Water Stewardship Information Sources
| Citation | Zhu, JZ and Mazumder, A. 2008. Estimating nitrogen exports in response to forest vegetation, age and soil types in two coastal-forested watersheds in British Columbia. Forest Ecology and Management 255:1945-1959. |
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| Organization | Uvic |
| URL | http://web.uvic.ca/water/publications/Zhu%20&%20Mazumder%202008%20Fst%20Ecol%20Mgmt.pdf |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | This study compared the variability in nitrogen (N) export as a function of (i) vegetation types, (ii) soil types, and (iii) both vegetation and soil types using the least square estimation method for two coastal-forested watersheds in southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Nitrogen exports estimated using both vegetation and soil types were found to be more accurate than those estimated by either vegetation or soil types alone. Results showed that forested wetlands had the highest N exports ranging from 0.16 to 0.98 kg ha1 year1 for ammonium-N (NH4-N), from 0.27 to 2.95 kg ha1 year1 for nitrate-N (NO3-N) and from 3.48 to 5.61 kg ha1 year1 for total N (TN). Young forests had the lowest N exports ranging from 0.03 to 0.74 kg ha1 year1 for NH4-N, from 0.01 to 0.21 kg ha1 year1 for NO3-N and from 0.57 to 1.03 kg ha1 year1 for TN. Duric Dystric Brunisols had the highest N exports, 2.78 kg ha1 year1 of TN and Orthic Ferro-Humic Podzols had the lowest, 1.54 kg ha1 year1 of TN. A Hoerl curve described the response of N export rates to the change of forest ages well. Average TN export decreased from 4.00 kg ha1 year1 for forest regeneration to 0.75 kg ha1 year1 for young forests and then increased from 1.28 kg ha1 year1 for mature forests to 1.74 kg ha1 year1 for oldgrowth forests. Using watershed protection, as an example, that will eventually convert all the current forests into old-growth forests, an even area distribution of forest ages from regeneration to mature will reduce N export from forested lands to streams by up to 37% in Sooke Lake watershed. # 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Nitrogen; Forest; Vegetation; Soil; Forest age; Model; Watershed 1. Introduction Nitro |
| Information Type | article |
| Regional Watershed | Vancouver Island South |
| Sub-watershed if known | Sooke Lake, Leech River |
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| Project status | complete |
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