Effect of plantation with native and exotic species on soil CO2 emissions

The aim of this study was to investigate soil respiration in the plantation stands of Acer velutinum, Quercus castaneifolia, Fraxinus excelsior and Pinus brutia and to compare them with the natural stands in Sari educational-research forest of Darabkola. In order to measure physical and chemical properties of soil in each stand, 10 points were selected systematic randomly and samples were taken at a depth of 0-10 cm with coring method. Percentage of moisture, bulk density, pH, EC, organic carbon and total nitrogen were measured in the laboratory. Six 6 tubes (diameter and height = 10 cm) were installed at a depth of 0 - 10 cm in each stands in early September and soil respiration was measured using CO2-Port device (Germany). The highest soil pH (7.33 ± 0.07), potassium (940.4 ± 4) and phosphorus (88.6 ± 1.52) were observed in Acer velutinum plantation and the lowest soil moisture content (35.21 ± 0.86), pH (6.83 ± 0.77) and EC (0.26 ± 0.02) were obtained in Pinus brutia plantation. The highest soil respiration was observed in Acer velutinum and Quercus castaneifolia plantation stands and the lowest was found in Pinus brutia and Fraxinus excelsior plantation stands, which was significantly lower than the control stand. In general, results showed that Acer velutinum plantation had positive effects on soil properties.