The influence of soil properties on the above-ground tree biomass in Taman Negara Pahang, Malaysia

This study aims at characterizing the soil properties in the lowland dipterocarp and riparian forests of Taman Negara Pahang, Malaysia. It involves the determination of pH, total exchangeable bases (TEB) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) for the surface (0–15 cm) and subsurface soil (15–30 cm). The above-ground tree biomass was estimated for both forest types. The study shows that the above-ground tree biomass of lowland dipterocarp and riparian forests in Taman Negara Pahang, Malaysia are 247.18 t ha⁻¹ and 164.02 t ha⁻¹, respectively. The differences in the soil properties between the forests types were determined from an independent Student´s t-test analysis at p ≤ 0.05. Significant differences were observed in TEB and pH of surface soil (0–15 cm) whereas in TEB and CEC for subsurface soil (15–30 cm). The soils for lowland dipterocarp and riparian forests were acidic which might be due to the loss of exchangeable bases. Pearson correlation analysis fails to prove relationship between the above-ground tree biomass and soil properties of lowland dipterocarp and riparian forest. Subsequent analysis from this study will include the determination of organic matter (OM), soil texture, soil nutrients and C:N ratio for both forest types.