title: The short-term effects of management changes on watertable position and nutrients in shallow groundwater in a harvested peatland forest.
abstract: Management changes such as drainage, fertilisation, afforestation and harvesting (clearfelling) of forested peatlands influence watertable (WT) position and groundwater concentrations of nutrients. This study investigated the impact of clearfelling of a peatland forest on WT and nutrient concentrations. Three areas were examined: (1) a regenerated riparian peatland buffer (RB) clearfelled four years prior to the present study (2) a recently clearfelled coniferous forest (CF) and (3) a standing, mature coniferous forest (SF), on which no harvesting took place. The WT remained consistently below 0.3 m during the pre-clearfelling period. Results showed there was an almost immediate rise in the WT after clearfelling and a rise to 0.15 m below ground level (bgl) within 10 months of clearfelling. Clearfelling of the forest increased dissolved reactive phosphorus concentrations (from an average of 28-230 μg L(-1)) in the shallow groundwater, likely caused by leaching from degrading brash mats.
authors.affiliation: Civil Engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Finnegan
authors.affiliation: Civil Engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Regan
authors.affiliation: Teagasc, Environmental Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Ireland.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fenton
authors.affiliation: Teagasc, Environmental Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Ireland.
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Lanigan
authors.affiliation: Civil Engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.affiliation: Civil Engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland. Electronic address: mark.healy@nuigalway.ie.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Healy
mesh_terms: D016468:Forestry / Q000379:methods*; D060587:Groundwater / Q000032:analysis*; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis*; D012987:Soil; D064028:Tracheophyta; D014197:Trees
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D010758:Phosphorus
keywords: Clearfelling; Forestry; Groundwater; Nutrients; Peat; Watertable