Wintering habitat evaluation of Red deer (Cervus elaphus) in forest area of Northeastern China

Six ultimate factors (forage abundance, horizontal sheltering class, distance from human disturbance, snow depth, tree coverage, and edge effect) of Red deer (Cervus elaphus) were investigated in eastern Heilongjiang Province during winter from 1988 to 1991. On the basis of analysis of field data, we evaluated winter habitat conditions of Red deer. The results showed as follows: the wintering habitat quality of Red deer in poplar-birch stands was excellent in the Wanda Mountains, and was moderate in shrub-woods and Korean pine seed stands. According to habitat index (HI) values, the habitat quality in poplar-birch stands (HI=0.8185) was superior to that in shrub-woods (HI=0.4825) and in Korean pine seed stands (HI=0.4385). The wintering habitat quality of Red deer in the Wanda Mountains was superior to that of Dailing Forestry Region. According to the current situations of forestry areas in northeastern China, strengthening habitat management was important for the conservation and management of Red deer population in the next decades. This subject is supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province. (Responsible Editor: Zhu Hong)     

优良红松坚果型优树的选择方法(英文)

于1988-1998 年对长白山、小兴安岭和完达山地区天然红松林以及黑龙江省鹤岗地区人工红松林结实量进行了实地调查和测定。根据调查和测定数据，对红松结实特征，包括结实量、球果长度、球果数量、出种率，种子千粒重、种子产量、种子大小、种子空实率、球果虫害率、结实指数等，进行分析方差分析、多重比较和逐步回归，得出各项结实因子对结实量的贡献率，将球果长度、千粒重和出种率确定为优树选择的重要指标，然后采用加权系数法确定红松坚果型优树，并制订出天然红松林坚果型优树标准和红松人工林坚果优树标准。本项研究为建立红松坚果园选择优树提供了方法和标准。     

Habitat use of large ungulates in northeastern Germany in relation to forest management

Estimating large herbivore density has been a major area of research in recent decades. Previous studies monitoring ungulate density, however, focused mostly on determining animal abundance, and did not interpret animal distribution in relation to habitat parameters. We surveyed large ungulates in the Biodiversity Exploratory Schorfheide-Chorin using faecal pellet group counts. This allowed us to explore the link between relative ungulate abundance, habitat use, and browsing damage on trees in a region with several types of forest, including unharvested and age-class beech forests, as well as age-class pine forests. Our results demonstrate that roe deer and fallow deer relative abundance is negatively correlated with large tree cover, and positively correlated with the cover of small shrubs (Rubus spec., Vaccinium spec.), and winter food supply. Habitat use of roe deer and fallow deer, as estimated by counting faecal pellet groups, revealed a preference for mature pine forests, and avoidance of deciduous forests. This differential habitat use is explained by different distributions of high quality food resources during winter. The response of deer to understory cover differed between roe deer and fallow deer at high cover percentages. The amount of browsing damage we observed on coniferous trees was not consistent with the relative deer abundance. Browsing damage was consistently higher on most deciduous trees, except for beech saplings which sustained less damage when roe deer density was low. Because roe deer is a highly selective feeder, it was reported to affect tree diversity by feeding only on trees with high nutritional value. Consequently, we propose that managing the number of all deer species by hunting is necessary to allow successful forest regeneration. Such an adjustment to deer numbers would need to account for both current tree diversity and alternative food resources. Our findings may be applicable to other forest landscapes in northeastern Germany including mature pine stands and differently harvested deciduous forests.     

