Microbial Processes > Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) Study > Study Details: 7 - Methods - Site Selection

Evaluating Management Impacts on Long-Term Soil Productivity: A Research and National Forest System Cooperative Study

Site Selection

Timber types and Regions chosen for study will reflect national priorities as determined by the Oversight Committee (Washington office staff). Sites must be relatively uniform in productive potential, soil series, aspect, topographic position and stand structure. Soils must be common to the timber types of that Region. Emphasis will be placed on stands near rotation age with stocking and forest floor characteristics expected of stands under management. The P.I. will select study sites from a list of candidate stands with the aim of covering the breadth of site conditions found within a timber type. Three study sites with similar soils would be drawn randomly from a "low", "medium" and "high" region of soil property gradient, producing nine study sites replicated three times within three broad soil groupings.

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