Soil, a natural resource of bioeconomy

Transcription

1 Soil, a natural resource of bioeconomy Nahia Gartzia Bengoetxea Ander Arias González Uda Ikastaroak UPV/EHU 2017, Forest Bioeconomy in Southern Europe: opportunities and challenges

2 Soils are fundamental Society depends on fertile soils and their long-term maintenance for the production of food, raw materials and bio-based energy. BIOECONOMY plays a crucial role as it contributes to intensive forest practices and thus puts pressures on SOILS.

3 Soil, The Skin of the Earth Earth s diameter 6000 km Soil layer 1-2 m

4 Soil, Big Action Zone Soil formation rate or pedogenesis between 1-2 cm per 100 years under permanent grassland in temperate climates

5 Soil ecosystem services Provisioning services Regulation services Cultural services Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

6 Provisioning services

7 Regulating services

8 Regulating services Tones of carbon per hectare 477 trees/ha DBH (cm): 22.4 h (m): 15.7 ca. 10 years 450 trees/ha DBH (cm): 32.8 h (m): 26.3 ca. 20 years Trunk: 31.5 Crown:14.0 Forest floor: cm: cm: 28, cm:10.9 Trunk: 88.5 Crown:11.8 Forest floor: cm: cm: cm:16.4 Trunk: Crown: 20.2 Forest floor: cm: cm: trees/ha DBH (cm): 37.3 h (m): 25.5 ca. 30 years Drawings adapted from Kevin Zobrist (2005).

9 Regulating services Carbon content (Tn/ha) Percentage (%) Total C (Tn/ha) 10 y 20 y 30 y Aboveground Belowground Aboveground Belowground Aboveground Belowground % of C stock in soil

10 Cultural services

11 Cultural services The relation of Basque people with soil created neighborwork that promoted stronger and more cohesive community

12 But Soils are NOT all the same

13 Rusty Monty Ally Claude Heather Source: James Hutton Institute and Soil Images Catalogue (ESDAC)

14 Soil classiffication (WRB, 2014): Dystric cambisol Cambisols generally make good agricultural land and are used intensively. Acid Cambisols are used for mixed arable farming and as grazing and forest land. Cambisols on steep slopes are best kept under continuous cover forest. Rusty Reference soil group Ecosystem services Food Climate Water Cultural SUM Cambisols Reference soil group Cambisols Major ecosystem service Food security

15 Soil classiffication (WRB, 2014): Rendzic leptosol Erosion is the greatest threat to Leptosol areas, particularly in montane regions in the temperate zones where high population pressure (tourism), overexploitation and increasing environmental pollution lead to deterioration of forests and threaten large areas of vulnerable Leptosols. Monty Reference soil group Ecosystem services Food Climate Water Cultural SUM Leptosols Reference soil group Leptosols Major ecosystem service Water runoff

16 Soil classiffication (WRB, 2014): Eutric vertisol These soils have considerable agricultural potential, but adapted management is a precondition for sustained production. Their physical soil characteristics and, notably, their difficult water management cause problems. Claude Reference soil group Ecosystem services Food Climate Water Cultural SUM Vertisols Reference soil group Vertisols Major ecosystem service Food security

17 Soil classiffication (WRB, 2014): Albic podzol The low nutrient status, low level of available moisture and low ph make Podzols unattractive soils for arable farming. Aluminium toxicity and P deficiency are common problems. Heather Reference soil group Ecosystem services Food Climate Water Cultural SUM Podzols Reference soil group Podzols Major ecosystem service Biomass

18 Soil classiffication (WRB, 2014): Humic gleysol Gleysols can be used for arable cropping, dairy farming and horticulture. Soil structure will be destroyed for a long time if soils are cultivated when too wet. Ally Reference soil group Ecosystem services Food Climate Water Cultural SUM Gleysols Reference soil group Gleysols Major ecosystem service Food security

19 Soil, a non renewable natural resource Revised World Soil Charter, Principle 3: Soil management is sustainable if the supporting, provisioning, regulating, and cultural services provided by soil are maintained or enhanced without significantly impairing either the soil functions that enable those services or biodiversity. The balance between the supporting and provisioning services for plant production and the regulating services the soil provides for water quality and availability and for atmospheric greenhouse gas composition is a particular concern.

