Litter production and accumulation in naturally seeded, old-field, Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana Mill.) stands

dc.contributor.authorKreh, Richard Edwarden
dc.contributor.departmentForestryen
dc.date.accessioned2017-03-10T21:43:01Zen
dc.date.available2017-03-10T21:43:01Zen
dc.date.issued1973en
dc.description.abstractLitter-fall and litter-layer data were collected from stands of 7, 13, 19 and 36-year-old naturally seeded, old-field, Virginia pine. The pattern of yearly litter-fall was highly seasonal with maximum needlefall occurring during the fall months. Estimated annual total litterfall ranged from2.90mt/ha dry weight in the 7-year-old stand to 5.49 mt/ha dry weight in the 36-year-old stand: The percent annual contribution of non-needle material to the total increased from 16.5% in the 7- year-old stand to 43.9% in the 36-year-old stand. Maximum litter-layer dry matter weight of 139 mt/ha and volatile matter weight (loss on ignition at 525°C) of 52 mt/ha occurred in the 36-year-old stand. The depth and maximum water storage of the litterlayer increased with stand age to a maximum of 5.34 cm and 1.42 cm respectively in the 36-year-old stand. Several models characterizing the accumulation and decomposition of litter were developed. The best fit model assumes that litter-fall changes with time and that the litter is split into two fractions with ea.ch fraction decomposing at a different fixed annual rate. This model supports the fact that litter-fall is a mixture of different components such as cellulose and lignin which are known to decompose at different rates.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.extentv, 29 leavesen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/76375en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
dc.relation.isformatofOCLC# 38903300en
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subject.lccLD5655.V855 1973.K73en
dc.titleLitter production and accumulation in naturally seeded, old-field, Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana Mill.) standsen
dc.typeThesisen
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
thesis.degree.disciplineForestryen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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