Soil samples were collected from the litter manipulation plots in the Noe Woods, Wingra Woods, and 1940 Curtis Prairie sites at the University of Wisconsin Arboretum, on May 19, 1997.

Cores were taken at four locations within each of the four plots at each site. Two side-by-side 0-20 cm cores were collected at each location (after brushing away fresh litter in the forest sites). Cores were divided into 0-10 and 10-20 cm sections. The forest sites did not have control plots, so control samples were taken from untreated areas near the treated plots. There was virtually no organic horizon, therefore the surface of the soil was considered to be 0 cm depth.

Fresh core weights were recorded. All soils were sieved (5.6 mm) and the fresh weight of the <5.6 mm material was recorded. Corresponding depths from each pair of cores were combined. Subsamples were analyzed for moisture content, 50-105 C weight conversion, %ash, pH, %C and %N.

Another set of subsamples were incubated for 11 months in the laboratory and monitored for CO₂, NH₄⁺, and NO₃^- release.