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DIVISION S-7—FOREST & RANGE SOILS

Humus Index

An Integrated Tool for the Assessment of Forest Floor and Topsoil Properties

^a Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Laboratoire d'Écologie Générale, 4 avenue du Petit-Chateau, 91800 Brunoy, France
^b Cemagref, Unité de Recherche et d'Expertise Écosystèmes Forestiers et Paysages, Domaine des Barres, 45290 Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France
^c Maison de l'Agriculture de Seine-et-Marne, 418 rue Aristide-Briand, 77350 Le Mée-sur-Seine, France

* Corresponding author (jean-francois.ponge{at}wanadoo.fr)

A quantitative assessment of forest humus forms is suggested, on the basis of a scale ranging from 1 (Eumull) to 7 (Dysmoder) which is called the humus index. Regression analyses showed that this index was well-correlated with several morphological as well as chemical variables describing forest floors and topsoil profiles: thickness of the Oe horizon, depth of the crumby mineral horizon, Munsell hue, pH_KCl and pH_H2O, H and Al exchangeable acidity, percentage base saturation, cation-exchange capacity, exchangeable bases, C and N content and available P of the A horizon. The suggested humus index could be used as a cheap and rapid method for the bulk assessment of organic matter accumulation, soil acidity, and soil biological activity.

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