Influence of ruts on the physical properties of Gleyic Retisols after logging machinery passage

ABSTRACT Rutting is the main type of deep soil disturbance caused by clear-felling operations. Here, we evaluated basic soil physical properties in ruts at various soil depths after the passage of logging machinery. The present study was carried out in North Eastern Russia. In total, we measured rut depth at 160 points along wheel tracks, and collected soil samples. Samples (n = 420) from two soil horizons (0–10 cm and 10–20 cm) were taken, both from ruts and from undisturbed soil (control). The correlation analysis showed a direct significant relationship between rut depth and soil bulk density (po = 0.662, p < 0.001). An inverse significant relationship was found between rut depth and total porosity (po =  −0.667, p < 0.001), and an inverse moderate relationship between rut depth and the porosity of aeration (po = −0.496, p < 0.001). Similar patterns were observed at a depth of 10–20 cm in the soil layer. The Kruskal–Wallis criterion revealed that the change of the physical properties was lowest in shallow ruts (1–15 cm). In all cases, we found that the physical properties of the control differed from the physical properties of middle (15–30 cm) and deep (>30 cm) ruts. Thus, it is necessary to reduce the formation of middle and deep ruts in particular.