Restoring Soil Calcium Reverses Forest Decline

John J. Battles, Timothy J. Fahey, Charles T. Driscoll, Joel D. Blum, Chris E. Johnson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

110 Scopus citations

Abstract

Forest decline in the northeastern United States has been linked to the effects of acid deposition on soil nutrients. To test this link, we added a calcium silicate mineral to a paired watershed at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, in an amount designed to gradually replace the estimated amount of calcium lost as a result of human activity in the 20th Century (primarily because of acid deposition). The experimental restoration resulted in a recovery of tree biomass increment. The improved calcium nutrition also promoted higher aboveground net primary production and increased the photosynthetic surface area in the treated watershed relative to that in the reference watershed. These results demonstrated that soil acidification accelerated by acid deposition has contributed to the decline of forest growth and health on naturally acidic soil in the northeastern United States and that decline can be reversed by the addition of calcium.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)15-19
Number of pages5
JournalEnvironmental Science and Technology Letters
Volume1
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 14 2014

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Ecology
  • Water Science and Technology
  • Waste Management and Disposal
  • Pollution
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

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