The soil organic carbon in particle-size separates under different regrowth forest stands of north eastern Costa Rica

The soil organic carbon in particle-size separates under different regrowth forest stands of north eastern Costa Rica

BACKGROUND:

Costa Rica, having experienced significant deforestation from 1950 to 1984, now sees a rise in secondary forests due to land abandonment and reforestation efforts. These forests vary widely in soil carbon accumulation, influenced by the previous land use intensity and the age of the forest. The paper investigates the role of secondary forests in Costa Rica in soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, a critical component in understanding climate change mitigation potential.

GOALS AND METHODs:

The authors’ primary goal is to quantify the soil SOC pools in various secondary forest stands in northeastern Costa Rica and to determine the influence of forest stand age and prior land use intensity on SOC concentration and distribution. The study employs a detailed examination of SOC in particle-size fractions down to a depth of 50 cm across different forest stands, which include varying ages of secondary forests and an abandoned cacao plantation. Methods include soil sampling across these forest stands, analyzing physical and chemical soil properties, and assessing SOC distribution using statistical and multivariate analyses to identify key determinants of SOC variability.

CONCLUSION AND TAKEAWAYS:

The study concludes that secondary forests in northeastern Costa Rica significantly enhance soil organic carbon pools, with older forests showing higher SOC accumulation due to better soil aggregation and increased protection of organic carbon within soil matrices. It underscores the importance of secondary forests as carbon sinks and highlights the potential of reforestation and natural forest regrowth in tropical areas as effective strategies for carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation.

Reference: 

Jiménez JJ, Lal R, Russo RO, Leblanc HA. The soil organic carbon in particle-size separates under different regrowth forest stands of north eastern Costa Rica. Ecological Engineering. 2008;34(4):300 - 310. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2008.07.001.