A greenhouse experiment was conducted to assess the effects of scalping and burning the Kalmia litter of an acidic peaty soil on (i) germination and early growth of black spruce, (ii) the nutrient status of the soil surface (0-5 cm), and ( iii ) nutrient leaching. Burning of the litter clearly increased concentrations of NH4-N, NOx-N and P in soil, proportionally to intensity. Burning also improved the availability of Ca and Mg, while scalping of the litter exposed a layer with lower K and Ca availability and a lower pH than the surface. For the 3 month growth period, as a percentage of water input, downward drainage totalled 71% in the control treatment, 62% in the partial burning of litter treatment and 50% in the complete burning treatment. It varied around 40% in the two scalping treatments, where evapotranspiration dominated the water balance. For all treatments, the first 6-8 weeks of watering were characterized by a decrease in the pH of leachate and by leaching of Ca, K, Mg and Na. In general, a smaller leachate volume was associated with higher pH and concentrations of Ca, Mg and Na. Hence, on a mass basis, nutrient leaching did not differ with treatment. Only 14% of the seeds sown in the undisturbed Kalmia litter germinated, while 36-55% of the seeds germinated in other treatments. Any of the treatments had a significant effect on seedling growth which was very slow, probably because of low nutrient availability, allelopathy and competition from vigorous Kalmia resprouting. However, root growth was slightly reduced in the substrates where the Kalmia litter was left undisturbed. © 1994 Elsevier Science.