Soil characteristics under selected broadleaved tree species in East Norway

Comprehensive analyses of soil properties of sites of native Scandinavian broadleaved tree species were performed in 36 habitats in East Norway. The material consisted of stands of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.), white birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.), black alder (Alnus glutinosa Gaertn.), speckled alder (Alnus incana Moench.), European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.), pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) and sessile oak (Quercus petraea [Matt.] Liebl.). The main objective was to describe the vertical characteristics and variations in some selected soil variables of the soil profiles. Particular soil horizons of 15 Brunisolic soils, 11 Regosolic soils, 6 Gleysolic and 4 Podzolic were sampled and analyzed for soil texture, bulk density, specific density, porosity, oxidizable carbon, total nitrogen content, pH in water, exchangeable acidity, exchangeable cations and anions (Mg, Ca, Mn, Al, S, Fe, B, P and K), cation exchange capacity and base saturation. No regular patterns were found in selected soil properties when tested between various soil units in silver birch stands. Furthermore, silver birch stands were found on sites, which topsoil (i) significantly differed in their cation exchange capacities, (ii) did not differ significantly in their pH values, and (iii) mostly differed in their clay contents and (iv) mostly did not differ in BS. Differences among the Humic Regosols, Luvic Gleysols, Sombric Brunisols, Eutric Brunisols and Humo-Ferric Podzols for silver birch stands in their topmost horizons of humified organic matter intimately mixed with the mineral fraction horizons and differences among particular soil horizons for the main soil properties under all the selected broadleaved tree species stands are discussed.