Preliminary assessment of stock of organic carbon in mineral soils of hemiboreal forests in Latvia
2025
Ķēniņa, Laura | Bārdule, Arta | Bičkovskis, Kārlis | Desaine, Iveta | Jansons, Āris
The European Union (EU) Nature Restoration Law requires increasing trends for soil organic carbon stock (SOC stock) in the mineral soil at a depth of 0 to 30 cm and in the litter layer (O horizon) in forest ecosystems until satisfactory level is reached, thus assessing and monitoring this indicator remains challenging at the national scale. This report aims to characterize and compile existing data to estimate SOC in mineral soils (O horizon and 0–30 cm layer) of hemiboreal forests in Latvia. Despite limited observations – particularly on wet and drained mineral soils, and for deciduous trees at different ages – preliminary assessment show that SOC stock in mineral soil differs significantly among forest types, while dominant tree species and stand age affects SOC stock in O horizon. Although several detailed studies in Latvia had gathered SOC stock data in forests, comprehensive monitoring system is needed to ensure complete understanding of soil and O horizon SOC stock to detect long-term trends to achieving EU climate and biodiversity targets. Keywords: soil organic carbon stock; litter layer (O horizon); stand age; forest type; EU Nature Restoration Law
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