Patterns of Carbon Sequestration in a Young Forest Ecosystem after Clear-Cutting

• Main Authors: Sille Rebane, Kalev Jõgiste, Andres Kiviste, John A. Stanturf, Marek Metslaid
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-01-01
• Series: Forests
• Subjects: carbon flux; forest ecosystem; clear-cutting; disturbance; eddy covariance
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/2/126

A large area of Estonian hemiboreal forest is recovering from clear-cut harvesting and changing carbon (C) balance of the stands. However, there is a lack of information about C- source/sink relationships during recovery of such stands. The eddy covariance technique was used to estimate C-status through net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO₂ in two stands of different development stages located in southeast Estonia in 2014. Measured summertime (June−September) mean CO₂ concentration was 337.75 ppm with mean NEE −1.72 µmol m^−2 s^−1. June NEE was −4.60 µmol m^−2 s^−1; July, August, and September NEE was −1.17, −0.77, and −0.25 µmol m^−2 s^−1, respectively. The two stands had similar patterns of CO₂ exchange; measurement period temperature drove NEE. Our results show that after clear-cutting a 6-year-old forest ecosystem was a light C-sink and 8-year-old young stand demonstrated a stronger C-sink status during the measurement period.