Assessing and modeling the impacts of treated municipal biosolid amendments on spruce plantation nutrition and growth in Nova Scotia, Canada

该项目的主要目标是开发一个森林养分管理决策支持工具，以促进新斯科舍省的可持续森林管理，适用于大西洋加拿大其他地区。第二个目标是评估使用碱稳定的城市生物固体作为潜在的土壤改良剂的潜力，以帮助补救加拿大东部森林土壤酸沉积和钙耗竭的影响。将通过以下方式实现这些目标：(1)校准和验证森林生态系统，并对新斯科舍省使用的林分生长模型进行预测；(2)在白云杉种植园进行两次使用碱稳定生物固体的综合实地试验，并将结果纳入预测模型；(3)进行一系列森林土壤和碱修正孵化试验，并将结果纳入预测模型；(4)对在新斯科舍省云杉种植园应用碱稳定生物固体的方法进行业务和经济分析；(5)利用预测评估新斯科舍省目前种植园管理做法下预计产量的可持续性；以及(Vi)使用预测来评估替代人工林管理制度的养分可持续性，包括使用生物固体肥料的制度。 在大西洋加拿大，集约管理和长期酸沉积对软木种植园养分可持续性的影响以及补救这些影响的能力目前尚不清楚。通过系统地研究样本种植园对土壤改良的反应(在田间和实验室环境中)的营养状况，并将其与森林营养建模和决策支持工具的开发联系起来，我们将增进我们对人工林养分循环的理解，以及我们开发强大的管理工具以维持或提高这些系统的长期生产力的能力。

The primary objective of this project is to develop a forest nutrient management decision support tool to promote sustainable forest management in Nova Scotia, with applicability elsewhere in Atlantic Canada. A secondary objective is to evaluate the potential for using alkaline-stabilized municipal biosolids as a potential soil amendment to help remediate the impacts of acid deposition and calcium depletion in eastern Canadian forest soils. These objectives will be met by: (i) calibration and validation of the forest ecosystem, stand-level growth model FORECAST for use in Nova Scotia; (ii) conducting two comprehensive field trials using alkaline-stabilized biosolids on white spruce plantations and integrating results into FORECAST modelling; (iii) conducting a series of forest soil and alkaline amendment incubation trials and integrating results into FORECAST modelling; (iv) conducting an operational and economic analysis of methods to apply alkaline-stabilized biosolids in Nova Scotia spruce plantations; (v) using FORECAST to evaluate the sustainability of projected yields under current plantation management practices in Nova Scotia; and (vi) using FORECAST to evaluate the nutrient sustainability of alternative plantation management regimes, including those with biosolids fertilization. The impact of intensive management and long-term acid deposition on softwood plantation nutrient sustainability, and the ability to remediate these impacts, is currently unknown in Atlantic Canada. By systematically studying the nutrient status of sample plantations in response to soil amendments (in both field and laboratory settings), and linking this to forest nutrition modelling and decision support tool development, we will advance our understanding of plantation nutrient cycling and our ability to develop robust management tools to maintain or enhance the long-term productivity of these systems.