Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground.

The Duff series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from volcanic rocks. Duff soils are on concave mountain side slopes. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent.

Jan 5, 2020 · The duff layer is the organic material layer between the A-horizon (or uppermost soil mineral horizon) and the litter layer. The duff layer is decomposing organic material, decomposed to the point at which there is no identifiable organic materials (pine straw, leaves, twigs, etc).

Feb 11, 2022 · Leaf litter is also commonly called litterfall, plant litter, plant detritus, duff soil, plant debris, ground litter, tree litter, soil litter, duff layer, and forest duff. Leaf litter is dead plant material that has fallen to the ground.

The duff layer is classified by degree of decomposition as upper duff and lower duff. Lightly to moderately decomposed upper duff comprises the Oe soil horizon, which is also called the fermentation layer or F-layer.

Aug 13, 2008 · Duff in-cludes the dark, partly decomposed organic material (unrecogniz-able plant forms) above mineral soil. Litter, on top of duff, includes recognizable plant parts, such as leaves and flowers, but not branches (twigs 6 mm in diameter or larger) (Figure 1).

Duff occurs as a layer found beneath the litter layer and above the mineral soil. It is characterized by load (weight per acre), depth (inches) and bulk density (lbs per cubic ft) and is classified by degree of decomposition.

Feb 8, 2019 · Duff consists of vegetation removed from the project site that is chipped, stockpiled, and then reapplied to disturbed soil areas after completion of earthwork. Duff does NOT include topsoil - other than soil attached to roots of plants removed by clearing and grubbing operations.

In addition the litter layer (duff) composed of rotten wood, leaves, twigs, needles, cones, and other fine fuels decompose to form the humus layer. These surface layers coupled with soil wood store and release nutrients, are sites for nitrogen fixation, and provide habitat for ectomycorrhizae.

Mar 27, 2024 · Duff forms a layer about 5 cm (2 in.) thick that overlies the soil of a forest floor. Its thermal insulation is an important factor in the formation of permafrost, and the quality and moisture content of duff is significant in considerations of forest fire hazard (fire weather).