Abstract
Summary During ground-based harvesting operations the passage of machinery leads to the formation of a mosaic of major and minor snig tracks from tree stumps to the landing. The impact of heavy traffic can lead to significant changes in the underlying soil physical properties and potentially in long-term growth of trees on these tracks. This study examined the impact of major snig tracks on the productivity of wet eucalypt forest in Tasmania. The three stands studied were dominated by Eucalyptus obliqua that regenerated from clearfelling, slash burning and aerial sowing 17–23 y earlier. Accumulated tree growth and soil physical and chemical properties were measured in three zones: snig tracks, transitional zone (edge of snig tracks), and control. There was a dramatic decline of 52– 80% in the accumulated tree volume in snig track zones when compared to the control zones. This was accompanied by a significant increase in the soil bulk density of 20–23%, and measured changes in a number of soil properties including 22– 33% decrease in organic carbon, 28–32% decrease in total N, and 3–11% decrease in total P on the snig track zones. There was no significant difference in either the soil physical or chemical properties of the transitional zones compared to the control zones, but there was a significant increase in tree growth in the transitional zones, ranging from 30% to 100%. An increase in stand density was the major factor contributing to improved growth in transitional zones, with increases in average diameter and average height having minimal effect. After 17–23 y the increase in stand productivity in the transitional zone compensated for much of the productivity lost due to poor growth on the snig tracks. The overall negative impact of snig tracks on stand productivity was calculated to be of the order of 2–3%.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Accumulated tree volume was 52–80% lower on snig tracks than controls.
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus obliqua
Eucalyptus obliquae1 - Treatment
- snig track zonese0
- Outcome
- accumulated tree volumee0
- Direction
- declinee0
- Value
- 52– 80%e0
- Comparator
- control zonese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“decline of 52– 80% in the accumulated tree volume in snig track zones when compared to the control zones”
e1“Eucalyptus obliqua”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil bulk density was 20–23% higher in snig tracks.
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus obliquaEucalyptus obliquae2
- Outcome
- soil bulk densitye0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 20–23%e0
- Setting
- snig track zonese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significant increase in the soil bulk density of 20–23%”
e1“snig track zones when compared to the control zones”
e2“Eucalyptus obliqua”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil organic carbon fell by 22–33% on snig tracks.
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus obliquaEucalyptus obliquae2
- Outcome
- organic carbone0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Value
- 22– 33%e0
- Setting
- snig track zonese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“22– 33% decrease in organic carbon”
e1“on the snig track zones”
e2“Eucalyptus obliqua”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil total N fell by 28–32% on snig tracks.
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus obliquaEucalyptus obliquae2
- Outcome
- total Ne0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Value
- 28–32%e0
- Setting
- snig track zonese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“28–32% decrease in total N”
e1“on the snig track zones”
e2“Eucalyptus obliqua”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil total P fell by 3–11% on snig tracks.
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus obliquaEucalyptus obliquae1
- Outcome
- total Pe0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Value
- 3–11%e0
- Setting
- snig track zonese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“3–11% decrease in total P on the snig track zones”
e1“Eucalyptus obliqua”
Claim · model-written summary
Transitional zones did not differ significantly from controls in soil physical or chemical properties.
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus obliquaEucalyptus obliquae1
- Outcome
- soil physical or chemical propertiese0
- Direction
- no significant differencee0
- Comparator
- control zonese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“There was no significant difference in either the soil physical or chemical properties of the transitional zones compared to the control zones”
e1“Eucalyptus obliqua”
Claim · model-written summary
Tree growth in transitional zones exceeded controls by 30–100%.
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus obliquaEucalyptus obliquae1
- Outcome
- tree growthe0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 30% to 100%e0
- Setting
- transitional zonese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significant increase in tree growth in the transitional zones, ranging from 30% to 100%”
e1“Eucalyptus obliqua”
Claim · model-written summary
Increased stand density was the major contributor to improved transitional zone growth.
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus obliquaEucalyptus obliquae1
- Outcome
- improved growth in transitional zonese0
- Qualifier
- increase in stand densitye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“An increase in stand density was the major factor contributing to improved growth in transitional zones”
e1“Eucalyptus obliqua”
Claim · model-written summary
Average diameter and height contributed minimally to improved growth.
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus obliquaEucalyptus obliquae1
- Outcome
- minimal effecte0
- Qualifier
- increases in average diameter and average heighte0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increases in average diameter and average height having minimal effect”
e1“Eucalyptus obliqua”
Claim · model-written summary
Transitional zone productivity compensated for much of the snig track loss after 17–23 years.
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus obliquaEucalyptus obliquae1
- Outcome
- stand productivity in the transitional zone compensated for much of the productivity loste0
- Qualifier
- After 17–23 ye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“After 17–23 y the increase in stand productivity in the transitional zone compensated for much of the productivity lost due to poor growth on the snig tracks”
e1“Eucalyptus obliqua”
Claim · model-written summary
Overall stand productivity loss from snig tracks was approximately 2–3%.
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus obliquaEucalyptus obliquae1
- Outcome
- stand productivitye0
- Direction
- negative impacte0
- Value
- 2–3%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“overall negative impact of snig tracks on stand productivity was calculated to be of the order of 2–3%”
e1“Eucalyptus obliqua”