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 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 are complemented by monitoring soil processes such as GHG fluxes and nutrient cycling.
North Europe
Finland – Karstula
Established
1959
Organization
Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)
Contact
Location
62°54’43.343″N; 24°34’16.021″E
Central Finland region
Soil type
Fine sand Organic layer of 4.3 m
Dominant species
Pinus sylvestris
Ground vegetation
Vaccinium vitis-idae, Calluna vulgaris and Lichens
Aim of the study
Understand the impact of nitrogen fertilization on soil functioning, soil biome and GHGs exchange.
Finland – Ränskälänkorpi
Established
2021
Organization
Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)
Contact
Location
61°10.966’N; 25°15.985’E
Southern Finland
Soil type
Peat soil
Dominant species
Picea abies, Betula pubescens, Pinus sylvestris
Ground vegetation
Bilberry and Sphagnum
Aim of the study
Estimate the role of continuous cover forestry (CCF) and clear-felling management practice on mitigating climate change and reducing environmental impacts.