20 Soil s status in 2015 %33 of the land is moderately to highly degraded, due to - Soil organic matter decline - Soil erosion - Soil compaction - Soil sealing But this trend can be reversed promoting sustainable management practices and the use of appropriate technologies through soil governance

21 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) 1. Minimize soil erosion 2. Enhance soil organic matter content 3. Prevent and mitigate soil compaction 4. Foster soil nutrient balance and cycles 5. Improvement of soil water regime 6. Minimize soil sealing

22 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) 1. Minimize soil erosion Soil erosion causes the loss of surface soil layers containing organic and mineral nutrient pools * Soil loss (kg/ha constant weight)

23 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) Land-use practices such as clearcuts that cause removal of surface cover and loss of soil carbon should be avoided or carefully planned and appropriately implemented if unavoidable. Organic residues (e.g., forest floor) that protects the soil surface from erosion should be maintained through implementation of appropriate measures such as mulching or controlled vehicle traffic.

24 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) 2. Enhance soil organic matter content 30,0 L layer FH layer Forest floor (Mg ha-1) 25,0 20,0 15,0 10,0 5,0 Soil organic matter plays a central role in maintaining soil functions and preventing soil degradation. 0,0 Oak Beech Pine 40ys Pine 16ys Pine 3ys Gartzia-Bengoetxea, N., González-Arias, A., Martínez de Arano, I. Effects of tree species and clear-cut forestry on forest-floor characteristics in adjacent temperate forests in northern Spain Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 2009, 39(7): , /X09-053

25 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) Maintain or increase organic matter content through practices such as: low impact silvicultural systems, or providing the soil with a permanent cover (continuous cover forestry). Fire should preferably be avoided. Where fire is a naturally occurring event, steps to minimize erosion and encourage re- vegetation after fire should be considered.

26 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) 3. Prevent and mitigate soil compaction Soil compaction reduces soil aeration by destroying soil aggregates and collapsing macropore density, and reduces water drainage and infiltration, generating higher runoff. Bulk density (Mg m -3 ) Soil Penetration Resistance (MPa) Available water content (%) Saturated hydraulic conductivity (cm h -1 ) Manual 1.25 (0.0) a* 1.63 (0.48) a 17.9 (0.44) a 3.79 (0.14) a Scalping 1.50 (0.0) b 3.73 (0.89) b 16.9 (0.11) b 0.46 (0.17) b Ripping 1.49 (0.81) b 3.23 (0.51) b 15.4 (0.13) c 0.98 (0.36) b Gonzalez-Arias A, N. Gartzia-Bengoetxea, M. Onaindia, I. Martinez de Arano The effect of site preparation on water and soil protection in Pinus radiata plantations in the Basque Country. Ecosystem Goods and Services from Planted Forests. International Congress on Cultivated Forests

27 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) Vehicular traffic should be minimized to absolutely essential and by performing forestry operations only when soil moisture content is suitable. Machines and vehicles used in the field should be adjusted to soil strength and should be equipped with tyre pressure control systems and use of heavy machinery should be avoided. Brush mats should be used to help protect exposed soils from physical damage. An adequate amount of soil organic matter should be maintained to improve and stabilize soil structure.

28 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) 4. Foster soil nutrient balance and cycles The concepts of sufficiency and utilization efficiency apply especially to nutrient dynamics in the soil-waterplant root continuum. Gartzia-Bengoetxea, N. and González-Arias, A Protective capacity of soil organic carbon of forest soils and sequestration potential for forestry. I workshop on GHG from the Spanish agroforestry sector

29 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) 4. Foster soil nutrient balance and cycles The concepts of sufficiency and utilization efficiency apply especially to nutrient dynamics in the soil-waterplant root continuum.

30 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) Natural soil fertility and natural nutrient cycles should be improved and maintained through the preservation or enhancement of soil organic matter. Fertilizer application methods, types, rates and timing should be appropriate to limit losses and promote balanced crop nutrient uptake. This should be based on soil and plant analyses and be a long-term endeavor rather than short term action.

