Forest nutrient and carbon pools at Walker Branch Watershed: Changes during a 21-year period

A 21-yr perspective on changes in nutrient and C pools on undisturbed upland forest sites is provided. Plots originally representing four col er types have been sampled three times. On each plot, forest biomass, forest floor, and soil, to a depth of 60 cm, were measured, sampled, and analyzed for Ca, Mg, C, N, and P. Exchangeable soil Ca and Mg hale declined in most soils. Despite the low exchangeable Ca, cumulative sequestration in the biomass has exceeded the soil pool, suggesting that soil supplies below 60 cm are satisfying the biomass demand. Extractable soil P also declined, with means ranging from 4.2 to 18.2 kg ha(-1), as a result of reductions in the mineral soil and Oi horizon, The loss of extractable soil P exceeded biomass sequestration in all but one plot, suggesting abiotic soil processes as the removal mechanism. Soil C and N were either stable, although highly variable, or declined, which was unexpected in these undisturbed sites. The net C balance of these sites was controlled by aboveground sequestration, which offset changes in the soil and forest floor, Soil parent material and geomorphic setting strongly influenced the changes in soil properties during the 21-yr period, reflecting the importance of those factors in assessing soil nutrient and C cycles over that of forest cover type. The variability encountered in the periodic soil measurements highlights the difficulty in detecting temporal changes in soil chemical properties.