Soil Carbon in the Forests of Russia

The 50% variation in the estimates of carbon (C) content in the forest soils of Russia at present is caused by confusion of terms and ignorance of the soil geographical representativeness in forests. The GIS-based analysis closes the gap to the estimate published earlier by Alexeyev and Birdsey (1994, p. 170). The average soil carbon density (SCD) for the 0.3 meter (m) layer of the forest soils in Russia is about 8.1 kg C m−2; the 1 m layer captures some 11.4 kg C m−2; and the 2 m layer holds nearly 12.3 kg C m−2. The mass of C is about 61.6 Pg C concentrated in the 0.3 m layer of forest soils; the 1 m layer accumulates 87.6 Pg C and the 2 m layer holds about 94.1 Pg C. The C content in soils of the forest zone is much higher for Russia. The SCD is 18.8 kg C m−2 and the soil C pool (SCP) is 223.6 Pg C in 1 m layer. Peat soils contribute a considerable portion of C to the forest zone of the country. The cold climate, permafrost and vegetation residues that are rich in recalcitrant compounds support a high accumulation rate of organic matter and associated nutrients in soils. This conservation is a mechanism to keep the production potential of the boreal ecosystems high in spite of their relatively low actual productivity in present environments.