Functioning and Management of European Beech Ecosystems

Description of Long-term Observation Sites.- General Description of Study Sites.- Climatic Condition at Three Beech Forest Sites in Central Germany.- Soil Properties.- Changes in C and N Contents of Soils Under Beech Forests over a Period of 35 Years.- Vegetation.- Microbial Biomass.- Soil Fauna.- Ecosystem Processes.- Tree Growth, Biomass, and Elements in Tree Components of Three Beech Sites.- Fine Root Biomass, Turnover and Litter Production.- Phytomass, Litter and Net Primary Production of Herbaceous Layer.- Biomass and Element Content of Foliage and Aboveground Litterfall on the Three Long-Term Experimental Beech Sites: Dynamics and Significance.- The Role of Soil Fauna for Decomposition of Plant Residues.- Nitrogen and Carbon Transformations.- Fate, Transport, and Retention of Applied 15N Labelled Nitrogen in Forest Soils.- Atmospheric Deposition and Canopy Interactions.- Changes in Soil Solution Chemistry, Seepage Losses, and Input-Output Budgets at Three Beech Forests in Response to Atmospheric Depositions.- Soil Respiration.- N2O Emission from Temperate Beech Forest Soils.- Methane Uptake by Temperate Forest Soils.- Forest Management and Regional Scale Issues Concerning C and N.- Microbial Biomass in Broad-Leaved Forest Soils.- Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen in Forest Soils of Germany.- Management Options for European Beech Forests in Relation to Changes in C- and N-Status as Described by the Three Study Sites.- Synthesis.- Stand, Soil and Nutrient Factors Determining the Functioning and Management of Beech Forest Ecosystems: A Synopsis.- Erratum.

From the reviews:

"Studying, understanding and managing such a complex forest system is the central theme of the book ... . The good news is that data from many unpublished PhD and Diploma theses are included in this book, and otherwise these would have been forever lost to public use. ... The result is a rather heterogeneous book that has its strengths ... . Overall, the book is very useful for soil scientists who seek detailed information about abiotic and microbial parameters of forest ecosystems ... ." (Mark Maraun, Basic and Applied Ecology, Vol. 11 (6), 2010)