Short rotation woody crops have gained global interest as an alternative energy source to fossil fuels. The availability of this resource is, however, dependent on successful research trials and the identification and quantification of the environmental controls on rapid growth. Knowledge of willow root dynamics is required to determine belowground and aboveground growth relationships, and to provide valuable inputs for the development of a willow carbon model. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine fine root turnover, biomass, and productivity of six willow clones over two growing seasons at four locations in Saskatchewan using the minirhizotron method; 2) determine fine root biomass and fine root carbon sequestration of six willow clones over one growing season at four locations in Saskatchewan using the soil coring method; and 3) determine lateral coarse root structure of six willow clones at two locations in Saskatchewan.<p> Monthly fine root biomass and production was estimated for six willow clones in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan using repeated minirhizotron observations from May to September of 2008 and 2009. Fine root biomass increased from 0.78 Mg ha-1 in May 2008 to 25.75 Mg ha-1 in September 2009. Significant differences were seen between months throughout each growing season, but not between the clones. Mean monthly productivity reached its peak of 8.00 Mg ha-1 in July 2009. Mean turnover for all the clones was 0.96 yr-1 and mean longevity was 1.04 yr-1. The high fine root biomass estimates determined by the minirhizotron method in Saskatoon suggest that this method is not suitable for use in a Vertisolic soil. There was no significant effect of clone on fine root productivity, biomass, turnover or longevity (P < 0.05).<p> Fine root biomass estimates from the soil cores were lower than those from the minirhizotron method. The mean fine root biomass value in Saskatoon for September 2008 was 0.298 Mg ha-1. Mean fine root biomass at each site from September 2007 to September 2008 ranged from 0.022 Mg ha-1 to 0.915 Mg ha-1. Mean root carbon content ranged from 0.010 to 0.426 Mg C ha-1. Fine root biomass and root carbon content were significantly different between each site, with the exception of Saskatoon and Estevan (P < 0.05). Differences in fine root estimates between the sites are suggested to be a function of the soil texture and moisture accessibility at each site. This research indicates that willow roots in Saskatchewan find initial establishment difficult in low moisture, fine textured soils. Also, approximately 44.6 % of fine root biomass is comprised of C, and decomposes to form soil organic matter. Therefore, fine roots have potential to store substantial amounts of carbon if growing conditions are suitable.

Short rotation woody crops have gained global interest as an alternative energy source to fossil fuels. The availability of this resource is, however, dependent on successful research trials and the identification and quantification of the environmental controls on rapid growth. Knowledge of willow root dynamics is required to determine belowground and aboveground growth relationships, and to provide valuable inputs for the development of a willow carbon model. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine fine root turnover, biomass, and productivity of six willow clones over two growing seasons at four locations in Saskatchewan using the minirhizotron method; 2) determine fine root biomass and fine root carbon sequestration of six willow clones over one growing season at four locations in Saskatchewan using the soil coring method; and 3) determine lateral coarse root structure of six willow clones at two locations in Saskatchewan.<p> Monthly fine root biomass and production was estimated for six willow clones in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan using repeated minirhizotron observations from May to September of 2008 and 2009. Fine root biomass increased from 0.78 Mg ha-1 in May 2008 to 25.75 Mg ha-1 in September 2009. Significant differences were seen between months throughout each growing season, but not between the clones. Mean monthly productivity reached its peak of 8.00 Mg ha-1 in July 2009. Mean turnover for all the clones was 0.96 yr-1 and mean longevity was 1.04 yr-1. The high fine root biomass estimates determined by the minirhizotron method in Saskatoon suggest that this method is not suitable for use in a Vertisolic soil. There was no significant effect of clone on fine root productivity, biomass, turnover or longevity (P < 0.05).<p> Fine root biomass estimates from the soil cores were lower than those from the minirhizotron method. The mean fine root biomass value in Saskatoon for September 2008 was 0.298 Mg ha-1. Mean fine root biomass at each site from September 2007 to September 2008 ranged from 0.022 Mg ha-1 to 0.915 Mg ha-1. Mean root carbon content ranged from 0.010 to 0.426 Mg C ha-1. Fine root biomass and root carbon content were significantly different between each site, with the exception of Saskatoon and Estevan (P < 0.05). Differences in fine root estimates between the sites are suggested to be a function of the soil texture and moisture accessibility at each site. This research indicates that willow roots in Saskatchewan find initial establishment difficult in low moisture, fine textured soils. Also, approximately 44.6 % of fine root biomass is comprised of C, and decomposes to form soil organic matter. Therefore, fine roots have potential to store substantial amounts of carbon if growing conditions are suitable.

