Assessing Selected Soil Morphological Properties of Different Tree Planting Distance Plots at Secondary Forest of Takasago UNIMAS Educational Forest

• Main Author: Jacklin, Mathew
• Format: Final Year Project Report
• Language: English; English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS) 2022
• Subjects: QK Botany; SB Plant culture; SD Forestry
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/39493/1/JACKLIN%20%2824%20pgs%29.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/39493/5/JACKLIN%20%28fulltext%29.PDF; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/39493/

Deforestation has decreased the forest cover in Sarawak and led to land degradation. Reforestation via enrichment planting is one of the approaches to recover and restore overutilized and secondary forests. The study of soil properties is important to determine whether the soil has recovered after reforestation. Many studies that have been conducted in Sarawak are aimed to investigate the soil morphological and soil physicochemical properties on mono and mixed tree species plantations, and on different tree species. However, there is no study conducted on the soil morphological properties under different tree planting distances. Thus, this study is conducted to assess the soil morphological properties of the plot under different tree planting distances which are random tree planting distance, close tree planting distance and wide planting distance. A soil pit with a depth of 60 – 70 cm in each plot for soil profile description adopting the standard procedures by the International Soil Science Society (ISSS) (NRCS, 2002). Based on the field observation of the study plot, the growth performance of S. macrophylla at wide tree planting distance plot is better than the other two plots, this may be due to lesser intraspecific competition and also can improve soil condition. The soil morphological for all the study plot are similar which might be due to the same type of vegetation of the same age which is Shorea macrophylla. The soil texture for all plot are silty clay loam and no rock fragment found in most horizon. The soil color ranges from 10YR 5/6 to 10YR 7/8 which is yellowish brown, brownish yellow to yellow. Based on Sarawak Soil Classification System, the soil at these plots can be classified into Bekenu series of Red-Yellow Podzolic Soils group.