Some soil physical and chemical properties of natural stands and plantations at different ages of stone pine in Biga (Çanakkale-Turkey)

Soil physical and chemical properties were compared in stone pine ( Pinus pinea L.) plantations vs neighboring natural sites. The pine plantations were selected at ages of 3, 10, 20 and 30 in Biga (Canakkale-Western Turkey) to harvest adequate sampling plots and the natural sampling plots were settled to the vicinity of the plantation plots. The soils were investigated in terms of chemical such as pH and EC (µS/cm) and physical such as soil volume weight, fine soil weight and skeleton weight (g/L) which were taken from 0-5 and 5-15 cm depths from 9, 5, 8 and 8 sites (30 sites in total) for 3, 10, 20 and 30-year-old sampling plots. We assumed that, plantation causes decrease at pH, EC, soil volume weight, fine soil weight and increase at skeleton weight which would have occurred because of tillage and in contrast, the soils in natural sites, should have the opposite properties of plantation sites. The results revealed that; pH was lower in natural plots than plantation at 20-year-old sites (no significant difference in other plots), EC did not show any significant difference between natural and plantation sites. Soil volume weight was higher in plantation plots than natural lands at 10 and 20-year-old sites; fine soil weight was higher in natural land which is in concordance with our hypothesis; and skeleton weight of natural sites was one third of plantation sites. The results showed that; soil chemical and physical properties do not alter immediately after the plantation of a natural site but is an efficient factor on soil.