A Comparison of Nitrogen Cycling among Young Pinus koraiensis Plantations of Different Ages

잣나무 유림의 수령에 따른 질소순환의 비교

Nitrogen cycling was in vestigated in Piuns koraiensis plantations with different ages, 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 11 years, which were reforested after clear-cutting. Annual N input by bulk precipitation was 10kg., and output by runoff decreased as the plantation aged, especially in-N. The standing N content of the whole vegetation increased approximately 5 times through 11 years. Understory surpassed P. koraiensis plants in the distribution of standing N content for the initial 9 years, but reversed thereafter. Annual N uptake of P. koraiensis plants increased greatly through 11 years, but that of understory increased somewhat until 9 years and decreased thereafter. The maximum N uptake of the whole vegetation was made in the 9-yr-old plantation. In the 1-yr-old one, 59% of the maximum was already absorbed by understory which mainly consisted to herbs. The recycling coefficient, ratio of annual return to rptake, of the whole vegetation decreased as the plantation aged and the value of understory was greater than that of P koraiensis plants. On the contrary, the N use efficiency, ratio of the net primary production to N uptake, of the whole vegetation increased as the plantation aged and the value of understory was less than that of P. koraiensis plants. Consequently, it is emphasized that understory played an important role in such plantation reforesred after clear-cutting for the initial 9 years.