Recovery of a felled subtropical, humid forest: Microclimate and soil properties

Microenvironmental variability and soil nutrient dynamics was studied in th ree regrowing forest stands of different ages (7-, 13- and 16-year old) in the humid subtropics of Meghalaya, North-Eastern India. Light intensity and air temperature under the forest canopy were significantly higher (P<0.01) in the 7-year old stand than the 13- and 16-year old stands. Relative humi dity was, however, significantly higher in the 16-year old stand where the soil temperature and soil moisture was lower and higher, respectively. The soil was sandy loam to clay loam and acidic. Soil organic carbon (SOC), tot al Kjeldhal nitrogen (TKN) and availablc-P content increased with stand age , while showed a decreasing trend with soil depth.