Drained birch swamp forest
Agali II, Estonia (2020-Present)
Site Description
The Agali II research site is located within the drained peatland forest of Agali in Tartu County, Estonia belonging to the warm summer humid continental climate zone, and the hemiboreal vegetation zone. The region receives an average annual precipitation of 650 mm, with mean temperatures of 17 °C in July and −6.7 °C in January, and a growing season that lasts 175–180 days.
The Oxalis drained swamp-type forest, and the peatland was drained approximately 60 years ago using an open-ditch drainage system. Drainage ditches (~2 m width) surround the study site on all sides, with the western ditch being a small river. The forest predominantly consists of downy birch (Betula pubescens) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees.
The soil is classified as Drainic Eutric Histosol, featuring a 40 to 60 cm peat layer depth, low dry bulk density, and high N and organic C contents. During spring (March, April, May) and autumn (September, October, November), the site typically has a shallow water table. In summer months (June, July, August), the drainage causes significant drying within the forest.
Related Publications
- Kazmi, F. A. et al. (2023). Meltwater of Freeze-Thaw Cycles Drives N2O-Governing Microbial Communities. Biology and Fertility of Soils. DOI
- Masta, M. et al. (2024). 15N Tracers and Microbial Analyses Reveal in Situ N2O Sources. Pedosphere. DOI
- Ranniku, R. et al. (2025). Springtime Soil and Tree Stem GHG Fluxes. Biogeochemistry. DOI
Ongoing monitoring phase (2020-…) in the Agali riparian forest, adding microbiological measurements to the GHG flux data.
Site Description
The Agali II research site is located within the drained peatland forest of Agali in Tartu County, Estonia belonging to the warm summer humid continental climate zone, and the hemiboreal vegetation zone. The region receives an average annual precipitation of 650 mm, with mean temperatures of 17 °C in July and −6.7 °C in January, and a growing season that lasts 175–180 days.
The Oxalis drained swamp-type forest, and the peatland was drained approximately 60 years ago using an open-ditch drainage system. Drainage ditches (~2 m width) surround the study site on all sides, with the western ditch being a small river. The forest predominantly consists of downy birch (Betula pubescens) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees.
The soil is classified as Drainic Eutric Histosol, featuring a 40 to 60 cm peat layer depth, low dry bulk density, and high N and organic C contents. During spring (March, April, May) and autumn (September, October, November), the site typically has a shallow water table. In summer months (June, July, August), the drainage causes significant drying within the forest.
Related Publications
- Kazmi, F. A. et al. (2023). Meltwater of Freeze-Thaw Cycles Drives N2O-Governing Microbial Communities. Biology and Fertility of Soils. DOI
- Masta, M. et al. (2024). 15N Tracers and Microbial Analyses Reveal in Situ N2O Sources. Pedosphere. DOI
- Ranniku, R. et al. (2025). Springtime Soil and Tree Stem GHG Fluxes. Biogeochemistry. DOI