The Effect of Wood Ash on Soil CO2 Emission and Carbon Stock of Tree Stand on a Drained Peatland – Case Study

Authors:
Mikko Moilanen, Jyrki Hytönen & Mirva Leppälä

Book:
Proceedings of the 14th International Peat Congress

Venue:
Stockholm

Keywords:
co2-emission, drainage, fertilization, greenhouse-gas, soil-respiration, wood-ash

Documentfile:
Moilanen et al 2012: The Effect of Wood Ash on Soil CO2 Emission and Carbon Stock of Tree Stand on a Drained Peatland – Cas

Summary:

Theme X. Peatland carbon budgets and greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes

SUMMARY

Forested peatlands contain large pools of terrestrial carbon. Besides drainage also forest management, e.g., fertilization, can affect these pools. We studied the effect of wood ash application (5 or 15 t ha-1) on the heterotrophic soil respiration (CO₂ emission from the decomposition of peat) on a pine-dominated drained mire in central Finland. The ash was spread 13 years before the measurements. Wood ash roughly doubled the CO₂ emission from the peat soil. Ash treatments increased stand growth substantially: the growing stock on ash plots accumulated carbon 11-12-fold compared to control. In conclusion, the ash induced increase in biomass production considerably decreased carbon emissions from the study site.