Title: Long-term leaf fall mass from three watersheds on the Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia

Author: Adams, Mary Beth

Year: 2008

Publication: In: Jacobs, Douglass F.; Michler, Charles H., eds. 2008. Proceedings, 16th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; 2008 April 8-9; West Lafayette, IN. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-24. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 179-186.

Abstract: Foliar biomass may serve as an indicator of site productivity, and spatial and temporal changes can help us understand effects of important variables affecting productivity. Leaf litterfall mass is one way to estimate foliar biomass, and has been measured on three watersheds on the Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia for 19 years. These watersheds all contain Appalachian mixed hardwood stands. The hardwood stand on watershed 4 (W4) has been untreated since around 1910 and serves as the primary reference watershed for the Fernow. The stands on watersheds 3 (WS3) and 7 (WS7) regenerated from clearcuts in 1969-1970. Using 25 litterfall traps per watershed, annual leaf fall mass has been determined since 1989 (WS3, WS4) or 1991 (WS7). Leaf fall mass is greatest on WS4 over time. Despite the addition of 35 kg of nitrogen per ha each year since 1989 to WS3, there is no statistically significant difference in litterfall mass between the two young stands (WS3 and WS7).