Abstract: A short-term understory vegetation removal experiment was conducted at three experimental sites of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) plantation in Huitong of Hunan Province, South-central China to examine the short-term effects of the absence of understory vegetation on litter decomposition. In the plantation, the standing stock of the litter in L layer (un-decomposed litter), F layer (semi-decomposed litter), and H layer (decomposed litter) under understory intact condition was (123.7±46.3) g·m^-2, (204.2±79.1) g·m^-2, and (187.1±94.8) g·m^-2, and the corresponding nutrient storage was (447.51±16.75) g·kg^-1, (418.89±35.75) g·kg^-1, and (376.11±47.33) g·kg^-1 for carbon, (4.87±1.24) g·kg^-1, (6.4±2.38) g·kg^-1, and (4.66±2.64) g·kg^-1 for nitrogen, and (0.14±0.01) g·kg^-1, (0.16±0.03) g·kg^-1, and (0.16±0.02) g·kg^-1 for phosphorus, respectively. At sites DL87 and MS90, understory vegetation removal had significant effects on the standing stock of litter and the corresp onding storage of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in F layer, though the effects varied with sites (e.g., the storage of litter carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus decreased by more than 55% at DL87 while increased by about 1 time at MS90). Across the three sites, understory vegetation removal had little effects on the standing stock and nutrient storage of the litter in L layer and H layer. In addition, the removal had little effects on the litter decomposition at its early stage, but showed significant inhibitory effects after 150 days elapsed, with the decomposition rate decreased by 20.8%. These results suggested that the short-term effects of understory vegetation removal on the litter nutrient cycling could be depended on the forest site condition and the duration after the understory vegetation removal.