Effects of management, environment and landscape conditions on establishment of hardwood seedlings and saplings in central Japanese coniferous plantations

There is an increasing need to restore natural hardwood forests in landscapes dominated by monocultural conifer plantations. A convenient restoration approach is to exploit natural regeneration processes. Natural regeneration, however, is affected by diverse interacting factors, for which better understanding is required, in order to optimize restoration programs. To identify optimal management practices for improving natural regeneration of hardwood trees in coniferous plantations, we examined the effects of multiple factors on the abundance of seedlings, small saplings and large saplings (height <0.3, 0.3-1.3 and ?1.3 m, respectively) of hardwood tree and shrub species in both line thinned (LT) and unthinned (UT) plantations of sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) and hardwood forests (HF) in central Japan. The effects of management practices (number of the times of weeding and cleaning, thinning method, years after thinning and forest age), environment (slope position, slope angle and canopy openness), and landscape conditions (distance from nearest hardwood forest, altitude and landuse before planting) on the number of hardwood individuals were examined by using the data obtained from the LT plantations. We also compared hardwood density between LT and UT plantations to examine the effect of line thinning. Finally, we examined species composition of LT plantations and HF to identify hardwood forest components in the thinned plantations. The effects on hardwood regeneration of environmental conditions, landscape factors and management practices applied in the plantations varied, depending on the size class and life form of the regenerating species. The abundance of large saplings of tall tree species was affected by several management factors, especially number of the times of weeding. Landscape conditions (distance from the nearest hardwood forest and altitude) affected the abundance of small saplings and seedlings of tall tree species, but not the other classes. Seedlings and small saplings of many tall tree species that contribute to hardwood forest canopies were less abundant in the LT plantations. The results show that numerous factors affect the establishment and abundance of naturally regenerating hardwood tree species, and suggest that successful establishment during early plantation stages can have long-lasting effects on natural regeneration of tall tree species.     

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.     

秦岭山地云杉林结构特征与更新动态的研究

云杉 (ＰｉｃｅａａｓｐｅｒａｔａＭａｓｔ.)林是秦岭林区高中山地带的顶极群落类型之一 ,由于其蓄积量高、材质优良 ,亦为秦岭林区开发利用最早的森林类型 (张仰渠 ,1 988)。陕西省云杉天然林面积日渐稀少 ,且资源分散 ,因此恢复云杉林在高山地带特有的防护作用 ,是秦岭林区一个重要的研究课题。本文根据对该林区天然云杉林、择伐更新林及皆伐迹地更新林的调查对比分析 ,研究了云杉林的结构特征及其更新动态 ,以期为探索该区云杉林的恢复途径及扩大这一树种资源提供科学依据。1　研究区概况及方法1 1　研究区概况　该研究在陕西省宝鸡市…     

不同林分内水曲柳天然更新及影响因子研究

水曲柳(Fraxinus mandshulica)为我国东北林区阔叶红松林的主要伴生树种,与胡桃揪(Juglans mandshurica)、黄菠萝(Phellodendron amurense)被称为我国东北珍贵的"三大硬阔"。在黑龙江省方正县红星林场,对不同林分内水曲柳天然更新与环境因子、立地因子关系进行研究,结果表明,水曲柳在自身林内更新较差,40年生水曲柳林内仅5200株/hm2,而在其他林分内更新较好,杂木林内最高可达34000株/hm2;从对影响更新的诸多因子中分析发现,灌木盖度和草本盖度与水曲柳更新幼苗数量呈负相关,且关联性显著(p0.05),与枯落物厚度相关性不显著,基本上不受坡度、郁闭度和土壤A层厚度的影响。     

Regeneration patterns of Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) in hardwood-dominated forests in Virginia, USA

Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) is a moderately shade-tolerant species that co-occurs with hardwood tree species in many forests of the eastern United States, as well as in pure stands. The species is valued for its timber, as well as for wildlife and recreation. Regeneration of this species is somewhat unpredictable and often occurs in patches of similarly-aged cohorts. We described the regeneration patterns of this species and examined their relation to environmental variables within hardwood forests of southwestern Virginia, USA. An average of 5.3 white pine patches per ha were observed in this study. The majority of patches consisted of saplings (85%), with 9% of patches in pole size classes, and 6% in seedling size classes. The average density of patches was 43.5 stems with an average age of 20 years. The size of patches averaged 80.6 m². The total density of seedlings and the number of regeneration patches of all sizes of regeneration (seedlings, saplings, and poles) in plots was related to the surrounding density of large white pine trees (potential seed trees). The density of seedlings or patches was not significantly related to current vegetation cover or soil surface cover variables, but more than half of regeneration patches were located in or adjacent to old canopy gaps, most of which were old logging gaps. While seedling regeneration may occur within the understory of these forests near seed trees, advancement to the sapling and pole stage appears to be associated with canopy gap formation.     

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.     

Gap phase regeneration recruitment of mixed conifer-broadleaf forests in Wolong Nature Reserve

Wolong Nature Reserve is the largest reserve for protecting the endangered wild giant panda. Due to historical factors, even in many sections of the core protection area, the forests have been seriously destroyed and natural forests are poorly restored. However, the relative importance of the determinants for recruitment of communities under disturbance is rarely explored. In our study the endogenous and exterior factors in a forest gap that affect the conifer-broad-leaved mixed forest regeneration were investigated near Wuyipeng, one of the observation stations at Wolong, to explore which determinant had the greatest effect on gap regeneration and to discover the recruitment of seedling establishment in forest gaps. With a linear sampling method, environmental factors, gap characteristics and recruitment of new individuals were measured and examined in every forest gap along three sampling lines. Data of environmental factors in the gaps were collected for a Pearson correlation analysis in order to explore the disturbance and preprocessed characteristics of the gaps, using principal component analysis in SPSS. Correlation analysis was applied to further explore the relationship between changes in the gaps and the response of the regenerating seedlings. The results show that a range of natural and human disturbances affected the pattern and characteristics of the forest gaps in this area. The richness in the composition of the seedlings was higher than that of gap makers, but the order of dominance of the composition was different between seedlings and gap makers. The success of dominant species in establishing themselves was affected by different environmental factors. For instance, the establishment of Betula spp. was correlated significantly with topographic factors, while that of Abies faxoniana was affected by soil characteristics and that of Rhododendron spp. correlated significantly with topographic factors and characteristics of gap makers. Moreover, all the biodiversity indices of regenerating seedlings were significantly correlated with environmental principle components mostly reflecting soil properties. From this we can infer that soil characteristics are the most important factors affecting the regeneration of dominant species and seedling diversity under gap disturbances. __________ Translated from Journal of Plant Ecology (Chinese Version), 2007, 31 (3): 425–430 [译自: 植物生态学报]     

秦岭中段华山松林健康评价研究

本实验以秦岭中段华山松林为研究对象,在秦岭中段的火地塘林区,按照不同的立地条件,设置26块20 m×20 m的标准样地,以生态服务功能为依据,从活力、组织结构、土壤因素、抵抗力4个方面22个指标入手,对秦岭中段华山松林生态系统健康状况进行健康评价.结果表明:秦岭中段的华山松林整体活力指标较低,大部分都处在20～35年之...     

Tree regeneration in gap-understory mosaics in a subtropical Shorea robusta(Sal) forest

