Impacto del tipo de cobertura forestal sobre las propiedades edáficas en una zona de bosque montano en el Parque Nacional el Cajas, provincia del Azuay

Abstract

The high Andean region has been characterized by a constant change in land use, deforestation and abandonment of non-productive areas, as well as the establishment and lack of management of forest plantations with exotic species of pine and eucalyptus. Although these species have been attributed negative impacts on the native vegetation, knowledge of the impact of the type of coverage on the soil in montane forest areas in the region of Ecuador. This study was conducted in the areas of Mazán and Llaviucu, in the Cajas National Park, south of the Andes of Ecuador and where some edaphic physical-chemical properties were evaluated among four types of sketch: primary forest, forest secondary, pine plantation, and eucalyptus plantation. The quality of organic matter in soils can also be reduced, due to the processes that take place when they decompose and change in these areas of the páramo. By means of a systematic sampling, the soil samples were obtained to subsequently carry out the corresponding analyzes in the laboratory. Several differences were found on the variables, but of special interest bulk density, saturation point, silt, pH, MO, Cu, Fe, CIC. There are differences when changing native coverage to exotic plantations, revealing that it affects the properties of the soil and its ecosystem services, reflecting the existence of a 0.425 g / cm³ decrease in apparent density in soils under cover pine and an acid pH of 3.61. This study is expected to contribute to the management and conservation of forest vegetation and soil resources through knowledge of the variation between types of cover and physical-chemical properties produced by exotic species traditionally occupied in the reforestation plans in the Ecuadorian Sierra