AUGŠŅU DAŽĀDĪBA LIZ APMEŽOŠANAS IZPĒTES POLIGONĀ ZS „MEDŅI“.

Land-use change in Latvia (from agricultural land to forest and other non-agricultural uses) has became topical in the last decades. This process is raising awareness of the sustainable use of soil and other natural resources therefore it should be properly managed on the basis of a clear strategy. Decisions and actions should be based on the local conditions and soil properties. The objective of the current paper is to discuss the research findings of the detailed investigation of soil properties carried out in the time period of 2010 - 2012 in the experimental plantation. The experimental plantation consisted of pine, spruce and birch trees planted in 1995 - 1996. Due to the fact that soil had been formed on chemically rich two-membered (more sandy on the top and more heavy in subsoil) glaciolacustrine deposits, having large proportion of silt particles, significant changes in soil properties were not found by comparing the afforestated area with the adjacent field where agricultural activities were still going on. At the same time a significant variation of soil properties (soil texture, reaction, plant available phosphorous and potassium content) was found in a relatively small area (3.7 ha) of the experimental site. The variability of soil properties within a short distance should be taken into account when land use planning is carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]