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<p>This study addresses two knowledge gaps in evaluating 40-year afforestation effects on degraded Mollisols in Northeast China: (1) quantifying long-term soil quality changes beyond short-term cycles, and (2) developing a Minimum Dataset (MDS) for forest soil assessment. Five pure forest stands (<i>Tilia amurensis</i>, <i>Larix gmelinii</i>, <i>Populus berolinensis</i>, <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> var. <i>Mongholica</i>, <i>Betula platyphylla</i>) and natural grassland were analyzed. Soil samples (0–40&#xa0;cm depth) were assessed for 16 physicochemical properties. Principal Component Analysis identified MDS indicators through eigenvalue (&gt; 1) and factor loading (|<i>r</i>| ≥ 0.5) thresholds. Soil Quality Index (SQI) was calculated using space-for-time substitution and validated against the Total Dataset (TDS) via linear regression. Six indicators formed MDS: total nitrogen (0.89), available phosphorus (-0.62), total potassium (-0.65), magnesium (0.70), copper (0.52), and water content (-0.65). SQI strongly correlated with TDS (R² = 0.949, <i>P</i> &lt; 0.01), confirming MDS reliability. Soil quality declined exponentially with depth, reflecting root-driven nutrient distribution. <i>P. sylvestris</i> (0.595) and <i>B. platyphylla</i> (0.534) significantly outperformed natural grassland (0.435), while <i>L. gmelinii</i> degraded subsoil despite high biomass. This first demonstration of 40-year forest restoration reversing Mollisols degradation reveals two key mechanisms: (1) Conifers (<i>P. sylvestris</i>) enhance carbon turnover through acidic litter; (2) Deciduous species (<i>B. platyphylla</i>) boost nitrogen cycling. The MDS system improves regional assessment accuracy by addressing Mollisols-specific issues (phosphorus fixation, magnesium depletion) better than conventional agricultural indices. Findings caution against monoculture plantations and emphasize species-specific deep soil impacts, providing a scientific basis for sustainable forest management in the degraded Mollisols region.</p>

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Evaluating Soil Quality in Mollisols: A Comparative Study of Tree Species in the Northeast Plain Under Long-Term Silviculture

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年6月11日

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  • Jia Yang,
  • Jianhu He,
  • Shunzhong Wang,
  • Huiyan Gu

摘要

This study addresses two knowledge gaps in evaluating 40-year afforestation effects on degraded Mollisols in Northeast China: (1) quantifying long-term soil quality changes beyond short-term cycles, and (2) developing a Minimum Dataset (MDS) for forest soil assessment. Five pure forest stands (Tilia amurensis, Larix gmelinii, Populus berolinensis, Pinus sylvestris var. Mongholica, Betula platyphylla) and natural grassland were analyzed. Soil samples (0–40 cm depth) were assessed for 16 physicochemical properties. Principal Component Analysis identified MDS indicators through eigenvalue (> 1) and factor loading (|r| ≥ 0.5) thresholds. Soil Quality Index (SQI) was calculated using space-for-time substitution and validated against the Total Dataset (TDS) via linear regression. Six indicators formed MDS: total nitrogen (0.89), available phosphorus (-0.62), total potassium (-0.65), magnesium (0.70), copper (0.52), and water content (-0.65). SQI strongly correlated with TDS (R² = 0.949, P < 0.01), confirming MDS reliability. Soil quality declined exponentially with depth, reflecting root-driven nutrient distribution. P. sylvestris (0.595) and B. platyphylla (0.534) significantly outperformed natural grassland (0.435), while L. gmelinii degraded subsoil despite high biomass. This first demonstration of 40-year forest restoration reversing Mollisols degradation reveals two key mechanisms: (1) Conifers (P. sylvestris) enhance carbon turnover through acidic litter; (2) Deciduous species (B. platyphylla) boost nitrogen cycling. The MDS system improves regional assessment accuracy by addressing Mollisols-specific issues (phosphorus fixation, magnesium depletion) better than conventional agricultural indices. Findings caution against monoculture plantations and emphasize species-specific deep soil impacts, providing a scientific basis for sustainable forest management in the degraded Mollisols region.