Estimating Forest Soil Quality from Terrain Measurements of Apparent Electrical Conductivity

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Abstract
A portable, noncontacting electromagnetic induction meter was employed to measure the apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) of nonsaline, medium‐ and coarse‐textured forest soils on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. In simple linear regressions, bulk soil ECa was strongly correlated with ECe (saturated‐extract electrical conductivity), as well as exchangeable Ca, exchangeable Mg, and cation exchange capacity. Within the limited study area, these soil characteristics were thought to be major determinants of forest soil quality for red oak (Quercus rubra L.) production. Multiple stepwise regression showed that variations in exchangeable Ca and total Kjeldahl N concentrations accounted for a large proportion of the variation in ECa meter response (R2 = 0.871). The potential of this geophysical terrain measurement method as an integrator of edaphic properties important to forest site productivity is discussed.