Abstract: It is found that the Litter layer is 3.4cm in average depth in the hard-wood Korean pine torest through the investigation. Litter layer censists of two sublayers. ie. nondecomposed and semidecomposed. The standing crop of nondecomposed and semidecomposed sublayers are 3.6T/ha and 9.1T/ha, respectively. The total standing crop of two sublayers is 12.7 T/ha(dry weight)。The order of mineral element content of both two sublayers is Ca > N > Mg > P > K > Mn > Fe > Zn > Cu, which is identical in the forest studied.Element centents for litter layer are as follews Ca 185.45, N 124.65, Mg:2600, P 15.18, K 14.35, Mn 4.86, Fe 4.50, Zn 0.84, Cu 0.22 kg/ha. The content of mineral elements changes with decompositien process.Element centent of nondecomposed sublayer is less than that of semidecem-posed sublayer. generally, the former is 80-90% of the latter. The litter has distinctive ettects on natural regeneration of korean pine. Seeds of korean pine are brought to the underneath of litter layer by animals. where they can make cautactian with mineral soil and easily germinate. But atter germination, seedlings in the thick litter layer must develop stem, fherefore spend a lot of nutrient stock in endosperm, nutri-ents reguired by root were snatched away, which makes 90% of deedlings develop not well and die in the year or in mext year. The porous state of litter layer and favorable structure of humus may intercept precipitation, reduce satace runott and promote infiltration.precipitation interception of nondecomposed sublayer and semideeomposed litter sublayer are 266.2% and 32.6% of dry weight, or 9.32t/ha and 18.95t/ha, respectively, totally 28. 27 t/ha, which is eguivalent to 2.87mm of precipitatian. An effective ecosystem should have fast decompositian rate, not great accumulation, which is the direction we should follow in the managemeut of ecouystems.