Spatial variation in tree-regeneration density is attributed to the specialization of tree species to light availability for germination and growth. Light availability,in turn, varies across the gap-understorey mosaic. Canopy gaps provide an important habitat for the regeneration of tree species that would otherwise be suppressed in the understory. In subtropical forests, there is still a knowledge-gap relating to how canopy disturbances influence tree-regeneration patterns at local scale, and if they disproportionately favor regeneration of certain species. We aim to analyze whether canopy gaps promote tree regeneration, and tree species are specialized to gaps or understory for germination and growth. We sampled vegetation in 128 plots(0.01 ha), equally distributed in gaps and below canopy, in two subtropical Shorea robusta Gaertn.(Sal) forests in Nepal, recording the number of tree seedlings and saplings in each plot. We compared the regeneration density of seedlings and saplings separately between gaps and the understorey. The mean densities of seedlings and saplings were higher in the gaps at both sites;although there was no difference in the seedling density of the majority of the species between the habitats. No species were confined to either gap or understorey at the seedling stage. We conclude that gaps are not critical for the germination of tree species in Sal forests but these are an important habitat for enabling seedlings to survive into saplings. The classification of trees into regeneration guilds mainly based on germination does not apply to the majority of tree species in subtropical Sal forests. Our results reaffirm that gap creation promotes tree regeneration by favouring seedling survival and growth and can influence forest management for conservation, as well as for plantations.     

Comparative regeneration status in a natural forest and enrichment plantations of Chittagong （south） forest division, Bangladesh

于2002年4月至11月,对孟加拉Chittagong (南部)林区天然纯林和肥沃地人工林树种更新情况进行了比较研究。共设100个3m×3m的样地(天然林50个,人工林50个)。共记录天然林更新树种64个,苗木密度为24767株/hm2;人工林更新树种40个,苗木密度为18633株/hm2。天然林更新量最大的树种为Castanopsis spp.(2200 株/hm2),其次是Glochidion lanceolarium (2183 株/hm2);人工林更新量最大的树种为Dipterocarpus gracilis (2117株/hm2),其次是Anogeissus acuminata (2000株/hm2)。对天然林而言, Castanopsis spp 的相对密度最高(8.88%), Glochidion lanceolarium 的相对频度最高(7.36%),Syzygium spp. 的相对富有度最高(3.79%),Glochidion lanceolarium的重要值指数最高(18.24%);对人工林而言,Dipterocarpus gracilis的相对密度最高(11.36%),Glochidion lanceolarium的相对频度最高 (9.71%), Dipterocarpus gracilis的相对富有度最高(5.92%), Glochidion lanceolarium的重要值指数最高 (23.32%)。Dipterocarpus gracilis 常见种在天然林和人工林都有更新苗木,但人工林的苗木要高于天然林。天然更新的苗木非常密集,但由于人为的干扰,这些更新的苗木通常达不到径干生长期。表4参35。     

Deciduous trees affect small-scale floristic diversity and tree regeneration in conifer forests

Abstract

There is a growing interest in the effects of deciduous trees on biodiversity, soil processes and long-term productivity in boreal, conifer-dominated forests. This study investigated whether individual birch trees allowed to grow to maturity in the coniferous forest can have a local effect on floristic richness and regeneration of tree saplings. The ground vegetation was compared in 2?m radius plots around the stem under the canopies of matched conifer–deciduous trees in a mature, conifer-dominated forest, and included in the analysis variables that could potentially mediate the tree effect (soil pH, cover of lichens, bryophytes, leaf and needle litter). The field layer vegetation was more species rich under birch (Betula pendula and B. pubescens) than under conifers (Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris), and several vascular plant species (including saplings of tree species) occurred more often under birch than under conifers. However, when the effect of the number of subordinate trees was taken into account the difference between birch and pine was not significant. The number of tree regenerations (saplings) was lowest under pines, but did not differ between spruce and birch. There were no effects of the canopy species on soil pH or on cover of lichens and bryophytes. The difference in diversity may be caused by the different effects of leaf and needle litter, and it is also likely that canopy structure has an influence via interception and throughfall and by affecting the light and microclimate.     

