When a destruced forest site is remained for more than 10 years without restoration plan, the soil condition of the site is bad, which prevent the restoration of original forest. In this case, pioneer tree species is useful for amelioration of soil condition. So I want to know what N-fixing pioneer tree species can be grown in temperate zone. The tree species have to be grown under -10~-15°C in winter and have fast growth. I hope getting species name and literature related to the tree species, if possible.
Probably, you already have tried Elaeagnus angustifolia? See e.g. http://treephys.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2009/03/20/treephys.tpp017.short
Regards
I agree and please look as well into Djumaeva, D., Lamers, J.P.A., Khamzina, A., Vlek, P.L.G. 2013. The benefits of phosphorus fertilization of trees grown on salinized croplands in the lower reaches of Amu Darya, Uzbekistan. Agroforestry Systems 87: 555–569. DOI 201210.1007/s10457-012-9576-7.
as it is not only the tree species that can be of importance. Here also Robinia pseudoacacia did well.
Here in the UK, species of Alnus are nitrogen-fixing pioneer trees preferring damper soils. The shrub Hippophae rhamnoides also fixes nitrogen and suckers readily in poor, exposed sites, and for this reason you need to be careful about where it is used.
Betula species are also good pioneers, although they don't fix nitrogen. Species such as B. pendula will grow happily on really poor soils here in the UK. There may be local Betula species that will fulfil that same role for you.
Agree with the comments above, but I would like to throw in another perspective. I am sure that there are more recent examples, but I have always liked Dan Binkley's papers for presenting the tree-soil interaction concepts. Take a look at:
Binley & Giardina. 1998. Why do tree species affect soils? The warp and woof of tree-soil interactions. Biogeochemistry 42: 89-106.
What I like about this paper the more holistic view of tree impacts on soils. For example, there are many ways that trees may modify soil conditions without being N-fixers.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1005948126251
Most wattle or Acacia spp will succumb to those low temperatures. But there are some Australian Alp Eucalyptus - not, of course, a legume - that tolerate such cold. So you may want to investigate high altitude wattles. A. dealbata is one candidate. CSIRO may help with others. Large parts of China are, sadly, environmental disaster zones. So, much success in your endeavour.
Maybe have a look at Salix species. They won't help with N depletion but definitely grow very fast.
- Robinia pseudoacacia would also certainly meet your specifications as a nitrogen fixing, temperate, pioneer tree.
Agreed on R. pseudoacacia, however, it's considered an invasive species in many parts of Europe for example...
Dear Songho Kim,
In every region there is a set of pioneer woody species which lead to natural reforestration. Not every of them are able to increase N content in soils (like european Betula pendula) however their presence is the first step to natural reforestration. Wlodzimierz Buraczyk, a researcher from my university (SGGW) has prooved that the most successful way to reforestrate with deciduous trees abandoned fields (after agricultural activity) is to plant native pioneer trees and... wait. Unfortunately, as I can see, their publications on this topic are in Polish only.
Using introduced "super pioneer" species may lead to threats of invassiveness in the future, like it became with Ailanthus altissima, Acer negundo and Robinia pseudoaccacia in Europe.
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