Log Decomposition in Donaldson's Woods, Spring Mill State Park, Indiana

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Abstract
Stem maps of the trees on 8.16 ha of Donaldson''s Woods were used to help identify logs and estimate their ages on the forest floor. Samples from 126 different logs representing 10 different genera were collected. Logs were assigned to age classes based on information from the stem maps and assigned to decay classes by physical appearance. Total log frequency was 37.6 logs/ha. Mean log input rate was 2.52 log/ha per yr. Oak-log biomass, area and volume were calculated. Oak-log decay was calculated. An average oak log takes .apprx. 75 yr to decay to 1/10 its original density. [An essential step in ecosystem nutrient cycling is the decay of plant litter and since logs represent a relatively large pool of nutrients temporarily stored on the forest floor (Lang and Forman, 1978), studies of log accumulation and decomposition are important to estimates of total nutrient budgets (Bormann and Likens, 1979; Waring and Franklin, 1979).].