed oil and gas sites.

Research Highlights 

• Completed the first year of implementation of the cutblock-level soils value indicators and monitoring protocol for FRPA/FREP. Analysis of the first dataset will be completed in early 2008.
• Ensured ongoing research and monitoring of the Long Term Soil Productivity Study. This research studies the effects of soil disturbance on forest productivity and continues to provide invaluable information to refine forest practices and regulations as well as increase our ability to address the impacts of climate change.
• Provided technical advice for the workshop “Scientific Foundation for Sustainable Forest Biomass Harvesting Guidelines and Policy,” to share what is known about the impacts of biomass removals on forest ecosystems and to identify research priorities. [link]
• Involved in the Provincial Interagency Non-Timber Forest Resources Committee to ensure co-ordination and collaboration between the various government agencies interested in non-timber forest products. The Committee is also advocating on issues of importance to the non-timber forest products sector.
• Developed keys to identifying the macrofungi of British Columbia, including commonly harvested forest mushrooms such as pine mushrooms, chanterelles, and morels.
• Developed an application to be submitted to Statistics Canada for changes to the commodity codes currently used to measure the value and economic impact of non-timber forest products industries.
• Developed rapid tests that help forest practitioners describe and evaluate changes in soil physical conditions (such as soil strength and porosity) that may be affected by forest harvesting.

Consultations

• Forest and Range Practices Act/ Forest Resource Evaluation Program (FRPA/FREP), Soils Value Team –The Research Branch soil scientists have been fundamental in developing and testing high-quality, science-based indicators and protocols for the soils value.
• Technical Advisory Committee, Workshop “The Scientific Foundation for Sustainable Forest Biomass Harvesting Guidelines and Policy.” In partnership with Natural Resources Canada, University of Toronto, and Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario. Feb. 18-21, 2008. [link]
• Forest Practices Board, Technical Advisor - Providing advice to Forest Practices Board auditors on applying soil conservation knowledge toward improving policy and management.
• Future Forest Ecosystems Initiative, Technical role – Providing information on the relationship between climate change and soils.
• Provincial Interagency Non-Timber Forest Resources Committee – Ensures co-ordination of research, extension, and advocacy activities for the sector in British Columbia.
• Sustainability Program Advisory Council, FIA Forest Science Program, Member - Involvement provides guidance in setting priorities for research projects concerning key management issues in the area of sustainability.

Recent Publications and Presentations

Berch, S.M. 2006. Commercially harvested forest mushrooms of BC: challenges and advances. Presentation at the Canadian Botanical Association Meeting, June 26–28, Concordia Univ., Montreal, P.Q. 

Berch, S.M., and J. Addison. 2007. Effects of organic matter loss and soil compaction on soil collembolan in plantations in the Sub-Boreal Spruce zone. Presentation at North American Forest Ecology Workshop, Univ. British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. 

Berch, S.M., and J. Addison. 2007. Effects of organic matter (woody debris and forest floor) and soil compaction on stand level diversity of soil collembola in the SBS zone. Oral poster presentation at Northern Silviculture Committee winter meeting, Jan.15–17, Prince George, B.C. 

Berch, S.M., J.P. Battigelli, and G.D. Hope. 2007. Responses of soil mesofauna communities and oribatid mite species to site preparation treatments in high-elevation cutblocks in southern British Columbia. Pedobiologia (2007), doi:10.1016/j.pedobi.2006.12.001. 

Berch, S.M., and R.P. Brockley. 2007. Impacts of fertilization on soil biota of young lodgepole pine and interior spruce stands in the interior of British Columbia. Presentation at North American Forest Ecology Workshop, Univ. British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.

Berch S.M., R.P. Brockley, J. Battigelli, S. Hagerman, and B. Holl. 2006. Impacts of repeated fertilization on components of the soil biota under a young lodgepole pine stand in the interior of British Columbia. Can. J. For. Res. 36(6):1415–1426.

Berch, S.M., B. Chapman, M. Curran, S. Dube, G. Hope, R. Kabzems, and M. Kranabetter. 2006. Biomass removal, soil compaction and soil organic matter loss: criteria for long-term soil productivity. Poster presented at workshop on Biofuels and Bioenergy: Challenges and Opportunities, Aug.28–Sep.1, Vancouver, B.C. 

Berch, S.M., T. Ehlers, and R. Winder. 2007. Compatible management of timber and ectomycorrhizal mushrooms, especially pine mushroom and chanterelle. Presentation at North American Forest Ecology Workshop, Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. 

Berch, S.M., K.-H. Ka, H. Park, and R. Winder. [2008]. Development and potential of the cultivated and wild-harvested mushroom industries in the Republic of Korea and British Columbia. B.C. J. Ecosystems and Management. Accepted. 

Berch, S.M., and R. Winder. 2007. From tinder to truffles—fungi in the NTFP—agroforestry continuum. Presentation at Agroforestry Conference, Jun. 12–13, Université Laval, Québec, P.Q. 

Bulmer, C., S.M. Berch, M. Curran, B. Chapman, S. Dubé, and M. Kranabetter. [2008]. Indicators and monitoring approach for evaluating the effect of forest practices on soil productivity and hydrologic function in British Columbia cutblocks. B.C. J. Ecosystems and Management. Accepted. 

Bulmer, C., K. Venner, and C. Prescott. 2007. Forest soil rehabilitation with tillage and wood waste enhances seedling establishment but not height after eight years. Can. J. For. Res. 37:1894-1906. 

Ehlers, T., S. Fredrickson, and S.M. Berch. [2008]. Pine mushroom habitat characteristics and management strategies in the West Kootenay Region of British Columbia. B.C. J. Ecosystems and Management. Accepted. 

Fleming, R.L., R.F. Powers, N.W. Foster, J.M. Kranabetter, D.A. Scott, F. Ponder, S.M. Berch, W.K. Chapman, R.D. Kabzems, K.H. Ludovici, D.M. Morris, D.S. Page-Dumroese, P. Sanborn, F.G. Sanchez, D.M. Stone, and A.E. Tiarks. 2006. Effects of organic matter removal, soil compaction and vegetation control on 5-year seedling performance: A regional comparison of LTSP sites. Can. J. For. Res. 36(3): 529-550. 

Grayston S.J., J.A. Addison, S.M. Berch, L.E. DeMontigny, D.M. Durall, K.N. Egger, M.D. Jones, R. Modesto, W.W Mohn, T.S. Panesar, C.E. Prescott and D.S Srivastava. 2006. Green tree retention: A tool to maintain soil function after harvest. B.C. J. Ecosystems and Management. 7:9-12. 

Jones, M.D., B.D. Twieg, D.M. Durall, and S.M. Berch. [2008] Location relative to a retention patch affects the ECM fungal community more than patch size in the first season after timber harvesting on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. For. Ecol. and Manage. Accepted.

Krzic, M., R.F. Newman, C. Trethewey, C.E. Bulmer, and B.K. Chapman. 2006. Cattle grazing effects on plant species composition and soil compaction on rehabilitated forest landings in central interior British Columbia. J. Soil Water Conserv. 61:137–144.

Ministry Contacts

Shannon Berch, Forest Soils Ecologist
Chuck Bulmer, (currently on leave) Soil Restoration Ecologist (Kalamalka),
 

Ministry contact: Evelyn Hamilton.
Please direct questions regarding webpage to For.Prodres@gov.bc.ca
Updated February 2008