The potential of transforming simple structured pine plantations into mixed Mediterranean forests through natural regeneration along a rainfall gradient

The aim was to study the potential for using natural regeneration as a basis for transformation of simply structured conifer plantations into mixed Mediterranean forests. We studied the variation along a rainfall gradient, in the natural regeneration of tree species in the understory of planted 40- to 50-year-old Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) forests. The study was conducted within the Mediterranean zone of Israel, which extends from the semiarid northern Negev desert (rainfall ca. 300 mm yr⁻¹) in the south to the humid Upper Galilee in the north (ca 900 mm yr⁻¹). Cover and height, density, and species composition of regenerating trees were measured on south- and north-facing slopes in forest sites of comparable silvicultural history (site preparation methodology, planting density and thinning regime) distributed along the rainfall gradient. Altogether, 12 species of regenerating native broadleaved trees were found in the understory of the various forest sites. Surface cover, density and species richness increased linearly along the entire rainfall gradient, on both north- and south-facing slopes, ranging from zero in the driest forest sites up to 85% cover, 7980 trees ha⁻¹ and 4.5 species per 200 m², respectively, in the most humid ones. Species composition of regenerating trees was also related to rainfall amount, through changes in the relative importance of species along the rainfall gradient. The effect of topographic aspect on tree regeneration was inconsistent, i.e., the interaction Rainfall × Aspect was significant. Nevertheless, the general trend showed better regeneration on north-facing slopes. Most of the regenerating trees in the understory were small, i.e., less than 100 cm in height, with no clear effect of rainfall amount and topographic aspect on the relative abundance of height classes. Regeneration by Aleppo pine was highly variable among and within the different forest sites and ranged from 0 to 1565 trees ha⁻¹, with no clear relationships with rainfall amount and topographic aspect. In light of our results we propose that the future structure of forests should vary with respect to annual rainfall amount within possible silvicultural scenarios.     

Regeneration of Pinus sylvestris in a natural pinewood in NE Scotland following reduction in grazing by Cervus elaphus

The occurrence of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings and saplings (<2.0 m in height and suppressed by grazing) and ground characteristics were recorded in a 300 ha block of natural pine forest in 1993. The density of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) was then reduced by exclosure to approximately 3–4 deer km⁻², which is below the threshold at which pine regeneration should occur. Numbers and performance of pine seedlings and saplings were further monitored 2 and 4 years after exclosure. Numbers of young pine increased over time. In the three years with observations 97–99% of pine seedlings and saplings were recorded within 20 m of a seed source. Stepwise multiple regression was used to explore the relationships of pine establishment with plot characteristics for (a) all observation plots (n = 178) and (b) plots within 20 m of a seed source (n = 154). The factors most closely related to the number of pine seedlings and saplings in 1997 were, for (a), seed–source distance, vegetation height, blaeberry cover, slope and deer pellet-group density in 1993, all but the last having negative effects. For (b), vegetation height, blaeberry cover and slope were again selected predictors, and again had negative effects. Possible mechanisms by which the selected main effects may influence pine regeneration are discussed, the positive relationship to deer density being considered to reflect the creation of gaps in the sward suitable for germination. However, the amounts of variation explained in the models were low, being 16% for (a) and 13% for (b), reflecting the patchy nature and diverse age of the regeneration.     

Gap-, stand-, and landscape-scale factors contribute to poor sugar maple regeneration after timber harvest

