Impact of forest ecosystem land use on soil physico-chemical and biological indices

In this study, the effect of forest conversion to pasture and agricultural lands on some soil physicochemical and biological characteristics was evaluated in Piranshahr, Pardanan region. Soil physicochemical properties including texture, pH, EC, CaCO₃, available nutrients (potassium, phosphorus, sodium, calcium and magnesium) were measured. Some biological characteristics such as microbial biomass carbon (MBC), carbon availability index (CAI), basal respiration (BR), subestrat induced respiration (SIR), metabolic quotient (qCO₂), and the ratio of microbial biomass carbon to total organic carbon (C_mic/C_org) were assessed in soil samples. The results showed that clay content in agricultural land was 27% higher than that of forest ecosystem, while the sand content in the cultivated soils decreased by 30% compared to forest. Calcium content in the agronomic land increased (23%) compared to forest. The changes of forest to agronomic and orchard systems reduced BR by 18% to 38%. SIR of forest lands was significantly higher than the agricultural land-uses as SIR in forest about 1.72 fold higher than orchard and agronomic land-use. Therefore, it could be concluded that land-use change and cultivation operations in long-time causes a decline in soil quality.