Analysis of nitrogen dynamics in the Lye Brook Wilderness area, Vermont, USA

Nitrogen (N) deposition and its impact on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is a concern facing federal land managers at the Lye Brook Wilderness in Vermont and other protected areas throughout the northeastern United States. In this study, we compared N production in soils with N concentrations and outputs in leachates to determine how forest cover types differ in regulating N losses. Also, precipitation inputs and modeled estimates of streamwater outputs were used to calculate a watershed N budget. Most ammonium and nitrate were produced in organic soils with deciduous cover. Softwood stands had low net nitrification rates and minimal N leaching. A comparison of watershed inputs and outputs showed a net gain in total dissolved N (5.5 kg ha(-1) yr(-1)) due to an accumulation of dissolved inorganic N. The Lye Brook Wilderness ecosystem has N budgets similar to other forested ecosystems in the region, and appears to be assimilating the accumulating N. However seasonal losses of nitrate observed in mineral soils and streamwater may be early warnings of the initial stages of N saturation.