Reliable data on fine-root turnover from sequential soil coring in an old carbon budget for a 14-year-old Scots pine from the late 1970s: Comments on Majdi et al., Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 22: 299-303

Comprehensive data from different research workers were included in the compilation of a carbon budget for a 14-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) in the late 1970s, within the SWECON project (the Swedish Coniferous Forest Project). In a recent paper in the Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, the authors published a surprisingly high turnover rate of fine roots (7.4 year-1), maintaining that they had used our old SWECON data from our sequential soil coring. However, a close examination of our original data suggests a turnover of fine-root biomass of 2.3 and for fine-root standing crop (biomass+necromass) of 2.0 year-1. Supporting evidence is available from other forest sites suggesting that our turnover rates were correctly estimated. Certain errors may exist in different parts of our old carbon budget, e.g. some measurements were carried out for different parts of the tree, while others were attributed to the whole stand. The sequential soil coring technique still remains the best technique available for fine-root growth and turnover estimates in forest stands.