Short-time effect of harvesting methods on soil respiration dynamics in a beech forest in southern Mediterranean Italy

CO2 fluxes from soil, together with soil water content and temperature havebeen measured over one solar year in an even-aged beech forest (Fagus SylvaticaL.) in southern Italy. We investigated the effects of three different harvestedbiomass removal treatments (traditional, innovative, unharvested control)on soil respiration (Rs) in three plots from May 2014 to April 2015, withthe aim to evaluate the effects of such silvicultural practices on the CO2respired from the forest floor. The influence of soil temperature and soil moistureon soil respiration was also analysed. Rs showed large variations amongthe treatments, with the innovative treatment resulting in significantly highersoil respiration than control and traditional treatments. There were no significantdifferences in soil temperature between the treatments, whereas soilwater content was statistically different only in the innovative treatment. Thestudy showed that the mean soil respiration increased with thinning intensity,confirming that after harvesting, residues remaining on the forest floor anddecomposing roots may contribute to raise soil respiration, due to the highermicrobial activity.