| Maintenance and monitoring of soil fertility is a key issue for sustainable forest management. Vital ecosystem processes may be affected by management practices which change the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil. This study is the first in Europe to use electrical resistivity as a non-invasive method to determine forest soil properties rapidly in the field in a monitoring purpose. We explored the correlations between electrical resistivity and forest soil properties on two permanent plots of the French long-term forest ecosystem monitoring network (International Cooperative Program Forests, Level II). We used electrical resistivity measurements to determine soil sampling locations and define sampling design. Soil cores were taken in the A horizon and analyzed for pH, bulk density, residual humidity, texture, organic matter content and nutrients. Our results showed high variability within the studied plots, both in electrical resistivity and analyzed soil properties. We found significant correlations between electrical resistivity and soil properties, notably cation exchange capacity, soil humidity and texture, even though the magnitude of the correlations was modest. Despite these levels of correlations, we were able to assess variations in soil properties without having to chemically analyze numerous samples. The sampling design based on an electrical resistivity survey allowed us to map basic soil properties with a small number of samples. |
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