Ecological Benefit of Reforestation in a Severely Degraded Red Soil Region

Abstract

Guifeng, Yiyang County, belongs to a seriously degraded red soil region. In 1991, Pinus elliottii and Lespedaza spp. were the species selected for the establishment of a mixed forest in the area. The results of an investigation of the soil system in a 12-year-old forest indicated the following: (1) Organic matter and total nitrogen of the forest soil to a depth of 40 cm were 88.0 and 36.0% higher, respectively, than those of a control plot; total phosphorus and available phosphorus were 40.9 and 22.3% higher than those of the control; available potassium contents were 8.13% lower than those of the control. (2) Soil aeration and the soil air regime improved. (3) Proteinase, catalase, and urease in the forest soil to a depth of 40 cm were usually higher than those in the control plot and decreased with soil depth.