Five ecosystem parameters are being studied. Each will have a separate Abstract Form and distict card numbers. A reference stand has been characterized for this study site:
Leaf, needle, and branch decay: randomized block design, five blocks of bags were placed randomly throughout the 1 ha reference stand.
Measure canopy litter input at monthly intervals, determine patterns and rate of this fine litter input. Determine components of input, i.e. proportion of needles, cones, bark, fine branches, etc. Subproject in a study of ecosystem processes potentially sensitive to air borne pollutants. Also baseline data and measurements of natural variability in ecosystem functioning and productivity in a pristine area.
Leaf, needle, and branch decay: leaf and needle tissue collected in the fall, air dried and placed in mesh bags (Singh & Gupta 1977). The bags are placed in the field w/in 2 months of tissue collection date and left for a time period of 1/2 to 24 months. The bags are then collected, dried, and weighed to determine remaining amount of tissue. The different treatments include leached and unleached material, bags w/different mesh sizes to facilitate or exclude entry by detritavores, and bags place under the moss carpet. Usual placement is top of the forest moss carpet.
List of study species:
Conifers: Picea sitchensis, Tsuga heterophylla, Pseudotsuga menziesii
Understory Shrubs: Acer circinatum, Vaccinium alaskaense, V. parvifolium
Moss: Hylocomium splendens, Eurhynchium oreganum, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Sphagnum girgensohnii Lichen: Lobaria oregana
