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Forestry 1991 64(3):289-301; doi:10.1093/forestry/64.3.289
© 1991 by Institute of Chartered Foresters
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Decomposition and Nutrient Release from Logging Residue Following Conventional Harvest of Sitka Spruce in North Wales

T. J. FAHEY1, P. A. STEVENS2, M. HORNUNG3 and P. ROWLAND3

1Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University Fernow Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
2The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Bangor Research Unit Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UP, Wales
3The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Merlewood Research Station Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria, LA11 6JU, England

Decomposition and macronutrient release of woody logging residue was examined for a clearfelled Sitka spruce plantation at Beddgelert Forest in North Wales. Weight loss from branches was low and branches lying on the ground decayed much more rapidly than those suspended in the air. Woody roots decayed at rates comparable to branches on the ground, and weight loss of both branches and roots was much more rapid for maller than larger diameter classes. Nutrient release from woody residue generally followed the order: K>Ca = P>N, and net nitrogen accumulation was observed through 10 yr of decay except in the smallest size class (<0.5 cm); however, the magnitude of N release from this smallest size class greatly exceeded the accumulation in all other classes combined. Leaching from logging residue helps to explain differences in macronutrient leaching between conventional and whole-tree harvest plots at Beddgelert Forest, thereby balancing to a limited extent the much lower nutrient removal in wood products associated with conventional harvest practices.

Received 19 June 1990.
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