Podzols and associated soils in semi-natural Oak woodlands. A preliminary report.

  • D.J. Little Department of Environmental Resource Management, University College Dublin.
  • E.P. Farrell Department of Environmental Resource Management, University College Dublin.
  • J.F. Collins Department of Crop Science, Horticulture and Forestry, University College Dublin.
  • K. Kreutzer Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde, University of Munich, Germany.
  • R. Schier Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde, University of Munich, Germany.
Keywords: Podsol, soil association, oak woodlands, soil formation, site indicator, brown podsolic, soil profile, cation exchange capacity, soil iron complex, base saturation, exchangeable cation, soil analysis, forest soils.

Abstract

In a survey of semi-natural Irish oak woodlands on podzolised soils fourteen sites were chosen for intensive site investigation, morphological observation and analytical assessment. Historical data yield two important facts relevant to soil formation processes. Firstly, all sites have been disturbed to a greater or lesser degree and secondly, most sites appear to have supported Pinus sylvestris before it became extinct. Both these factors would almost certainly have led to the export of bases, curtailed recycling and alteration of the chemical content of the woodland floor. When these factors are considered along with climate, parent material etc. it is difficult to determine if podzolisation was initiated under a dominant oak stand. These woodlands are located on siliceous parent materials and annual precipitation values exceed 1,000 mm. Soil analyses confirm that the soils are highly acidic, very infertile and are very low in clay content. They tend to be free draining coarse sandy or fine silty soils with low cation exchange capacity values.
Published
1990-11-01
How to Cite
Little, D., Farrell, E., Collins, J., Kreutzer, K. and Schier, R. (1990) “Podzols and associated soils in semi-natural Oak woodlands. A preliminary report. ”, Irish Forestry. Available at: https://journal.societyofirishforesters.ie/index.php/forestry/article/view/9689 (Accessed: 28March2024).
Section
Articles

Most read articles by the same author(s)