Effect of conversion of rangelands to planted forests on some physical and chemical soil properties

Abstract

So far it is well known that the conversion of degraded rangelands to planted forests through afforestation practices affects soil properties. Therefore, we selected one rangeland and two planted forest area to study the physical and chemical properties of soil in different land uses in Hassanabad region of Sanandaj in Kurdistan province. Physical soil characteristics such as the percentage of water content and soil bulk density were sampled in two-week intervals during 2012 to 2013 at three points in each area. In addition, a set of double rings was conducted to measure infiltration rate at three points within each area. The saturated hydraulic conductivity was computed using the experimental infiltration data. The soil samples for measuring chemical properties (e.g. pH, EC, organic carbon content, phosphorus and total nitrogen) were taken from 3 points in each area at the depth of 20 cm with six repeated measurements. The results showed that converting degraded rangelands to tree plantations has resulted in enhancing the quality of soil physical characteristics, whereas only a portion of the chemical characteristics (organic carbon content, phosphorus and total nitrogen) were positively affected