More on Forest Death vs Logging and Nutrient Cycling - Hugelkultur?

More on dead forests versus logging and Nitrogen runoff.  These Eastern forests have suffered extensive die off from the wooly adelgid.  They are seeing they same kind of nitrogen uptake by the surrounding plants as in beetle killed forests in the west.  In this scenario the nutrients leaching out of the dead wood are allowing the surrounding plants to take up the excess Nitrogen.  Since the dead wood is being left in this case just as beetle kill, is this scenario playing out in Western forests as well?  Just another part of the puzzle. This just goes to show that there really is more than one reason for this Nitrogen uptake and why leaving behind woody biomass is so important.  Logging can be very extractive and non-renewable if done incorrectly.  I cannot help but think that the remaining wood is also taking up Nitrogen as it decomposes just as it does in hugelkultur.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121220143949.htm

See original and more extensive commentary on the beetle kill article here..

http://agroregeneration.blogspot.com/2013/01/lessons-in-hugelkultur-and-nutrient.html