High Methane Uptake from Soils of Low and High Density Radiata Pine Afforestations Compared to Herbaceous Systems

• Published in: Journal of sustainable forestry Vol. 40; no. 1; pp. 99 - 109
• Main Authors: De Bernardi, María, Priano, María E., Fusé, Victoria S., Fernández, María E., Gyenge, Javier, Guzmán, Sergio A., Juliarena, María P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Taylor & Francis 01-01-2021; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Afforestation; Agricultural industry; Agricultural land; Bulk density; Fluxes; Forestry; Grasslands; Livestock; Methane; Methane uptake; Moisture content; Pine; pine afforestation; Regression analysis; silvopastoral system; Soil temperature; Soil water; static chamber technique; Statistical analysis; Sustainability; Vegetation cover; Water content
• DOI: 10.1080/10549811.2020.1745653
• EISSN: 1540-756X
• ISSN: 1054-9811

During a one-year period, methane (CH
4
) fluxes from soil were studied in a southern temperate region system using a static chamber technique. Four treatments on neighboring areas with similar environmental characteristics but different vegetation cover were considered: a natural grassland (NG), an agricultural land (AL), a low tree density radiata pine afforestation (P1 - suitable for silvopastoral use), and a dense radiata pine afforestation (P2). CH
4
uptake increased in the following order: AL < NG < P1 and P2 (statistically significant differences), without differences between P1 and P2. CH
4
fluxes were mainly influenced by soil water content (R = 0.78; p = .0001) and bulk density (R = 0.75; p = .0004) indicating that CH
4
uptake by soils is primarily connected to methane soil diffusivity. The statistical differences of these parameters could partially justify CH
4
flux differences found among treatments. However, a multiple linear regression analysis indicated that other factors such as soil temperature also control CH
4
fluxes (R
2
 = 0.86, p≪4x10
−6
), and could explain temporal patterns. Results suggest that the low tree density afforestations, suitable for silvopastoral use, have a functional role (CH
4
uptake) similar to that of dense forests, and could be a good option to mitigate CH
4
emissions by livestock and agricultural sector.