Forest Soils

Basic knowledge of Geology, Biology and Chemistry

In order to achieve the objectives of the course unit and to provide the students with the expected competences, the teaching learning process is based on:
The study of cases, accompanied by a set of instructions that lead the student to analyse them, draw conclusions and make decisions or suggest actions; in the execution of practical work to apply the theoretical concepts, which can be of numerical, laboratory or field nature; in the bibliographical research needed to complement the information obtained in class and for the preparation of reports.

The need to increase and improve forest production without degrading the environment imposes a controlled management of natural recourses, in particular the soil. This course addresses the topics of soil formation, soil characterisation, soil conservation, soil fertility, soil erosion and the effects of forest fires. It is structured so as to provide the student with the fundamentals and methods suitable for the acquisition of skills for the correct use of soil, particularly in the context of forest ecosystems.
This course aims to provide the student with knowledge about:
1) The constituents and properties of soils and the respective effects on soil quality.
2) The dynamics of mineral elements in the soil-plant-atmosphere system and the importance of physical, chemical and biological soil fertility.
3) The general factors and processes responsible for soil formation and differentiation.
4) The soil degradation processes and the practices that contribute to the conservation and improvement of soil quality.

Soil functions in terrestrial ecosystems.
Soil mineral and organic constituents; Soil mineralogy; Organic matter and the carbon cycle. Soil properties and their relation to soil constituents.
Soil water: content, retention and movements in saturated and unsaturated soil; water availability to plants.
Effects of soil constitution and properties on plant growth and development.
Factors and plant growth laws. Biogeochemical cycling and plant nutrient balance in a forest ecosystem.
Factors and processes of soil formation; diagnostic horizons; main soil types.
Types of erosion: wind and water erosion; factors and processes; methods to fight erosion and soil conservation practices; universal equation of soil loss.
Effects of forest fires on soil structure, water infiltration, runoff concentration and erosion losses.

• - Module 2 - 50.0%
• - Module 1 - 50.0%

NAO

AGASSI, M. – Soil Erosion, Conservation and Rehabilitation. Marcel Dekker, Inc. N. York, 1996.

BINKLEY, D.; FISHER, R.F. – Ecology and Management of Forest Soils – 5ª Ed. Wiley Blackwell, NYork, 2021.

BRADY, N.C.; WEIL, R.R. – The Nature and Properties of Soils. 13ªEd. Mac Millan Pearson Education Inc. New Jersey, 2002.

CARDOSO, J. C., BESSA, M. T., MARADO M. B. – Carta de Solos de Portugal (1 : 1 000 000). Agronomia Lusitana 33 : 481 – 602, 1973.

COSTA, J. B. – Caracterização e Constituição do Solo. 7ªEd., F.C.G., Lisboa, 2004.
FISHER, R. F.; BINKLEY, D.- Ecology and Management of Forest Soils. 3ªEd. John Wiley and Sons, 2000.

FOTH, H. D. – Fundamentals of Soil Science. John Wiley and Sons, 1978.

PRITCHETT, W.; FISHER, R.F. – Properties and Management of Forest Soils – 2ª Ed. John Wiley and Sons, NYork, 1987.

RICARDO, R. P. – Génese e Evolução dos Solos. ISA, Lisboa, 1969.

TAM, K. H.- Environmental Soil Science. Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, 1994.

WIGLEY, T.M.L., SCHIMEL, D. S. – The Carbon Cycle. Cambridge University  Press. Cambridge, 2000.

WRB 2006: World Reference Base for Soil Resources. World Soil Resources Reports 103, FAO, Rome , IUSS Working Group WRB, 2006.