The Southern Appalachian hardwood forests contain a wide diversity of flora and fauna. Understanding processes that affect nutrient availability in these forests is essential for sound forest management. Three interconnected research projects regarding soil resource heterogeneity were designed to increase our understanding of this ecosystem. The objective of these projects were as follows: 1) to examine and quantify the role of decaying stumps in regards to total carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools and fine-root dynamics, 2) compare and contrast the use of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) vs. a soil auger for estimating soil depth and site quality and 3) to evaluate how eastern red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) affect N-availability. For the stump study, results show that decomposing stumps occupy approximately 1.2% of the total soil volume and constitute 4% and 10% of total soil N and C pools. Significant differences in N (p = 0.0114), C (p = 0.0172), microbial biomass C (p = 0.0004), potentially mineralizable N (p = 0.0042), and extractable NH4+ (p = 0.0312) concentrations were observed when compared to mineral soil horizons. In particular, potentially mineralizable N was 2.5 times greater in stump soil than the A-horizon (103 vs. 39 mg kg-1), 2.7 times greater for extractable NH4+ (16 vs. 6 mg kg-1) and almost 4 times greater for MBC (1528 vs. 397 mg kg-1). These measured properties suggest higher N-availability, organic matter turnover and N uptake in stump soil versus the bulk soil. 19% of the total fine root length and 14% of fine root surface area also occurred in the stump soil. The increased fine root length suggests higher concentrations of labile nutrient in the stumps since roots often proliferate in areas with higher nutrient availability. Significant differences occurred in N and C concentrations between all four decay classes and the A-horizon, which validated the use of this system and the need to calculate weighted averages based on the frequency and soil volume influenced by each decay class. In the GPR Study, depth estimations were shallower using a soil auger compared to estimates obtained using GPR across all plots (p = 0.0002; Figure 3.4). On a soil volume basis, this was equivalent to about 3500 m3 of soil per hectare unaccounted for using traditional methods. In regards to using soil depth as a predictor for site quality, no significant relationships were observed with soil depth estimations obtained from the auger (Table 3.3). On the other hand, depth measurements from GPR explained significant amounts of variation across all sites and by physiographic region. Across all sites, soil depth estimates from GPR explained 45.5% of the residual variation (p = 0.001; Table 3.3). When the data were stratified by physiographic region, a higher amount of variation was explained by the regression equations; 85% for the Cumberland Plateau (p = 0.009), 86.7% for the Allegheny Plateau (0.007) and 66.7% for the Ridge and Valley (p = 0.013), respectively (Table 4.2). Results from this study demonstrate how inaccurate current methods can be for estimating soil depth rocky forests soils. Furthermore, depth estimations from GPR can be used to increase the accuracy of site quality in the southern Appalachians. In the salamander study, no significant salamander density treatment or treatment by time effects were observed over the entire study period (p < 0.05). However, when the data were separated by individual sampling periods a few significant treatment by time interactions occurred: 1) during August 2006 for available NH4+ under the forest floor (i.e. horizontal cation membranes; p = 0.001), 2) August and 3) September 2006 for available NH4+ in the A-horizon (p = 0.026), and 4) May 2007 for available NO3- under the forest floor (p = 0.011). As a result of these trends, an index of cumulative N-availability (i.e. NH4+ and NO3-) under the forest floor and in the A-horizon was examined through the entire study period. Cumulative N-availability under the forest floor was consistently higher in the low- and medium-density salamander treatments compared to the high-density treatment. For cumulative N-availability in the A-horizon, a gradient of high to low N-availability existed as salamander density increased. Factors such as a prolonged drought in 2007 may have affected our ability to accurately assess the effects of salamanders on N-availability. We concluded that higher salamander densities do not increase N-availability. Implementing methodologies that accurately account for soil nutrient pools such as stump soil, physical properties such as depth and fauna such as salamanders, increase our understanding of factors that regulate site productivity in these ecosystems. As a result, landscape-level and stand-level management decisions can be conducted more effectively. / Ph. D.

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