Litter Decomposition of Two Tree Species in Siwalik Forest of Himalaya

Leaf litter decomposition ofHoloptelea integrifolia and Bombex ceiba in a tropical deciduous forest in the foot hill zone of Garhwal Himalaya was studied for one year. The remaining litter after 12 months of decomposition was 12.14 and 29.00% for these two species respectively. May-October period exhibited rapid loss in litter weight. Removal of litter weight was significantly related with the time elapsed. The values of decomposition constants (K and K’) have been calculated for these species. The values of annual decomposition rate (K) for these species were 2.109 and 1.238 respectively. These values have been compared with the temperature and other tropical forests of the world.