4.3. Litter and Litterfall
Litterfall was collected in 16 litter traps (50 cm × 50 cm × 30 cm) laid out in a systematic way. The trap sides
were made of wooden boards and the base of nylon netting and they were placed 20 cm above the ground sur-face. Coarse litter such as twigs and pieces longer than 0.5 m were collected yearly in a 20 cm × 20 cm square
sampling area. Random samples of surface litter were taken twice a year, before and after leaf shedding, in 16
squares measuring 50 cm × 50 cm.