Abstract. The paper presents the studies on relations between features of forest floor vegetation and surface soil horizons (organic and humus) properties. The research was taken in 100 pine stands located in southwest Poland. The investigated relations were different when concerning two forest floor layers. The higher values of the analysed herb layer indicators (the herb layer cover and the amount of plant species in the herb layer) are related to the higher trophy of the surface soil horizons. For the analogous moss layer indicators the relations are opposite to the herb layer relations. In the investigated pine stands the forest floor species composition was more related to organic than to humus horizon properties. The relations between forest floor vegetation and upper soil horizons properties are double-sided. The associations of particular forest floor plant species can influence the soil properties [3, 5], but soil properties also determine forest floor plant composition. The second relation results from different plant species requirements to soil conditions [6]. The occurrence of particular plant species in forest floor is an important indicator of soil trophy and humidity that is commonly used in Poland to assess the forest site productivity for silviculture [21]. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is a tree species which strongly forms soil properties that concerns mainly upper soil horizons acidification [1, 4]. In undergrowth of pine stands, species that tolerate distinct acid and poor soil P O L I S H J O U R N A L O F S O I L S C I E N C E VOL. XLII/2 2009 PL ISSN 0079-2985 Soil Chemistry PIOTR SEWERNIAK*, S£AWOMIR S. GONET, AGNIESZKA PIERNIK* RELATIONS BETWEEN FEATURES OF FOREST FLOOR VEGETATION AND SURFACE SOIL HORIZONS PROPERTIES IN SCOTS PINE (PINUS SYLVESTRIS L.) STANDS IN SOUTHWEST POLAND*** Received December 7, 2009 *P. Sewerniak, DSc., Prof. S.S. Gonet, DSc.; Department of Soil Science, Nicolaus Copernicus University, ul. Gagarina 9, 87-100 Toruñ, Poland. **A. Piernik, DSc.; Laboratory of Ecological Processes Modelling, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Gagarina 9, 87-100 Toruñ, Poland. ***The research was conducted as a part of the project N309 007 32/1037, financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Poland. brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by Repository of Nicolaus Copernicus University