Data on moss and lichen decomposition rates and nutrient loss from old-growth and harvested high-boreal forests estimated using the litterbag and minicontainer methods

Bryophytes and lichen are important components of many boreal forest ecosystems, making the quantification of moss and lichen decomposition rates critical to understanding the C cycle of these forests. A total of 1560 litter samples were incubated for two years (2007-2009) in six in high-boreal Labrador black spruce forests stands of different disturbance origin: three old-growth stands of wildfire origin, and three recently clearcut stands. Liter samples were incubated using two different methods (litterbags and minicontainers) and retrieved after 6.5, 13, 47, 57 and 109 weeks of field incubation, subsequently analyzed for mass loss, C, N, nutrient, and fibre content.