BG Biogeosciences BG Biogeosciences 1726-4189 Copernicus Publications Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/bg-11-6095-2014 Short-term effects of thinning, clear-cutting and stump harvesting on methane exchange in a boreal forest Sundqvist E. 1 Vestin P. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4731-8863 1 Crill P. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1110-3059 2 Persson T. 3 Lindroth A. 1 Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockhol, Sweden Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden 12 11 2014 11 21 6095 6105 Copyright: © 2014 E. Sundqvist et al. 2014 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ This article is available from https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/11/6095/2014/bg-11-6095-2014.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/11/6095/2014/bg-11-6095-2014.pdf

Forest management practices can alter soil conditions, affecting the consumption and production processes that control soil methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) exchange. We studied the short-term effects of thinning, clear-cutting and stump harvesting on the CH<sub>4</sub> exchange between soil and atmosphere at a boreal forest site in central Sweden, using an undisturbed plot as the control. Chambers in combination with a high-precision laser gas analyser were used for continuous measurements. Both the undisturbed plot and the thinned plot were net sinks of CH<sub>4</sub>, whereas the clear-cut plot and the stump harvested plot were net CH<sub>4</sub> sources. The CH<sub>4</sub> uptake at the thinned plot was reduced in comparison to the undisturbed plot. The shift from sink to source at the clear-cut and stump harvested plots was probably due to a rise in the water table and an increase in soil moisture, leading to lower gas diffusivity and more reduced conditions, which favour CH<sub>4</sub> production by archea. Reduced evapotranspiration after harvesting leads to wetter soils, decreased CH<sub>4</sub> consumption and increased CH<sub>4</sub> production, and should be accounted for in the CH<sub>4</sub> budget of managed forests.

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