The growth of semi-checked Sitka spruce ( Picea sitcbensis Carr.) on heathland has been stimulated to different degrees by the annual application of litter of Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.), Corsican pine ( P. nigra var. calabrica Schneid), Lodgepole pine (P. contorta Dougl.), Japanese larch ( Larix leptolepis Gord.), and Sitka spruce, at rates corresponding to normal plantation conditions, following an initial heavier rate. Foliar analysis suggests that the response is at least partially attributable to the influence of the litters on the nitrogen nutrition of the spruce and differences between litters appear to be largely determined by their total nitrogen contents. In this respect, Japanese larch, with an annual needle fall generally greater than that of the pines and a higher nitrogen content, offers the best promise as a nurse species for spruce.