Do fast-growing trees pose a threat to the nutrient stores in soil?
In Canada, the growing demand for wood fibre, combined with the desire to protect vast expanses of forest from commercial harvesting, has stimulated interest in the use of fast-growing tree species. This interest has raised concomitant fears about the potentially adverse effects of these species on the nutrient reserves of the soil and the need to use costly fertilizers that can have harmful effects on the environment. Researchers at the CFS and the Université du Québec à Montréal conducted a comparative study to determine the effect of the faster growth rates of some Norway spruce provenances on nutrient availability and distribution in the soil. Another aim of the study was to compare the results with the predictions derived from the PROFILE model, used to estimate the chemical composition of soil. Based on studies carried out at Valcartier and in the Gaspé region, the researchers concluded that, in the short term, faster growth rates do not impoverish the soil (i.e. reduce nutrient
