A Wooden Stick Method for Assessing Organic Matter Decomposition in Soils.

Organic matter decomposition is an important process in soil ecosystems for its various roles in pedogenesis, ecosystem maintenance, and greenhouse gas production. Influenced by environmental factors such as temperature, drainage, and soil physical, chemical and mineralogical properties, decomposition rates can be studied from gas emissions using expensive equipment or through tedious and time-consuming methods such as litter bags. In this study, we examine the use of a relatively easy “wooden stick” method to assess organic matter decomposition rates in soils. Parallel laboratory and field experiments were deployed to examine the effects of soil type and soil moisture/drainage class in a time series analysis over the course of a year. Preliminary results will be reported and the benefits and challenges of the “wooden stick” method will be discussed.