Soil Carbon Stocks in Forests Recovering from Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak: A possible carbon sink?

MPB-damaged stands are considered to be one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in Alberta; however, there are gaps in the knowledge regarding the carbon status of stands post-MPB mortality. This project will assess how soil carbon content is altered by changes in forest composition. This information will feed directly into the Canadian Forest Service carbon budget model, and assist with land management decisions post MPB outbreak.

Objective

Our objective is to compare soil carbon stocks in stands disturbed by mountain pine beetle with those in intact lodgepole pine stands.

We hypothesize that the mycorrhizal type of the dominant vegetation in a forest influences carbon cycling. We predict that the replacement of ectomycorrhizal pines with AM plant communities will increase soil carbon stocks.