Does green tree retention maintain soil function after harvest?
Grayston, Sue*,1, Addison, Jan2, Berch, Shannon3, deMontigny, Louise3, Durall, Dan4, Egger, Keith5, Jones, Melanie4, Modesto, Robin6, Mohn, William 1, Panesar, Tochi 2, Prescott, Cindy1, Simard, Suzanne1, Srivastava, Diane1, 1 University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada2 Royal Roads University, Victoria, B.C., Canada3 B.C. Ministry of Forests, Victoria, B.C., Canada4 Okanagan University College, Kelowna, B.C., Canada5 University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, B.C., Canada6 International Forest Products Ltd, Campbell River, B.C., Canada ABSTRACT- In forests variable retention of living trees is increasingly being favored as an alternative to clear-cutting. There is clear evidence that clear-cutting affects the biomass, diversity and community structure of soil microorganisms and soil invertebrates. There is also evidence that partial cutting has a smaller effect than clear-cutting on soil organisms. What is less clear, is which type of partial cutting best prot
