The rates of decomposition of dead wood and bark are of interest in natural forested systems as they are one of the major pathways of the recycling of plant nutrients.  Whereas the leaves rapidly decompose (several years) the wood may take decades or even centuries to totally decompose.  In this study, the opportunisitic situtation arose in which logs of a sugar maple tree had been measured and left in the forest in 1993 as part of the residuum from a dimension analysis of sugar maples carried out in the spring of 1993 as part of this same course.  We knew of these logs and decided it was a nice opportunity to study the degree of decomposition over a 5 year period.

I.  Objective:  To quantitatively measure the residual mass of the bark and wood of the these logs after 5 years of decomposition and the nutrient content of the residual bark and wood.

II. Methods:  Measurements were taken on each of the 8 one meter logs and compared to those measurements taken in 1993.  In addition, chemical analysis was performed to determine nutrient content of both bark and wood and compared to data from Hubbard Brook, New Hampshire and Sea Hill, Connecticut.

III. Results: Changes in mass, density and nutrient content over a period of five yeasrs of decomposition are shown.

IV. Limitations of our study: Some of the contraints under which we worked are outlined.

V. Conclusions:

VI. Cool links
        A.  Rotting Wood
        B.  Nutrient Cycling
                    1.  Forest Systems
                    2.  Carbon and Nutrient Dynamics
                    3.  Weird, huh?