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Soil Conditions Under Old Field and Forest Cover in Southern Illinois¹

ABSTRACT

A comparison of soil conditions under pine plantations and old fields of the same age was made for three loess-derived soil types in southern Illinois. Native hardwood stands were used for comparing soil changes under the pine and old-field seral stages. Characteristics studied included bulk density; hydraulic conductivity; organic content; pH; and exchangeable Ca, Mg, Na, K, and H. Under native hardwoods organic matter, pH, and exchangeable bases were higher, while bulk density was lower than under pine or old-field cover. Under pine cover bulk density, hydraulic conductivity, and exchangeable base levels were improved over old-field conditions, but organic matter was higher under the old-field vegetation. No significant differences were noted in pH. The introduced pine seral stage has considerably ameliorated soil conditions since abandonment from agriculture, and there appears to be a trend toward conditions typical of native hardwood stands.

¹ Contribution from the Dep. of Forestry, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Research supported by the Agr. Exp. Sta., Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and by Hatch (Project 55-322).

² Assistant Professor of Forestry, and Professor and Head, Dep. of Forestry, respectively.

Received for publication April 6, 1972. Accepted for publication December 5, 1972.