Quantity, Decomposition and Nutrient Dynamics of Litterfall in Some Forest Stands at Halebaeck, Southern Sweden

摘要

Four forest sites (stands of spruce, alder/birch and beech and a clearcut) situated in the south of Sweden, and thereby exposed to large amounts of acidic air pollutants, are described according to litter production, litter decomposition and nutrient release. The annual litterfall (means from two years) ranged from 3400 kg/ha in the 30-year-old alder/birch forest to 4100 kg/ha in the 70-year-old spruce stand. The litterfall amounted to 3700 kg/ha in the 100-year-old beech forest. Of the nutrients returned annually to the forest floor by the litterfall, nitrogen and calcium were the most abundant. The deposited amounts of these elements were generally highest in the alder/birch forest.