Litter decomposition in the hillslope-riparian study.

To measure possible differences in abiotic and biotic conditions in the hillslope riparian zone, we placed air-dried Rhododendron and Chestnut oak leaf litter, weighed, in 1 mm mesh litterbags, at 1, 5 and 15 m. above the stream. The bags were individually tagged and set out anchored with pink plastic flags on metal rods. The bags will be retrieved every three months for three years, oven-dried, weighed, and measured for ash-free dry mass, % N and C, and compared with previous years decomposition rate studies. Retrieval scheme is: three bags taken at random from each elevation, and in both the cut and storm treatment areas. Thus there will be 18 bags retrieved every time for each species, or 36 total per time. total number of bags emplaced is thus 36 x 12 = 432. These results will enable us to follow the long-term changes in forest-floor conditions in our hillslope riparian study. 432 bags set out along lines of either chestnut oak or Rhododendron, at three elevations in each of two sites. Each bag is individually weighed and labeled with an aluminum tag. Retrieval is random numbers for each species