| Abstrakt: |
The seasonal pattern and quantity of leaf fall were studied in three unthinned loblolly pine (Pinus taedaL.) plantations in the South Carolina Piedmont. Peak period of leaf fall occurred from October through December. Although the plantations ranged in age from 15 to 32 years, total quantities of leaf fall (4,100–4,400 kg/ha) did not differ significantly. Nutrients stored in forest floor components in the youngest stand ranged from 171 kg/ha for N to 16 kg/ha for K. Approximately 16.3, 2.2, 4.4, 18.0, and 4.8 kg/ha of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg, respectively, were returned in annual leave fall. The forest floor has a differential ability to store nutrients. Concentrations of N and P increase as leaf litter decomposes, probably because of slow mineralization rates and rapid immobilization by microorganisms. Calcium, Mg, and K are more easily leached into the soil. |
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