Limestone is a common amendment used to counteract soil acidity and metal pollution. Understanding the legacy effects of a one-time soil limestone application and subsequent afforestation is needed to evaluate the long-term success of remediation efforts. In this study, soil and tree chemistry were measured across 15 limed sites that were treated and planted 14 to 37 years ago in Sudbury, Ontario, along with two untreated sites. Soil pH and exchangeable base cation (calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg)) concentrations were generally elevated especially in surface organic [FH] horizons up to 37-years post limestone treatment. High site-to-site variation however, obscured clear patterns over time and base cation mass budgets were generally unable to account for the mass of added Ca and Mg. Metal partitioning (K_d) in soil was most influenced by soil pH rather than organic matter (OM) showing that metal availability increases as liming effects fade. This study shows that the legacy effects of soil liming can persist for several decades and are most apparent in the forest floor (FH), but legacy effects are quite modest, and it is likely that a considerable amount of limestone has been lost through erosion.

石灰石是用于抵消土壤酸度和金属污染的常用改良剂。需要了解一次性土壤石灰石应用和随后的植树造林的遗留影响，以评估修复工作的长期成功。在这项研究中，测量了 14 到 37 年前在安大略省萨德伯里处理和种植的 15 个石灰场地以及两个未经处理的场地的土壤和树木化学成分。土壤 pH 值和可交换碱阳离子（钙 (Ca) 和镁 (Mg)）浓度普遍升高，尤其是在石灰石处理后长达 37 年的表面有机 [FH] 层中。然而，高位点之间的差异，随着时间的推移模糊了清晰的模式，并且基本阳离子质量预算通常无法解释添加的 Ca 和 Mg 的质量。金属分配（K _d) 在土壤中受土壤 pH 值的影响最大，而不是有机质 (OM)，表明随着石灰效应的减弱，金属可用性增加。这项研究表明，土壤石灰化的遗留影响可以持续几十年，在森林地面 (FH) 中最为明显，但遗留影响相当温和，很可能大量石灰石已经通过侵蚀流失。