Temperate forest soils are an important sink for methane (CH₄); however, disturbance through forest management and the creation of skid trails may significantly decrease soil’s ability to uptake CH₄ or in some cases cause CH₄ emissions. Skid trails might also be expected to show reductions in carbon dioxide (CO₂) flux due to anaerobic conditions and reduced root activity. Studies to date have investigated skid trail greenhouse gas flux dynamics on experimentally created skid trails, which may not experience the full extent of traffic intensity or contain the various microsites found in actual harvested areas. We investigated variation of CH₄ and CO₂ fluxes based on traffic intensity, trail topography, and trail microsites in selection-managed hardwood forests in the Haliburton Highlands of Ontario, Canada. Skid trail soils showed reduced CH₄ uptake, and primary and secondary trails were found to commonly be a CH₄ source, especially on lower slope locations and on wheel track and trail middle ridge microsites. Skid trails also showed high CO₂ emissions in the same areas. CH₄ emissions on skid trails were correlated with low surface soil porosities and high soil moisture contents, which were found to occur most frequently on highly impacted trails, in low-lying areas, and in the wheel tracks and trail middle ridges. Scaling up, skid trails offset ~ 45% of CH₄ uptake in untrafficked soils, an effect that should be accounted for in future greenhouse gas budgets of managed forests.

温带森林土壤是甲烷（CH ₄）的重要汇聚区。但是，通过森林管理和形成滑道造成的干扰可能会大大降低土壤吸收CH ₄的能力，或者在某些情况下会导致CH _4的排放。由于厌氧条件和减少的根系活动，也可以预期滑道显示出二氧化碳（CO ₂）通量的减少。迄今为止的研究已经对实验创建的滑道上的滑道温室气体通量动力学进行了研究，这些滑道可能未经历全部的交通强度或包含实际收割区中发现的各种微场所。我们研究了CH ₄和CO _2的变化在加拿大安大略省哈利伯顿高地的选择管理硬木林中，基于交通强度，步道地形和步道微型站点得出的通量。滑行小径土壤显示CH ₄吸收减少，主要和次生小径通常是CH _4的来源，尤其是在低坡度位置以及轮径和小径中脊微场所。滑道在同一地区也显示出高的CO ₂排放量。滑道的CH ₄排放与地表土壤孔隙率低和土壤水分含量高有关，这在受高冲击的道上，低洼地区以及轮迹和道中脊最常见。扩大规模，滑道偏移〜CH _4的45％ 吸收未贩运的土壤，这种影响应在未来管理森林的温室气体预算中予以考虑。