Converting agricultural lands into heathlands: the relevance of soil processes

Abstract Until the large-scale application of artificial fertilizer in the 20th century, heathlands were a characteristic and essential element of the agricultural system on sandy soils in NW Europe. Attempts to increase the total area of the small remaining heathlands by converting agricultural areas are only partially successful. Reasons for such low success rates are (1) excessive soil nutrient concentrations, (2) elevated pH, (3) a low local availability of diaspores of characteristic biota, and (4) an ill-adapted soil community. The present review discusses these topics in more detail and evaluates potential solutions. Based on this review in combination with results of a long-lasting large-scale field experiment, we evaluate the prospects of alternative techniques to restore heathlands from agricultural fields.