Visual estimates of soil and site disturbances are used by foresters, soil scientists, logging supervisors . and machinery operators to minimize harvest dis turbances to forest s i tes , to evaIuate compliance with forestry Best Management Pract ices (BMPs), and to determine the need for ameliorative pract ices such as tnechanical s i te preparat ion. Al though visual est imates are commonly us...

Interest in reduced tillage methods is expanding in response to concerns for soil quality in vegetable systems. Reduced tillage (RT) refers to systems that minimize soil disturbance and maintain at least 30% residue cover. These systems can reduce soil and wind erosion, overcome compaction challenges typical of vegetable soils, conserve organic matter and improve overall soil health. In additio...

Skidding operations can cause considerable and wide spread soil disturbance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of ground skidding operations on soil compaction, moisture content, and total porosity at different levels of slope and traffic frequency. Four levels of traffic intensity (3, 8, 13, and >13 passes of a Crawler Tractor Onezhets ? 110) and three levels of slope ( ...

skidding operations can cause considerable and wide spread soil disturbance. the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of ground skidding operations on soil compaction, moisture content, and total porosity at different levels of slope and traffic frequency. four levels of traffic intensity (3, 8, 13, and >13 passes of a crawler tractor onezhets ? 110) and three levels of slope ( 2...

Disturbance is one of the most important factors promoting exotic invasion. However, if disturbance per se is sufficient to explain exotic success, then "invasion" abroad should not differ from "colonization" at home. Comparisons of the effects of disturbance on organisms in their native and introduced ranges are crucial to elucidate whether this is the case; however, such comparisons have not ...

The effects of soil disturbance on the nematode community were assessed at 30 sites on the outer coastal plain of Mississippi, representing four ages since soil disturbance plus a control group of six undisturbed sites. Thirty-five taxa were encountered, dominated in abundance and taxonomic richness by plant and bacterial feeders. Nematodes were more abundant and more taxonomically rich in site...

Small-scale soil disturbances such as soil mounds produced by gophers are known to influence local plant communities. A variety of mechanisms might account for the influence of gopher disturbances on individual plant success, but understanding of these mechanisms is not well developed. Disturbances are often assumed to affect plants through changing competition or the abiotic environment, but d...

A study was conducted to determine the impacts of soil disturbance and compaction on soil physical properties and tree growth and the effectiveness of tillage in maintaining or enhancing site productivity for intensively managed Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon sites in Dedza, Malawi. The results indicate that about fifty-two percent of the area of compacted plots was affected by the vehicular traf...

A study was installed in an upland hardwood forest to evaluate the site impacts associated with three alternative prescriptions clearcut, deferment cut, and strip cut. Two methods of site impact assessment were employed: 1) assignment of disturbance classes to selected points within each treatment area and 2) measurement of soil bulk density, gravimetric water content, and soil strength at poin...