The influence of forest cover on mule deer habitat selection, diet, and nutrition during winter in a deep-snow ecosystem

Recent research in western North America suggests that open forage areas are a greater limiting factor to mule deer abundance than closed conifer forests. However, much of this work was conducted in ecosystems prone to fire and low snow depths compared to the limits of mule deer range such as the Columbia Mountains, British Columbia, where snow is deep and fires are rare. We used snow track surveys as a measure of habitat use and fecal nitrogen as an index of dietary quality to compare the relative value to mule deer of open deciduous canopies to closed coniferous canopies in a wet ecosystem with deep snow and few fires. Deciduous canopies contain higher levels of understory forage compared to dense coniferous canopies, which are better at intercepting snow. We also evaluated food habits across landscapes with contrasting forest canopies. Results corroborated previous work in that foraging areas such as deciduous stands were strongly selected by deer, despite deeper snow relative to closed coniferous stands. Deer consumed fewer understory shrubs in coniferous-dominated stands, suggesting lower nutritional intake in these stands. Finally, deer appeared to derive a nutritional benefit in landscapes that had a higher proportion of open deciduous canopies, as indexed by fecal nitrogen. However, not all open canopy stands were of equal value to deer – deciduous-dominated stands were selected, whereas clearcuts were avoided. Similarly, not all closed coniferous stands were equally selected: cedar–hemlock stands were avoided whereas Douglas-fir stands were selected and indeed contained the highest proportion of deer tracks. We suggest that winter foraging areas have been underrepresented in management policy in British Columbia, but that snow-interception cover provided by coniferous stands still plays a role in winter deer ecology in deep-snow ecosystems.     

Long-term responses of ecosystem components to stand thinning in young lodgepole pine forest: IV. Relative habitat use by mammalian herbivores

Pre-commercial thinning (PCT) is a silvicultural practice that can provide diverse understory and overstory vegetation conditions. We tested the hypothesis that relative habitat use by snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and moose (Alces alces) would increase in response to enhanced abundance of herbs and shrubs, and species diversity and structural diversity of conifers, in heavily thinned (≤1000 stems/ha) stands, at 12–15 years post-thinning. Replicate study areas were located near Penticton, Kamloops, and Prince George in south-central British Columbia, Canada. Each study area had three young pine stands thinned to densities of 500 stems/ha (low), 1000 stems/ha (medium), and 2000 stems/ha (high), with an unthinned young pine and old-growth pine stand for comparison.

Relative habitat use, based on counts of fecal pellets and pellet-groups, was similar among the five treatment stands for hares (P = 0.24), deer (P = 0.23), and moose (P = 0.16). However, low-density stands (500 stems/ha) had ca. 3–20 times as many deer pellet-groups, and ca. 2–4 times as many moose pellet-groups, than other stands. Low-density stands had significantly greater canopy openness, volume of shrubs <2 m, and horizontal hiding cover <1.6 m than other treatments. Relative habitat use by deer and moose was positively related to understory characteristics such as enhanced abundance of forage and security cover. These results support our hypothesis that deer and moose responded positively to enhanced volume of herbs and shrubs as well as to species diversity and structural diversity of conifers and overall vegetation in heavily thinned (≤1000 stems/ha) stands at 12–15 years post-thinning. Our results suggest that ungulate management would be enhanced if greater emphasis was placed on forage enhancement throughout the year, which differs from current management recommendations which tend to focus on winter range and snow-interception cover.     

The possibility analysis of natural poplar-birch forest recovery to broad-leaf Korean pine forest through the method of life table in the Xioaxing’an Mountains

The basic principle of life table method is described, and the method of tree height instead of tree age in static life table is suggested, and it is also discussed that the possibility of natural poplar-birch forest recover to broad-leaf Korean pine forest on low pitches in the Xiaoxing’an Mountains by this method. If there is no particular situation, Korean pines after high than 5m under natural Poplar-birch forest will basically survive and make their way into dominant canopy accompanied by climax broad-leaf species.     