31 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) 5. Improve soil water management Riverflow

32 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) 5. Improve soil water management Species matters Annual evaporation from broadleaved woodland is generally much less than from conifers due to reduced interception losses during the leafless period. Groundwater recharge under beech and ash woodland on chalk can be expected to be similar or slightly higher than that under managed grassland. Recharge under broadleaved woodland on drier sandy soils is likely to be reduced compared with grass (FR, 2011).

33 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) 5. Improve soil water management Short rotation energy forest crops sustain high transpiration rates on moist or wet soils, resulting in a 5% or greater reduction in potential water yield for every 10% of a catchment covered, when compared with grassland (FR, 2011). 1 m 3 of Pinus radiata wood requires between m 3 of water depending stand density, summer temperature, soil type and accompanying vegetation (Huber and Trecaman, 2004).

34 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) 5. Improve soil water management Stand density matters Thinning of the pine stands reduced the difference between pines and pastures in annual flows and harvesting reversed this trend, with the flow from pine catchments exceeding flows from pasture for the 3 years after harvesting of the pines (Beets and Oliver, 2006).

35 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) 5. Improve soil water management Forest operation matter Bulk density (Mg m -3 ) Soil Penetration Resistance (MPa) Available water content (%) Saturated hydraulic conductivity (cm h -1 ) Manual 1.25 (0.0) a* 1.63 (0.48) a 17.9 (0.44) a 3.79 (0.14) a Scalping 1.50 (0.0) b 3.73 (0.89) b 16.9 (0.11) b 0.46 (0.17) b Ripping 1.49 (0.81) b 3.23 (0.51) b 15.4 (0.13) c 0.98 (0.36) b Gonzalez-Arias A, N. Gartzia-Bengoetxea, M. Onaindia, I. Martinez de Arano The effect of site preparation on water and soil protection in Pinus radiata plantations in the Basque Country. Ecosystem Goods and Services from Planted Forests. International Congress on Cultivated Forests

36 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) Optimal soil water extraction by selection of appropriate species and provenances and a planification of forest activities. Measures should be implemented to optimize water-use efficiency such as the management of soil cover to increase soil water availability. Trade-offs in terms of the potential for forests to reduce water yield are usually more than compensated by the water quality and the other ecosystem services provided by forests for example biodiversity, carbon sequestration, landscape and recreation (FR, 2011). Create water protection zones were appropriate.

37 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) 6. Minimize soil sealing Surface (ha) NFI 2010 NFI 2005 Land conversion and subsequent soil sealing for settlements and infrastructure affect all soils Forest soils Agricultural soils Sealed soils Water Total source: National Forest Inventory

38 Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) Existing policies, relevant laws and land use planning procedures for the development of settlements and infrastructure should be reviewed to ensure the preservation of productive soils. Where policy and legislation aim to minimize land conversion, measures should be implemented to encourage densification and re-use of existing urban or industrial areas. Soils with significant ecosystem services including high soil carbon stocks, high biological diversity or high agricultural suitability should be protected from land conversion for settlements and infrastructure by special legislation.

39 Soil governance What is it? Soil governance refers to the policies, strategies, and the processes of decision-making employed by governments regarding the use of soil. Shapes the way soils are used. Regulates the use of soils in order to avoid and manage conflicts between stakeholders about soils. Characterized as multi-level, multi-actor and multi-scale

40 Soil governance The challenge in the context of bioeconomy? Ensure the supply of soil ecosystem services, specifically those that deliver public goods.

41 Soil governance 3 pillars Efectiveness: indicators and monitoring systems. Efficiency: costs should include not only direct use of resource, transaction costs should be considered Legitimacy: transparency and accountability. Involvement of local stakeholders particularly important to successfully deal with trade-offs between different soil ecosystem services.

42 Once upon a time The Nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself. Franklin D. Roosevelt, 26 February 1937 Franklin D. Roosevelt: "Letter to all State Governors on a Uniform Soil Conservation Law.," February 26, 1937