Natural regeneration in canopy gaps is a key process affecting long-term dynamics of many forests, including northern hardwood forests. The density and composition of regenerating trees are often highly variable, reflecting sensitivity to a suite of driving factors operating at different scales (e.g., harvest gap to regional landscape), including production of seeds, physical characteristics of gaps and stands, competition with non-tree vegetation, and browsing by animals. Multivariate analyses over broad geographic areas provide insights into the relative effects of these factors and permit exploration of spatial patterns in regeneration. We examined the effects of gap-, stand-, and landscape-scale factors on densities of tree seedlings (<1 m tall) and saplings (1-2 m tall) in 59 selection-harvested northern hardwood stands located across a 4500 km² region of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We used Bayesian multilevel modeling to account for the hierarchical structure of the data and assess uncertainty in parameter estimates. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) saplings were absent from 61% of 154 m² plots centered in harvest gaps (n = 347) despite its high shade tolerance and overstory dominance, but densities were high in other gaps. Densities of sugar maple seedlings and/or saplings were negatively associated with a combination of greater stand-scale densities of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), greater gap-scale cover of non-tree vegetation, and lower gap-scale light availability, with deer density having the greatest effect. Densities of unpalatable and commercially less valuable ironwood (Ostrya virginiana), the second most common regeneration species, were positively related to gap-scale seed-production potential but were unrelated to factors affecting sugar maple. Ironwood tended to replace sugar maple saplings in areas with high deer density. At the landscape scale, densities of sugar maple seedlings and saplings decreased with decreasing latitude and snow depth and increasing winter deer densities. These inverse spatial patterns suggest that deer herbivory can lead to landscape-scale variation in regeneration success. However, the spatial distribution of habitat types (a proxy for soil moisture and nutrient conditions) confound this observation, with higher densities of sugar maple generally located on stands with less nutrient-rich habitat types. Results demonstrate that combinations of factors operating at different scales, and with different relative magnitudes of impact, contribute to high variation in regeneration composition and density following timber harvest. Selection silvicultural practices, as currently applied, do not ensure regeneration of desirable species; practices might require modifications in general (e.g., increasing gap size) and to match them to regionally varying factors like deer density.     

秦岭南坡华山松林潜在火险性影响因子的研究

应用37块标准地、185个样方的调查资料,在地表总易燃可燃物载量、枯落物含水率为10％时的易燃可燃物总含水量2个因子上,对秦岭南坡华山松林的5个林型进行了潜在火险性排序;以山坡下部华山松林型为代表,结合测定树冠层易燃可燃物密度,研究了林龄、针阀混交比对地表火和树冠火潜在火险性的影响,对此并进行了数量化趋势描述;文中同时也探讨了林分潜在火险性的研究方法．     

子午岭油松林林隙更新特征研究

利用样地调查资料,以林下为对照,分析研究子午岭油松林的林隙更新特征,结果表明:1)子午岭油松林林隙内和林下更新树种在组成和数量上有较大差异,其中,油松在林隙内的重要值远远大于其在林下的重要值,是林隙更新的主要树种;2)油松幼苗幼树在林隙内生长良好,7年生以上的幼树在林下分布已很少,地径在1.0cm以上、高度在50cm以上的幼树数量分布在林隙内也远远大于林下,说明随着年龄的增长,油松幼苗幼树在林隙内存活的概率大于林下;3)方差分析表明,油松幼苗幼树在林隙内与林下的高度生长差异极为显著;4)相关性分析表明,林隙内油松幼苗幼树的更新数量与光照强度呈显著正相关,与植被总盖度呈显著负相关。     

Browsing damage on broadleaved trees in semi-natural temperate forest in Sweden,with a focus on oak regeneration

Absence of, or poor, oak (Quercus spp.) regeneration is a problem in uneven-aged, mixed closed-canopy broadleaved forests. Browsing by ungulates on small trees may contribute to poor oak regeneration in such forests. This possibility was investigated in 25 Swedish stands, and browsing damage was analysed in relation to landscape and stand factors. The proportion of browsed small (<20 cm tall) oak seedlings and other seedlings was low, and apparently a minor mortality factor. For saplings (20–130 cm tall), accumulated browsing damage was generally higher on oak than on five major competing tree species: Fraxinus excelsior, Corylus avellana, Tilia cordata, Acer platanoides and Sorbus aucuparia. Leaf removal was rare in late summer, except for rowan. The amount of cover (shelter) for ungulates near plots was positively correlated with oak browsing intensity; within plots, a high density of ash saplings may reduce browsing on oak saplings. In these forests, browsing probably retards growth of oak saplings relative to competing trees. Oak may persist as a minor stand component, but monitoring is needed to study future changes.     