Effect of thinning intensity on tree growth and temporal variation of seed and cone production in a Pinus koraiensis plantation

Thinning of Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis Sieb. et Zucc.) is used to facilitate timber and cone production. The present study in Northeast China investigated the effects of thinning intensity on individual tree growth, temporal variation in cone yield, and seed quality in Korean pine plantation. In 2005, five thinning intensity levels (none, extreme, heavy, moderate and light) were set in 15 permanent plots in a 32-year-old Korean pine plantation at Mengjiagang Forest Farm, Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province. We recorded tree growth and seed cone production from 2013 to 2016, i.e., from 8 to 11 years after thinning. Except for height growth, thinning increased tree growth (diameter at breast height and crown size) and improved cone yield. The extreme thinning treatment (to 300 trees per hectare) resulted in the largest tree diameter, tree volume, crown size and 4-year cone production per tree. The highest cone yield per tree in the mast year (2014) was observed when stands were thinned to 500 trees per hectare (heavy thinning). Although the best cone and seed quality and the largest cone and seed mass per tree were recorded in the heavily thinned stand, no significant differences were found between heavy and moderate thinning stands (750 trees per hectare). At the stand level, the moderately thinned stand had the highest basal area, stock volume and seed cone production per stand. Our results suggest that thinning to 750 trees per hectare will improve timber and cone productivity in 40-year-old P. koraiensis stands.     

Site Quality Evaluation for Mixed, Uneven-aged, Natural Forest Dominatedby Korean Pine in Northeast China

1ThisStudyisoneoftheprojectssuportedbyNaturalScienceFundationofHeilongjiangProvinceIntroductionSitoindexisaconvcnientstcptoxtardtl1eultin1ategoaiofpredictingtheproductioncapability'offorcstlwt;anditisausefuldircctmeasuresforapotentialexpetionparadigmintcn…     

长白山两种森林类型土壤颗粒有机碳和黑碳分布特征

[目的]量化长白山原始阔叶红松林和杨桦次生林土壤颗粒有机碳和黑碳含量及分布特征,为研究东北森林土壤有机碳分布和积累提供依据。[方法]采用粒径分组方法测定原始阔叶红松林和杨桦次生林土壤表层(A_(11))和亚表层(A_(12))颗粒有机碳(POC)和黑碳(BC)含量,分析其与土壤基本性质(有机质、含水量、p H值、粘粒和团聚体等)的关系。[结果]表明:(1)两种森林类型土壤A_(11)和A_(12)POC含量分别为31.89 88.00、5.25 19.45 g·kg~(-1),BC含量分别为8.43 22.40、3.39 12.10 g·kg~(-1),二者随土壤深度增加而显著下降(p0.01)。(2)森林类型显著影响土壤POC和BC,表现为杨桦次生林原始阔叶红松林。(3)两种森林类型土壤POC与土壤有机质、含水量、水稳性团聚体均显著相关,与p H值、粘粒相关性不显著;BC与土壤p H值、粘粒和团聚体相关性均不显著,与含水量显著相关,与有机质仅在A_(11)显著相关。(4)土壤POC和BC显著相关(p0.01)。[结论]在长白山地区森林类型显著影响土壤POC和BC含量,杨桦次生林土壤POC和BC显著高于原始阔叶红松林,很大程度上与森林的采伐和火烧有关。两种森林类型土壤POC和BC分布格局是土壤物理化学性质综合作用的结果。     

Evaluation of regeneration potential of Pinus koraiensis in mixed pine-hardwood forests in the Xiao Xing’an Mountains, China

