Litter keeps forest soil productive

Abstract

Millions each year for fertilizers! That is the heavy expenditure by American farmers'to keep agricultural soils productive. Forests, no less than corn and cotton, must rob the soil of nutrient material for their nourishment, and this material must be replenished. The farmer can conform his bought-and-paid-for fertilizers to the needs of his particular crops; but with timber, soil maintenance brings up a special set of questions. Do cutting : systems and logging methods affect the ! soil? What is the effect of forest -fires on the soil? Will it pay to hold forest lands for timber crops, and, if so, what kind of forest lands? The answer to such questions as these must be found, in whole or in part, in the characteristics and requirements of forest soil fertility.

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