Application of Soil Multiparametric Indices to Assess Impacts of Grazing in Mediterranean Forests

In this study, the effects of different stocking rates were quantified in three study areas
in a Mediterranean forest (Cuenca, Spain) by applying a multiparametric soil quality index (SQI)
developed from undisturbed forest soils (>40 years). The main objective was to advance the development
and application of multiparametric indices that allow for soil condition assessment. To
fulfill this objective, the effectiveness of the developed multiparametric soil quality index (SQI) was
analyzed as an indicator of livestock impacts on soil in the Mediterranean forest. The control areas
without livestock activity were forest stands of different ages (a thicket forest stand of <30 years; a
high-polewood forest stand of 30–60 years; and an old-growth forest stand of >60 years), which were
compared with areas subjected to various grazing intensities (areas with permanent livestock passage:
a sheepfold that had been inactive for 2–3 years and an active sheepfold; areas with intermittent
livestock passage: a bare-soil area, a pine stand and a scrubland). The applied multiparametric
soil quality index (SQI) was sensitive to changes in forest ecosystems depending on the stocking
rates. However, to obtain greater precision in the assessment of the effects of stocking rates, the
multiparametric index was recalibrated to create a new index, the Soil Status Index by Livestock
(SSIL). The correlation between the quality ranges obtained with both indices in different study areas
suggests that the SSIL can be considered a livestock impact reference indicator in Mediterranean
forest soils.