Large scale harvest of Korean pine(Pinus koraiensis) seeds as a food product in the mixed Korean pine-hardwood forest of northeastern China poses a serious threat to the sustainability and restoration of this endangered regional ecosystem.Seed collection over past decades greatly reduced the seed bank and subsequent seedling and sapling recruitment,and impacting a wide array of granivorous animals that rely on the pine seeds.We surveyed Korean pine seeds,including solid seeds(SS),insect consumed seeds(ICS) and other(animal) consumed(OCS) kernels,of the seed bank(forest floor and the top 10 cm of mineral soil),the seedlings and saplings from 1 m 2 sample plots in five forest types in Liangshui Nature Reserve(LNR) of the southern Xiao Xing’an Mountains in northeastern China to provide accurate information for assessing the Korean pine regeneration potential.The average number of pine seeds in the seed bank were 11.2 seeds/m 2,9.1 seeds/m 2,4.6 seeds/m 2,1.1 seeds/m 2,and 0.2 seeds/m 2 in Korean pine-basswood forest,mixed Korean pine-hardwood forest,mixed conifer-hardwood forest,white birch forests,and oak forests,respectively.In the first three forest types,percentages of SS(potentially viable seeds) were 11.2%,3.5% and 27.8%,respectively.The percentages of ICS(not viable seeds) were consistent at around 35%.The higher but variable percentages of OCS(not viable seeds) indicated high seed predation in these forests.Compared with other studies,we recorded higher percentages of seed damage,probably due to our survey approach and the increased depth of seed bank sampled in our study.Depletion of pine seeds in the seed bank greatly reduced seedling and sapling recruitment.Densities of pine seedlings varied from about 180 trees/ha in the mixed Korean pine-hardwood forest to about 5,400 trees/ha in the mixed conifer-hardwood forests and showed a high degree of spatial variation.Saplings were rare in the mixed Korean pine-hardwood forest,but ranged in the thousands in other forests.Large scale pine seed harvest has seriously threatened the sustainability of the mixed Korean pine-hardwood forest ecosystem.Scaling down the seed harvest or supplemental planting of pine saplings are urgently needed to maintain the health of the existing Korean pine forests and to restore this endangered ecosystem.     

Influence of conventional and chemical thinning on stand structure and diversity of plant and mammal communities in young lodgepole pine forest

Silvicultural practices that provide a wide variety of vegetative composition and structure (habitats) in young stands should help manage for biological diversity across forested landscapes. This study was designed to test the hypotheses that: (i) abundance and diversity of stand structure attributes (species diversity and structural diversity of herb, shrub and tree layers) and forest floor small mammal communities, and (ii) relative habitat use by large herbivores, will increase from unthinned to conventionally thinned to chemically thinned stands of young lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forest. Replicate study areas were located near Summerland, Kelowna and Williams Lake in south-central British Columbia, Canada. Each study area had three treatments: a conventionally thinned, a chemically thinned and an unthinned stand. Pre-commercial thinning was conducted in 1993. Coniferous stand structure and understory vegetation were measured prior to thinning in 1993 and 5 years later in 1998. Small mammal populations were sampled intensively from 1993 to 1998. Relative habitat use by large herbivores was sampled in 1998.

Our results indicate that chemical thinning of young lodgepole pine stands produced an aggregated pattern of crop trees compared with stands subjected to conventional thinning. Diameter growth of crop trees in the chemically thinned stands was similar to that in the conventionally thinned, but also to that in unthinned stands. Although horizontal stratification (aggregates of trees) was enhanced, vertical stratification (structural diversity of vegetation) was less in the chemically than conventionally thinned stands. Abundance and diversity of understory vegetation and small mammal communities were generally unaffected by stand thinning in these particular installations. Relative habitat use by mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) occurred in a gradient from highest in the conventionally thinned stand to lowest in the unthinned stand. Habitat use by snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) tended to have the opposite trend. Moose (Alces alces) exhibited no difference in habitat use among stands. Thus, although there were few differences among treatment stands, chemical thinning could be used to develop an aggregated pattern of crop trees in pre-commercially thinned stands to maintain habitat for herbivores such as snowshoe hares and mule deer. Understory plant and forest floor small mammal communities would be maintained in these stands as well.     

