THE OCCURRENCE OF PODZOLS UNDER DECIDUOUS WOODLAND IN THE NEW FOREST

Abstract

Examination of the soils of six small unenclosed oakwoods, all on the Plateau Gravels of the New Forest, showed that two of them were essentially brown forest soils, but the other four had pronounced features of podzolization. Pollen analysis revealed that the four podzolized ones had once borne heathland, whereas the other two had no such history. Particular attention was paid to the state of the humus layer in each wood. Those with brown forest soils maintained mull humus, probably by virtue of their mixed floristic composition. For those woods which had developed from heath it was demonstrated that holly was a pioneer species which, through its litter, could convert raw humus to mull humus, so that these woods showed mull conditions at the surface of what otherwise appeared to be a heath podzol. In both types of wood beech had become established avificially, and under old trees raw humus formation with attendant podzolization was demonstrated. It is suggested that the natural climax on these poor gravels is still an oak-dominated forest in equilibrium with a brown forest soil. Podzolization is a secondary condition.