NITROGEN SPATIAL HETEROGENEITY INFLUENCES DIVERSITY FOLLOWING RESTORATION IN A PONDEROSA PINE FOREST, MONTANA.

The article discusses the study on the spatial heterogeneity of total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) following restoration treatments in a ponderosa pine forest in western Montana. It evaluates the relationships between understory species richness and TIN heterogeneity following mechanical thinning and prescribed burning to discern the ecological and management implications of these restoration approaches. The study authors measured TIN from a grid consisting of 112 soil samples in each plot, and as a measure of heterogeneity, they computed standard deviations. Additionally, they employed a randomized block design with three 9 hectare replicates of each treatment and an untreated control.