Trophic conditions of forest soils of the Pieniny National Park, southern Poland

• Main Authors: Wanic Tomasz, Bodziarczyk Jan, Gąsiorek Michał, Hawryło Paweł, Józefowska Agnieszka, Kajdas Bartłomiej, Mazurek Ryszard, Szostak Marta, Usień Michał, Wężyk Piotr, ZadrożNy Paweł, Zięba-Kulawik Karolina, Zaleski Tomasz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sciendo 2017-12-01
• Series: Soil Science Annual
• Subjects: Carpathian soil; soil trophic index; forest plant community
• Online Access: http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/ssa.2017.68.issue-4/ssa-2017-0026/ssa-2017-0026.xml?format=INT

The primary objective of this study was to characterise the edaphic conditions of forest areas in the Pieniny National Park (PNP), and to describe the dependencies between properties of forest soils and types of forest plant communities. The “Soil Trophic Index” (SIGg) for mountainous areas was applied. The evaluation of the trophism for 74 forest monitoring employed the soil trophic index for mountainous areas SIGg or SIGgo. Plant communities in the forest monitoring areas were classified according to the Braun-Blanquet’s phytosociological method. Soils of PNP present in the forest monitoring areas were mostly classified as eutrophic brown soils (72.9%), rendzinas (10.8%), brown rendzinas (5.41%), and rubble initial soils (5.41%). Pararendzinas, dystrophic brown soils, and gley soils were less common (total below 5.5%). In the forest monitoring areas of PNP, eutrophic soils predominate over mesotrophic soils. High SIGg index of the soils is caused by high values of acidity and nitrogen content. The Carpathian beech forest Dentario glandulosae-Fagetum and thermophilic beech forest Carici albae-Fagetum associations are characterised by high naturalness and compatibility of theoretical habitats. The soils of the Carpathian fir forest Dentario glandulosae-Fagetum abietetosum subcommunity is characterised by a higher share of silt and clay particles and lower acidity as compared to the Carpathian beech forest Dentario glandulosae-Fagetum typicum subcommunity. The soils of the forest monitoring areas in PNP stand out in terms of their fertility against forest soils in other mountainous areas in Poland.