Test Sites
HoliSoils harmonises and maps soil data from multiple sources. These harmonised products are indispensable for Europe-wide GHG inventories and for the project’s experimental and modelling work in Europe’s main bioclimatic regions and soil types.
Field experiments at HoliSoils test sites will investigate the effects of soil and forest management (including thinning regimes, tree species composition, fertilisation, rewetting) and natural disturbances (forest fires, windthrow, droughts) on soil processes, resilience and climate change mitigation potential. Measurements of soil physico-chemical properties and biodiversity will be complemented by monitoring soil processes such as GHG fluxes and nutrient cycling.
Central East Europe
Slovakia – Dobroč
Established
2021
Organization
Technical University in Zvolen (TUZVO)
Contact
Location
N:48.6735, E: 19.6790
(Central region of Slovakia)
Soil type
The soil type is Dystric Cambisol (pH-KCl = 3.5)
Dominant species
Picea abies with mixed forest (Fagus sylvatica, Abies alba, Acer pseudoplatanus, Fraxinus excelsior, Picea abies).
Ground vegetation
There are diverse herb layers (no shrubs) associated with beech-dominated forest types on the ground level (the Spruce site is domanited by Oxalis acetosella, Hieracium murorum, Rubus hirtus, Dentaria bulbifera, Brachypodium sylvaticum, and the Mixed-species site is typical of Dentaria eneaphylos, Circaea alpina, Mercurialis perenis, Rubus hirtus, Geranium robertianum, Athyrium filix femina, Dryopteris filix mas, Gymnocarpion robertianum).
Aim of the study
The objective of this study is to know how different species composition (spruce monoculture versus close-to-nature mixed forest) affect the soil properties, including soil microbial activity, functional diversity and respiration.
Romania – Brașov
Established
2021
Organization
Transilvania University of Brasov
Contact
Location
45°46’17.6″N 25°28’22.9″E (Central Romania)
Soil type
Planosol
Dominant species
Quercus robur
Ground vegetation
Rubus hirtus, Juniperus communis
Aim of the study
Understand soil resilience following a mortality event and improving soil resilience trough implementation of post-disturbance practices.
