Perubahan Sifat Kimia Tanah Akibat Alih Fungsi Hutan pada Beberapa Tipe Penggunaan Lahan di Siosar Kecamatan Merek

Abstract

Land use change from forest or plantation to agricultural or residential land will reduce soil function. Land conversion can cause poor land quality, for example from shifting cultivation. The reason is that burning wood and branches left over from logging can accelerate the process of soil leaching and poverty. The decrease in organic matter content in the soil reduces the physical and chemical properties of the soil. The purpose of this study is to determine changes in soil chemical properties (N, P, C-organic, and pH) due to forest conversion in several types of land use on relocation land in Siosar, Kec. Merek, Karo Regency, North Sumatra Province. This research was conducted from April to June 2023, this research used 4 types of land use, namely in forest, agricultural land, shrubs and agroforestry. The results showed that the chemical properties of the N element in several types of flat land use experienced changes that decreased due to the conversion of forest to agricultural land. The nutrient pH did not change its chemical properties. Based on the results of research on C-organic levels with flat land use types, the highest results were obtained in sample H1 (flat forest) of 14.13 and the lowest was in sample P1 (flat agriculture) of 4.51, which means that it has decreased chemical changes. Based on the results of the study, the available P is dominated by very high so that it does not experience changes in chemical properties.