Soil properties in Scots pine forest invaded by Prunus serotina (Ehrh.)

Black cherry (Prunus serotina) was planted in forests in Central Europe in the hope of producing valuable timber and after the first disappointments, in the hope of improving the soils of coniferous plantations. Nevertheless, an unequivocal evaluation of its effect on soil environment is still a controversial issue. The aim of this study was to determine a temporary fluctuation of selected soil properties in Scots pine forest dominated by black cherry. The research was carried out in Wolow Forest Division (SW Poland). Two Scots pine monocultures developed on podzol site with and without P serotina in shrub layer, were selected for the study. Twelve research plots (10x 10 m) were randomly selected on the sites. On each plot the cover of P serotina in the shrub layer was evaluated and every three months, during single research year (November 2013 - November 2014) soil properties (total N, organic C, soil reaction) were determined in organic (0) and humus (A) horizons. Analysis of variance and PCA procedure demonstrate some significant relationships between P serotina and soil properties in Scots pine forest. The presence of black cherry contributes to continued changes in the organic horizon expressed by increase in total N (range of average from 1.14 to 1.38%) and drop in C:N ratio (range of average from 22.86 to 25.73). Apart from the spring, increase in pH value in the organic (range of average from 4.03 to 4.58) and humus horizons (range of average from 3.59 to 4.04) was found on the site invaded by black cherry.