A new study by HoliSoils warns of the impacts of soil disturbances in drained peatlands
A new paper from the HoliSoils project, published in the journal Geoderma, shows that soil disturbances associated with windthrow and forest management can alter greenhouse gas dynamics, carbon stability, and microbial communities in forests on drained peatlands.
Based on a field experiment in southern Finland, the team led by Qian Li (Natural Resources Institute Finland – LUKE) simulated two types of disturbance: litter accumulation (branches and needles) and the removal of the topsoil layer, in both forested and clear-felled areas. Litter accumulation increased CO₂ and N₂O emissions, whilst topsoil removal raised N₂O emissions and reduced the soil’s capacity to absorb methane, in some cases turning it into a source of this gas. Root-associated fungi and tannins were found to play a key role in stabilising carbon. The responses were more pronounced in forested areas than in clear-felled sites.
The study highlights the importance of minimising disturbances and maintaining soil structure to preserve the climate mitigation potential of these forests.
Access the complete study (open access)
Full reference
Li, Q., Martinović, T., Adamczyk, B., Adamczyk, S., Tyvijärvi, A., Brabcová, V., Lehtonen, A., Baldrian, P., Mäkipää, R. and Peltoniemi, M. 2026. Soil disturbances affect greenhouse gas dynamics, soil carbon stability and microbial community in drained peatland forest. Geoderma, 473, 117978.
