Short-term effects of harvesting alternatives on soil nitrous oxide fluxes in a boreal drained peatland forest

• Harvest effects on soil N 2 O fluxes in boreal peatland forests remain uncertain. • Fluxes show high temporal variation, driven by thermal- and water-related dynamics. • Fluxes exhibit high spatial heterogeneity, primarily linked to soil fertility. • Emissions increased after harvesting; higher intensity led to greater emissions. • Selection harvesting may serve as an effective strategy to mitigate N 2 O emissions. Extensive areas of boreal peatland forests in the Nordic countries are approaching maturity and face harvesting, yet effects on soil nitrous oxide (N 2 O) fluxes remain unclear. This study examined short-term changes in soil N 2 O fluxes following two harvesting methods, clear-cutting (CC) and continuous-cover forestry via selection harvesting (CCF), compared to a non-harvested control (C) in a nutrient-rich, forestry-drained boreal peatland in southern Finland. Fluxes were measured using manual and automated chambers during pre-harvest (2020) and post-harvest (2021–2022) periods, alongside soil physical, chemical, and environmental properties to identify key controls of flux variability. N 2 O fluxes showed high temporal variation (−39 to 459 μg N 2 O m –2 h −1 ), primarily driven by temperature, precipitation, moisture, and water table dynamics, and pronounced spatial variation linked to soil nutrient concentrations (potassium, copper, phosphorus, and nitrogen), bulk density, and temperature. While emissions remained near neutral at the C site, harvesting increased emissions, although not significantly. In the first post-harvest year, annual emissions increased with harvesting intensity, yet no significant differences emerged between CCF and CC. Median [interquartile range] emissions were 0 [25], 163 [533], and 185 [194] mg N 2 O m −2 y –1 at the C, CCF and CC sites, respectively, with inherent spatial variability strongly influencing their spatial distribution. Limited water table rise at the CCF site and high spatial heterogeneity at the CC site likely constrained clearer treatment differences. Overall, our findings suggest that CCF may better mitigate emissions than CC in nutrient-rich, forestry-drained boreal peatlands, warranting further replicated and long-term research.