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Table 5 Soil sensitivity topics (including indicators of sensitive sites, recommended actions, and potential consequences of not taking actions) addressed in forest biomass harvesting guidelines, as percent occurrence in 21 North American and 10 European jurisdictions or regions

From: Sustainable forest biomass: a review of current residue harvesting guidelines

Indicator, consequence or actiona

North America

Europe

Integrated site indicators

 Site classification, soil survey, expert system, etc.

86

90

Specific-site indicators

 Slope

86

30

 Soil texture

62

50

 Soil depth

62

10

Soil moisture

 Dry soil or site

48

40

 Poorly drained, or wetland, or organic soil

57

40

 Soil organic matter

14

10

 Soil fertility

62

90

Soil physical damage

Consequences

 Erosion, mass wasting, or displacement

100

70

 Compaction or rutting

86

80

 Soil disturbanceb

52

30

Actions

 Restrict residue removal on steep slopes

76

50

 Minimize area of landings, roads, trails

81

30

 Restrict residue removal to dry or frozen soils

71

50

 Restrict number of entries/passes

43

40

 Retain harvest residue (see Table 9)

90

80

 Use appropriate equipment

38

30

 Reduce amount of harvest residue removed

14

0

Soil fertility

Consequences

 Loss of nutrients

90

100

Actions

 Restrict residue removal on shallow soils

67

30

 Restrict residue removal on rocky, stony areas

10

20

 Restrict residue removal on low-fertility soils

38

90

 Restrict residue removal on weathered soils, or soils with low buffering capacity, or acid-sensitive or highly acidic soils

10

30

 Restrict residue removal on organic soils

62

40

 Restrict residue removal on sandy soils

38

50

 Retain harvest residue (see Table 9)

100

100

  1. aSee Additional file 1: Table ST-6 for more detail
  2. bSee Table 10 re: soil contamination and potential impacts on water and aquatic ecosystems