Soil properties in the MELNHE study at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, Bartlett Experimental Forest and Jeffers Brook, central NH USA, 2009 - present

The Multiple Element Limitation in Northern Hardwood Ecosystems (MELNHE) project studies N, P, and Ca acquisition
and limitation of forest productivity through a series of nutrient manipulations in northern hardwood forests.
We are monitoring resin N and P availability, N mineralization, and soil enzyme activities.
This data set includes soil water content, soil pH, organic horizon mass, soil organic matter,
bicarbonate extractable P, extractable Ca, and soil texture data.
Additional detail on the MELNHE project, including a datatable of site descriptions and a pdf file with the
project description and diagram of plot configuration can be found in this data package:
https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-hbr&identifier=344.
This work is a contribution of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study. Hubbard Brook is part of the LTER network,
which is supported by the US National Science Foundation. The Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest is operated and
maintained by the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station.
These data have been described and analyzed in the following publications:
Shan S, Devens H, Fahey TJ, Yanai RD, Fisk MC. 2022. Fine root growth increases in response to nitrogen
addition in phosphorus-limited northern hardwood forests. Ecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-021-00735-4
Goswami S, Fisk MC, Vadeboncoeur MA, Johnston M, Yanai RD, and Fahey TJ. 2018. Phosphorus limitation of
aboveground production in northern hardwood forests. Ecology 99:438-449. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2100
Ratliff TJ, Fisk MC. 2015. Phosphatase activity is related to N availability but not P availability across
hardwood forests in the northeastern United States. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 94:61-69 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2015.11.009.
Bae B, Fahey TJ, Yanai RD, Fisk MC. 2015. Soil nitrogen availability affects belowground carbon allocation
and soil respiration in northern hardwood forests of New Hampshire. Ecosystems 18:1179–1191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-015-9892-7.
Fisk MC, Ratliff TJ, Goswami S, Yanai RD. 2014. Synergistic soil response to nitrogen plus phosphorus
fertilization in hardwood forests. Biogeochemistry 118:195-204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-013-9918-1