EFFECTS OF CLEARFELLING ON FOREST FLOOR ACCUMULATION AND LITTER DECOMPOSITION IN A RADIATA PINE PLANTATION

The short-term effects of clearfelling a Pinus radiata D. Don. stand i n Catalonia (NE Spain) under Mediterranean conditions were assessed. H arvesting had little effect on the surface soil distribution and accum ulation. However, after clearfelling the range of soil temperatures in creased, the moisture content of the L layer decreased, and the decomp osition of brown needles was retarded (mass loss rate for the first ye ar of the incubation 0.47 year(-1) vs. 0.29 year(-1)). Green needles i ncorporated as a result of harvesting operations showed the same rates of mass loss as brown needles. Brown needles released substantial amo unts of all major nutrients, especially at the beginning of the incuba tion. In both clearfelled and undisturbed stands, this sudden nutrient flush may have important implications in the nutrient economy of the vegetation. In contrast, green needles behaved as a sink of nitrogen a nd calcium, therefore representing a temporary reservoir after clearfe lling.