燕山山地油松人工林林隙大小对更新的影响

林隙(gap)又称林窗,指森林群落中老龄树木死亡或偶然因素(如干旱、台风、火灾等)造成成熟阶段的优势种死亡,从而形成林冠空隙的现象(Watt,1947)。美国生态学家Runkle(1982)将林隙分为2种,一种是林冠空隙(canopy gap),指上方无树冠遮荫的部分,即太阳处于正中位置时无树冠遮荫的面积之和;另一种是扩展林隙(expanded gap),指形成该林隙周围树木基部所包围的面积(Runkle,1981)。本研究所指的林隙为应用最为广泛的扩展林隙。近年来的森林动态学研究表明:林隙在森林结构和多样性维持中起着重要的作用,已     

Age structure and regeneration of subalpine fir (Abies fargesii) forests across an altitudinal range in the Qinling Mountains,China

Age structure and regeneration dynamics of subalpine fir (Abies fargesii) forest were studied across the altitudinal range in both the north and south aspects of the Qinling Mountains, China. Ages of individual fir trees were determined based on the number of rings counted from cores and the number of years to reach coring height estimated using age–height regression. Fir age structure and regeneration dynamics were similar in both the north and south aspects. A unimodal population age structure was found at the low- and mid-elevations in both aspects, indicating that environmental factors might play an important role in shaping A. fargesii age structure and regeneration at those sites. There was a recruitment pulse during the time period 1830–1890 at each altitudinal site, but no stem recruitment occurred at the low- and mid-elevations in the last century, which might be attributed to the intensive cover of understory bamboo. Fir trees were, however, persistently recruited at the upper limits during the last 150 years, and the fir tree density at the upper limits was significantly higher than that at the lower limits in both aspects. The fir population at the upper limits showed a significant increase in recruitment and stem density relative to the fir population at the low- and mid-elevations in the last century. We propose that the differences in recruitment might promote variations in stand structure and regeneration dynamics of the subalpine fir forests along the altitudinal gradient in the Qinling Mountains, China.     

太白山锐齿槲栎林乔木更新特征及其影响因子

【目的】分析太白山锐齿槲栎林乔木更新特征,探索更新与环境因子的关系,为理解该区森林动态提供理论依据,为经营管理提供理论指导。【方法】2009年7—9月和2010年7—8月在太白山北坡和南坡锐齿槲栎林分别设置21和12块样地,对乔木更新状况及环境因子进行系统调查(2009年7—9月在北坡调查及取样,2010年7—8月在南坡调查及取样),分析更新苗密度、多样性指数和高度级结构等特征参数,探讨更新密度和多样性与环境因子的关系。【结果】共记录到30种乔木更新物种,其中葛萝槭、四川木姜子、锐齿槲栎、白檀、湖北山楂和桦叶荚蒾的重要值均大于20%,其重要值之和占所有更新物种重要值总和的69.31%,为最重要更新物种;总更新密度为9 697株·hm^-2,主要集中于幼苗(H<1.3 m)阶段,约为幼树(1.3 m≤H<3 m)密度的3倍;更新密度随高度级呈倒"J"型分布;锐齿槲栎缺失高度为210～300 cm的更新苗,在林下不能形成完整的更新大小序列;不同样地间更新密度和多样性指数(物种丰富度、Simpson指数和Shannon-Wiener指数)差异较大,表明更新苗分布不均匀,趋向斑块状;多元线性逐步回归分析结果显示,坡向、土壤全P含量、坡度和有机质含量是影响总更新密度的主要环境因子,共解释了总变异的73.2%;更新多样性主要受全P含量和坡向的影响。【结论】太白山锐齿槲栎林乔木更新种类丰富,整体上具有一定更新能力,但作为建群种的锐齿槲栎在林下不能完成自然更新,因此,在森林管理中可适当考虑人为地创造一定的开阔环境(如林窗)来促进其更新,同时对该林型的管理还应注重坡向、全P含量、坡度和有机质含量对更新的影响,较凉爽湿润坡向、坡度平缓、土壤全P和有机质含量低的生境利于乔木更新。