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Ground based timber harvesting on wet sites has been linked to alteration of soil properties that may result in reduced long term site productivity. Following Hurricane Hugo in the fall of 1989, numerous salvage logging operations were conducted under high soil moisture conditions to reduce wildfire risk and salvage timber within the Francis Marion National Forest in the lower coastal plain of South Carolina. Study sites were established on wet pine flats to examine the long term effects of primary skid trails and site preparation on planted loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) growth. Treatment effects were analyzed as a split-plot within a randomized complete block design with 12 blocks, four levels of site preparation (none, disking, bedding, disking with bedding), and two levels of machine traffic (primary skid trail, no obvious traffic). After 23 years, bedding and disking with bedding enhanced stand density (p < 0.0001) and above ground stand biomass (p < 0.0001) relative to the disking and non-site prepared treatments. None of the site preparation treatments were effective at increasing biomass of individual trees. Mean height (p < 0.0001), DBH (p < 0.0001), and biomass of individual trees (p < 0.0001) were lower on primary skid trails than in non-trafficked areas. Traffic did not have a significant effect on stand density (p < 0.4662) or stand biomass (p = 0.1564). Selected soil physical properties and productivity measurements were similar for the non-site prepared treatment on and off primary skid trails, suggesting that 23 years is sufficient time for soils in wet flats to naturally recover from wet weather harvest disturbance. This study indicates that bedding may be the most efficient management practice to enhance long term stand productivity for loblolly pine on aeration-limited sites by increasing seedling survival. Minimizing the spatial extent of skid trails may increase growth of individual trees. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. ; McIntire-Stennis Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA; National Council for Air and Stream Improvement Inc. (NCASI); USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station Santee Experimental Forest personnel; Virginia Tech Forest Operations and Business Research Cooperative; Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation ; This research received financial and/or logistical support from the McIntire-Stennis Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA; the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement Inc. (NCASI); The USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station Santee Experimental Forest personnel; the Virginia Tech Forest Operations and Business Research Cooperative; and the Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee

Harvesting traffic may alter soil properties and reduce forest productivity if soil disturbances are not mitigated. Logging operations were conducted during high soil moisture conditions on the South Carolina, USA coast to salvage timber and reduce wildfire potential following Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Long term study sites were established on wet pine flats to evaluate effects of primary skid trails and site preparation on soil properties and loblolly pine productivity. The experiment was analyzed as a split-plot within an unbalanced randomized complete block design having 12 blocks, two levels of traffic (primary skid trail (On), no obvious traffic (Off)) and four levels of site preparation (bedding (Bed), disking with bedding (D/B), disking (Disk), no site preparation (None)). Remeasurement of the study was conducted in 2015 at 25 years after salvage logging (stand age 23 years). Bed and D/B treatments had greater saturated hydraulic conductivity (p = 0.0567) and macro porosity (p = 0.0071) and lower bulk density (p = 0.0226) values than Disk and None treatments. Macroporosity benefits were evident two years after site preparation installation, but bulk density and saturated hydraulic conductivity were not, suggesting these two measurements were affected over time by differences in rooting activity influenced by initial aeration benefits. Depth to iron depletion (p = 0.0055) was significantly greater and soil carbon (p < 0.0001) was significantly lower in Bed and D/B treatments due to bed elevation above the water table and improved drainage. This implies greater aeration for roots, but trade-offs in aboveground biomass and soil carbon storage. However, above and below ground carbon differences balanced one another between treatments so that combined carbon storage in soil and above ground loblolly pine biomass was not significantly different by site preparation treatment (p = 0.1127). Bed and D/B resulted in approximately double the stand biomass (p < 0.0001) and stand density (p < 0.0001) than Disk and None. Bed and D/B generally created more favorable soil properties and enhanced long term loblolly pine stand productivity. Differences in soil properties and stand productivity between traffic levels, with and without site preparation, were negligible suggesting natural soil recovery mechanisms were mitigated effects of wet site harvesting over 25 years. ; McIntire-Stennis Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA; National Council for Air and Stream Improvement Inc. (NCASI); USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station Santee Experimental Forest; Virginia Tech Forest Operations and Business Research Cooperative; Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation ; This research received financial and/or logistical support from the McIntire-Stennis Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA; the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement Inc. (NCASI); The USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station Santee Experimental Forest personnel; the Virginia Tech Forest Operations and Business Research Cooperative; and the Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee