Litter Accumulation After Fire in a Eucalypt Forest

Abstract

The rate of accumulation and the composition of the forest floor litter were studied in an open eucalypt forest at Seal Rocks, New South Wales. The forest is subject to frequent fires and its recent fire history is well documented. The height of the understorey vegetation was shown to be a good indication of the time since fire.

Litter accumulation in eucalypt forests can be adequately described by a modified exponential equation with two parameters, steady-state accumulation (Χss) and rate of accumulation (k). Both parameters are functions of the annual litter fall, which is assumed to be continuous in this model. The steady-state accumulation of litter in the Seal Rocks forest was found to be 1.67 kg m^-2, reached after c. 10 years. The model should be recognized as a gross simplification of the many factors which affect litter accumulation, in particular the assumption of a constant value for k.

The components of the litter on the forest floor change in relative importance with time owing to differing rates of accumulation and decomposition.