Forestry effects on CO2 emissions from boreal headwater streams

Clear-cutting increases soil CO₂ concentrations and potentially in turn stream CO₂ concentrations that could lead to increased CO₂ emissions. Yet, the riparian zone, the remaining trees around the stream, play a significant role in buffering groundwater CO₂. We therefore designed a study to assess whether a narrow (5m) or wide (15m) buffer around the stream yields different stream CO₂ concentrations and in turn emissions. We sampled continuous CO₂ in the stream during the reference year (2020) and two post-treatment years 2021 and 2022 along a stream reach with two narrow (5m) and two wide (15m) buffer zones. We ask whether the width of the riparian zone will affect CO₂ concentrations and CO₂ emission from the stream, as well as how physical properties such as light climate affect stream CO₂ cycling. This study only focuses on stream-related CO₂ dynamics and was conducted in close collaboration with Marcus Klaus, who studies greenhouse gas cycling in the riparian zones to further explore the pathways of CO₂ and CH₄ in the riparian zone.

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