Mechanical Mastication of Utah Juniper Encroaching Sagebrush Steppe Increases Inorganic Soil N

Table 1

Soil-sampling schedule for soil nutrients.

Soil nutrient	Location	Season	Year
Total C; total N; C : N	Greenville, Onaqui, Stansbury	Summer	2008
Total C; total N; C : N	Greenville and Onaqui	Summer	2009, 2010
Olsen P; SO4^−-S; pH	Greenville and Onaqui	Summer	2010
Inorganic N (NO3^− + NH4^+)	Greenville	Winter; spring-summer; summer-fall	2009, 2010
Inorganic N (NO3^− + NH4^+)	Onaqui	Winter; spring-summer; summer-fall	2008, 2009
Inorganic N (NO3^− + NH4^+)	Stansbury	Winter, Spring-Summer	2009

Soil nutrients other than inorganic N were analyzed from soil samples annually collected in August from the top 2 cm of the soil profile where the effects of masticated-tree debris were expected to be the greatest. Inorganic N was derived from ion exchange membranes (PRS probes) buried in the top 12 cm of soil. Sampling seasons for inorganic N were winter (November–February), spring-summer (March–June), and summer-fall (July–October).