The distribution patterns and temporal dynamics of carabid beetles (Coleoptera:Carabidae) in the forests of Jiaohe,Jilin Province,China

Carabid beetles,predatory insects,are abundant in forests and sensitive to environmental changes.The dis-tribution patterns and diversity of carabid beetles in several natural forests were studied to provide a basis for evaluating the importance of a forest in the protection of carabid beetle diversity.Carabids were captured by pitfall traps during their seasonal activity from 2012 to 2013 in a poplar-birch forest,ash-walnut forest and broad-leaved Korean pine forest.A total of 5252 individuals,representing 21 species,were col-lected.Carabid abundance was highest in the broad-leaved Korean pine forest and lowest in the ash-walnut forest.Carabus billbergi Mannerheim and Pterostichus pertinax(Tschitscherine) were the dominant beetle species in each stand.Carabus canaliculatus Adams was dominant in the poplar-birch and ash-walnut forests,and Leistus niger Gebler was dominant in the ash-walnut forest.The carabids were affected differently by stand factors.C.billbergi and P.per-tinax was positively correlated with mean DBH.C.cana-liculatus and L.niger were not positively correlated with any stand factors.The broad-leaved Korean pine forest with greater age,large DBH and thick leaf litter fostered a high diversity of carabid species.The main yearly activity period for most carabids was during July.Different carabid species responded differently to seasonality,and the activity period of several species was relatively late (August) in the year.     

Life History Process and Conservation of Korean Pine Populations in the Xiaoxing'an Mountains of Northeast ChinaThis research was supported by the UNDP Project CPR/96/109

分析了中国东北小兴安岭林区红松种群的生活史过程及其影响因素,对红松生活史的４个阶段进行了分析,并讨论了其进化和保护对策．红松的传粉和受精主要受天气条件的影响．林冠下的光照是控制红松幼苗生长和存活的主要因素．红松种子生产的周期性波动会引起有关动物种群的相应变化．动物是阔叶红松林生态系统中不可缺少的组成成分,松鼠在红松种群的天然更新中起着非常重要的作用．了解森林生态系统中物种的协同进化关系对于我们保护森林生物多样性和生态系统的完整性有着重要的意义．在红松的保护中,我们不仅要保护树木本身,而且还应当保护与红松相关的动物、生境乃至整个生态系统．     

EFFECTIVENESS OF ACEPHATE IMPLANTS IN PROTECTING CONES FROM INSECT DAMAGE IN SOME CONIFERFORESTS OF NORTHEASTERN CHINA

lNTRoDUCTloNInChina,onlyafewexperimentshavebeenperfbrmedtotestinsecticidessusceptibletopreventconesandseedsfrominsectdamage(Anonymousl986,GaoBuquetal.l99l,YueShukuil992,LiuYikong1993).Moreover,thesetestsonlyconsistedofsprayingchemi-cals,thatmayinduceharInfulconsequencesuponenvironment.TheintensifiedeffoftofafforestationinNortleasternChinarecentlyrequiredtoestablishlnyenumbersofseedorchards,aswellasparent-trCestands,inordertoprovideforesterswithhigh-qualityseeds,especiallyinlarch.Thispr…     

天然红松林结实与林分因子的关系

本文通过对天然红松林分的调查,掌握了天然红松的结实量和年龄、林分疏密度及和不同林分类型的关系,同时也掌握了红松果实的质量和不同林分类型的关系,对今后天然红松林经营起到一定的作用.     

加强红松良种基地建设的建议

文章根据伊春林区红松林木良种基地的状况,切合实际地提出了加强红松林木良种基地建设的建议。     

Effect of microenvironmental quantitative regulation on growth of Korean pine trees planted under secondary forest

Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) and broadleaved mixed forest in Northeast China has been changed regressively into secondary forest with almost no conifers. Planting Korean pine trees under the canopy of secondary forest is a feasible approach for recovering Korean pine and broadleaved mixed forest. For establishing an effective growth promotion method for under-canopy planted young Korean pine trees, two stands were selected as the experiment plots, Stand A (planted in 1989) and Stand B (planted in 1982), and an experiment of microenvironment regulation was conducted relying mainly on Opening degree (K=1, K=1.5, K=2, CK) in 2004. The results were shown that the adjustment had promoted growth of diameter and height of Korean pine planted in Stand A and Stand B, and had a significant influence on the growth rate of basal diameter, diameter at breast height and height in the two growth stands. The four years periodic increment of mean diameter and height of Korean pine planted in 1989 and in 1982 after regulation in K=1 level were 63.4% (D₀) and 82.7% (H), 64.8% (D_1.3) and 69.7% (H) higher than that of control respectively. Quantitative regulation had significant influence on specific leaf area of Korean pine planted in 1989, and the current year specific leaf area (SLA) was lager than perennial year SLA. Quality indexes of natural pruning capacity, normal form quotient and crown size was not significantly changed but shown a positive tendency. The regulation scheme of Opening degree K=1 might be proper for adjusting the microenvironment of Korean pine trees planted under the canopy of secondary forest when the Korean pine trees were in the growth period of 15 to 26 years old in the experiment region.     

