Nutrient content and distribution in natural southern coastal plain hardwoods

Nutrient pools in Atlantic and East Gulf Coastal Plain hardwood forests were studied to determine contents and distributions of N, P, K, Ca and Mg. Bottomland, wet flat and swamp stands aged 10, 20, 40 and 60 years were examined. Results show that tree component nutrient concentrations were relatively stable across site types except for somewhat lower concentrations in 60-year-old stands. Site types did not differ greatly in their biomass and nutrient contents for most age classes. In all sites, tree boles comprised the largest single aboveground biomass pool by age 40, while relative contributions by saplings and litter generally decreased with age. These stands were productive and accumulated biomass at 4·6 t ha^-1 year^-1 over 60 years.