The construction and quality improvement of water conservation forests are important research contents in forest management. This paper compares the differences in water conservation functions among four forest types in the eastern mountainous areas of Heilongjiang Province through the study of litter and soil hydrological effects: Korean pine-broadleaved forest (KH), spruce-fir forest (YLS), larch forest (LYS), and Mongolian oak forest (MGL). The results indicate that the total thickness of the litter layer for the four forest types in the mountainous areas of eastern Heilongjiang Province varies from 3.08 to 7.78 cm, and the litter stock volume ranges from 7.65 to 11.08 t/hm². The effective water retention capacity of the undecomposed litter layer is 2.58-15.41 t/hm², with an effective retention rate of 56.02%-216.67%. The effective water retention capacity of the semi-decomposed layer is 0.95-9.88 t/hm², and the effective retention rate reaches 62.78%-281.29%. The water conservation capacity of the undecomposed layer is higher. The immersion time of the litter has a logarithmic relationship with the litter's water holding capacity and a power function relationship with the water absorption rate. For the four forest types, the soil bulk density increases with the increase of soil depth, while the soil porosity decreases. The soil saturated water holding capacity in the 0-20 cm soil layer of KH, YLS, LYS, and MGL ranges from 973.41 to 1,085.08 t/hm². The total water holding capacity of the four forest types, from largest to smallest is KH, LYS, MGL, and YLS. The soil layer plays a key role in the water conservation function of forests, with a water holding capacity of 97.41%-98.15% of the total water holding capacity. The research results provide a theoretical basis for the quality improvement and transformation of water conservation forests in this region.
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