Canopy uptake of atmospherically deposited nitrogen (N) NO 3~ was found in aboveground vegetation (64.3 and 70.7%, respectively) as compared to the litter layer (L) and soil organic horizons (FH) (35.7 and 29.4%, respectively). Overall, twigs showed the highest recovery for both ions (49.9 and 63.0%, respectively). Contrary to studies where N is added directly to the soils, these data show that aboveground biomass may capture N in amounts comparable to or higher than the soil when the tracer is applied in situ directly on the canopy in a way that reproduces natural N deposition processes.