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Forest, Range & Wildland Soils

Particle Density of Aspen, Spruce, and Pine Forest Floors in Alberta, Canada

^a Dep. of Biological Sciences, CW405 Biological Sciences Centre, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2E9
^b Dep. of Renewable Resources, 442 Earth Sciences Bldg., Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2E3

^* Corresponding author (tredding{at}ualberta.ca)

Soil particle density (_s), the ratio of the mass of soil solids to the volume of solids, is used to derive such properties as soil porosity and heat capacity, which are critical to understanding and modeling water, energy, and nutrient fluxes through forested landscapes. Values of forest floor _s and organic matter particle density (_o) vary widely in the literature, so it is difficult to know which values are appropriate under different circumstances. We measured _s, _o, bulk density (_b), loss-on-ignition (LOI), and total C for a range of forest types in northern Alberta, Canada. Although samples were obtained from a diverse range of forest types, our measured values of forest floor _s (1.52–1.60 Mg m^–3) and calculated values of _o (1.41–1.44 Mg m^–3) showed no statistically significant differences among stand types. The measured values of _s and _o were greater than many values in the literature, potentially due to differences in measurement methods. Measurements of _s should be performed across a range of forest floor and organic soil types to refine our understanding of the variation in this fundamental soil property.

Abbreviations: _b, bulk density • _o, organic matter particle density • _m, mineral particle density • _s, soil particle density • EMEND, Ecosystem Management Emulating Natural Disturbance • HEAD, Hydrology, Ecology and Disturbance • LOI, loss-on-ignition • URSA, Utikuma Research Study Area

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