Comparative mast seed production in unmanaged and shelterwood white pine (Pinus strobus L.) stands in central Ontario

The effect of the seed cut of the uniform shelterwood silvicultural system on white pine seed production, seed characteristics, and seed viability during 2 mast seeding events was examined in operationally harvested second growth, white pine-dominated forest stands in central Ontario. Seed traps placed along transects in unmanaged and shelterwood stands in each of 3 blocks were used to monitor seed production in 2000 and 2006 (4 and 10 years after harvesting). During these 2 mast seed years between 386,000 and 2,730,600 seed ha^?1 were produced among study stands. Total seed production expressed on a per hectare and unit pine basal area basis did not differ by harvest treatment or among blocks in either year. Variability in seed production among stands was primarily due to differences in stand structure, with seed production positively related to white pine basal area. Seed characteristics were largely similar between harvested and unmanaged stands and between seed years. Seed viability was relatively high in both years, with seed from shelterwoods germinating slightly slower than those from unmanaged stands. Seed quality, as estimated by laboratory germination performance, was higher in 2006 than 2000, likely due to improved seed development and maturation in the warmer, wetter growing season of 2006. Our results suggest that the seed cut of the uniform shelterwood system applied to second growth white pine stands is unlikely to adversely affect white pine seed production, seed quality, or potential for natural regeneration during mast seeding events.     

RESEARCH ON REGENERATION APPROACHES OF KOREAN PINE FORESTS

Broad-lcavedKoreanpincforcstisthcclimaticclimaxconinunitVofnortheastmoun-tainousregionsofChina.AsthemaintreesPecies,Koreanpinehasexccllentwood.AgreatattentionbasbccnpaidtorecoveringtheseforesttyPesafterharvesting.Additional1y,KoreanpineisoneofkeyregcncrationtreesPeCiesinthisregion.TherehasbeenlargeareaofKorcanpincplantations.Howevcr,thercaresomeproblemsncedingtobestUdicdfwtheramongwhichoneistoselectsuitabIeropenerationapproacl1esofKoreanpincforesls.WHATISTHEPROBLEM?ThcnatUralregen…     

Seed dispersal by small rodents favors oak over pine regeneration in the pine-oak forests of the Qinling mountains,China

Abstract

Natural regeneration differences between oak and pine are common in the Qinling Mountains of central China. Thus, we examined whether this difference could be explained by seed dispersal. We investigated the seed dispersal of Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata Maxim. and Pinus tabulaeformis Carr. and the regeneration characteristics of both species were investigated in the pine-oak forest belt (oak stands, pine-oak stands, and pine stands) of Huoditang Forest in the Qinling Mountains in central China. We found that Q. aliena var. acuteserrata acorns were usually scatterhoarded, while seeds of P. tabulaeformis were generally consumed immediately. We found that 55% of the released acorns were transferred to the P. tabulaeformis stands. Moreover, Q. aliena var. acuteserrata regenerated successfully and was recruited in the three forest stands. However, the natural regeneration of P. tabulaeformis was very low in all stands because of high predation by small rodents. We propose, therefore, that the seed dispersal advantage of Q. aliena var. acuteserrata compared with P. tabulaeformis contributed greatly to the regeneration difference between these two species in the pine-oak forest belt of the Qinling Mountains in China.