Top layer of the forest, scrubland, or grassland floor, directly above the fermentation layer. It's composed of loose debris including sticks, branches, twigs, and recently fallen leaves or needles, little altered in structure by decomposition
United States Department of Agriculture USDA Forest Service, Forests and Rangelands, Glossary of Terms, National Fire Plan, Washington, D.C., USA 2012. http://www.forestsandrangelands.gov/resources/glos sary/a.shtml, (For Fr - Amer) {497}