Soil Regeneration on the North-East Yorkshire Moors

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Abstract
The natural invasion of the Calluna-dominated north-east Yorkshire moors by Betula pubescens is accompanied by a gradual soil change from heath podzol to a brown forest soil as the stands age. The process takes 60 yrs. or more according to the amt. of raw humus originally present The surface pH gradually increases, the raw humus becomes activated and eventually the upper part of the leached horizon is converted to mull. The ground flora, originally consisting mainly of ericaceous shrubs and Deschampsia flexuosa. becomes much more like that of an acid oakwood as the change in soil type occurs. After only 14 yrs. animals typical of a woodland soil appear, including millipedes and earthworms. By a new simple field technique using porous rods it is shown that the regenerated brown soil has a much better water-supplying capacity than the soil under a stand of Pinus sylvestris planted on the moor 100 yrs. ago, in which no soil regeneration is detectable. Two examples are also given of mull being regenerated in a heath soil by liming.

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