| Short and long term planning for sustainable forest management is beset by limited knowledge about the soils and their properties. This thesis was conducted in the central interior of British Columbia to provide relevant information on the types of nitrogen and their levels in selected soils within the very wet, cool, sub-boreal spruce biogeoclimatic subzone.; Incipient podzolization seems to be the dominant pedogenic process in the area along with lessivage and minor hydromorphic processes. Both available ammonium and mineralizable nitrogen levels were highest in the forest floor horizons of the sites in the mid-seral (50--80 years) age classes. Following an immediate post-fire increase, available nitrate gradually decreases, approaching an equilibrium by the late seral (>140 years) age class. Where significant differences were determined in the mineralizable and available nitrogen analyses, the early seral (<14 years) age class nitrogen levels were found to be different from the older age classes. |
