Threshold effects of variable retention harvesting on understory plant communities in the boreal mixedwood forest

We studied the effects of six levels of dispersed green-tree retention (GTR) harvesting (clearcut (0%), 10%, 20%, 50%, and 75%, and unharvested reference (100%)) on understory plant communities in the 8th growing season post-harvest in the mixedwood boreal forest in northwestern Alberta. For the partial harvest treatments (10%, 20%, 50%, 75%) sample plots were located in the partially harvested (retention) strips as well as in the intervening machine corridors used by the harvesting equipment. The understory plant community was significantly influenced by the gradient of retention level. The cover of understory vegetation, especially graminoids, increased with increasing harvesting intensity for the retention strips and overall considering both plots types. Species richness was unaffected by retention level but did decrease as tree density increased. Lower levels of retention lead to increased abundance of early successional, shade-intolerant species. The results suggest a threshold in understory response to GTR harvesting between the 10% and 20% retention treatments. In terms of understory cover and composition, machine corridors within partially harvested forests resembled clearcuts. The results suggest that retaining more than 10% during GTR harvesting could have significant benefits in terms of maintaining understory plant communities more similar to unharvested reference forest.     

不同林型对林下光照和辐射消减的影响

在中山市长江库区水源林市级保护区内选择4种不同的林分类型,进行每木检尺和冠层影像拍摄,处理得到林下光照因子和辐射消减因子,分析不同林型对林下光照和辐射消减的影响。结果表明:不同林型对林冠结构和林下光照影响显著,针叶林与针阔混交林的林下光照接近,林冠较差,沟谷季雨林与常绿阔叶林接近,林冠较好;辐射消减在不同林型间差异显著,针叶林和针阔混交林辐射消减较差,常绿阔叶林和沟谷季雨林辐射消减较好;林下光照与辐射消减相关性强,特别是两个林冠结构因子与辐射消减关系密切。在进行林分改造时,建议选择叶片较大较厚,冠幅大而优美的常绿阔叶树种进行更新,天然起源的林分与常绿阔叶林的林冠结构较好,有效维持了森林生态系统稳定。     

Effects of disturbance history and environmental factors on the diversity and productivity of understory vegetation in a cool-temperate forest in Japan

We assessed the species richness and aboveground productivity of understory plants in nine types of forest stand (116 plots in total) that had different disturbance histories that were combinations of the frequency of plantation (clear-cutting, site preparation, planting), typhoon damage, and selective cutting. We established two 1 m × 1 m quadrats to measure species richness and productivity and one 1 m × 30 m belt to measure species richness in each plot. Canopy leaf area index (LAI), soil NH₄⁺, soil C/N ratio, slope angle, and slope aspect were measured as current environmental factors affecting each plot. The variance in species richness was better explained by disturbance history (69% in quadrats; 86% in the belt) than by current environmental factors. Species richness and the Simpson index decreased as the frequency of plantation increased. In contrast, the variance in productivity was better explained by current environmental factors (82%), especially canopy LAI (45%), than by disturbance history. The relations of species presence and productivity to the explanatory variables differed among species, although there were some common responses within life forms. The effects of disturbance on species diversity remained for 20–80 years. Forest management should therefore take into account the long-term effects of disturbance history to maintain understory plant diversity.     

Influence of post-harvest silviculture on understory vegetation: Implications for forage in a multi-ungulate system

Natural disturbance emulation has emerged as a key management approach to maintaining biodiversity in logged boreal forests. Forest managers’ success in emulating understory forest ecosystem functions, e.g., for the provision of habitat even for large mammals, has not been tested due, in many cases, to incomplete records of silviculture. We examined regenerating areas of previously conifer-dominated forests in northwestern Ontario, Canada, 10 and 30 years after logging and 10 and 30 years after fire to test if understory development and moose (Alces alces) forage abundance differed between the two disturbance types and artificial or natural regeneration approaches. In addition, we counted moose pellet groups as a measure of moose use of the region. Specific treatments included: (1) naturally regenerating, fire-origin forests, (2) post-harvest, regenerating forests with natural establishment of trees, and (3) post-harvest, regenerating forests with mechanical or chemical site preparation and planting and/or herbicide spraying. We hypothesized that the understory in post-harvest stands would support higher forage availability for moose compared to similarly-aged, fire-origin stands. Abundance of hardwoods, shrubs, and herbaceous plants was greater in naturally-regenerated post-harvest stands than in fire-origin and artificially regenerated post-harvest stands at both 10 and 30 years post-disturbance. However, post-harvest, naturally regenerating stands were not significantly associated with higher moose use, rather evidence of moose use increased as a function of the amount of naturally regenerating logged forest in the surrounding landscape. This study suggests that, relative to fire, the intensity of post-harvest silviculture influences habitat suitability for moose. The effect likely cascades to other ungulates, such as woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), and vegetation management needs to be considered at scales greater than the stand level in order to achieve habitat management for large mammals.     

Composition, structure and dynamics of Dysart Woods, an old-growth mixed mesophytic forest of southeastern Ohio

Dysart Woods is a 23 ha old-growth remnant of mixed mesophytic vegetation located in southeastern Ohio, USA. A designation of mixed mesophytic for this forest has historically been difficult, in part due to the abundance of white oak (Quercus alba); however, the dominance of a variety of other hardwoods prevents a simple oak forest designation. Using two 0.35 ha plots on opposing north- and south-facing slopes, we describe the structure and composition of the overstory, understory, and soils, 30 years after their first examination. In 1970, the woods was dominated by beech (Fagus grandifolia), white oak, and sugar maple (Acer saccharum) — historically, the three most abundant species in this region. At that time, white oak was only present in the largest size classes, was not regenerating, and was predicted to decline in importance through succession. These patterns continue today suggesting that inferences made via overstory–understory relations in regards to forest succession are relatively robust over this time period. Beech and maple have increased in importance; white oak has decreased in importance due to mortality in the larger size classes and decreasing density due to regeneration failure. Coarse woody debris distributions correlated strongly with living stem species’ composition and structure implying an equilibrium balance. CWD volume and frequency were dominated by Quercus spp. A detailed analysis of forest health showed that all oak species were in severe decline. The oaks are in a disease decline spiral affiliated with a variety of pre-disposing and inciting factors which include their advanced age (>300 years), their large size (> 100 cm DBH), topography, chronic air pollution, drought, and Armillaria root rot fungus. Ca:Al molar ratios in the soil are also extremely low (<1.0) and may be having an additional detrimental effect. All other canopy species appear to be healthy. One of the unusual features of this woods is its relatively diverse and high coverage (up to 90%) understory layer. The herbaceous community was sampled throughout the growing season and found to be markedly dissimilar among sample times and habitat productivity (aspect, soil quality, and light). The role of these factors has not been as well studied for herb communities as it has for tree communities. There appears to be a relatively strong linkage between the overstory regeneration and understory coverage. While a variety of woody seedlings were discovered, most were of shade tolerant species. Only a few small seedlings of white oak were discovered, with none advancing past 30 cm in height, indicating strong competition in the understory. Furthermore, this small remnant forest patch is surrounded by an agricultural and second-growth forest matrix with many non-indigenous plants — none of which have been able to enter the woods, suggesting strong equilibrium stability of these old-growth patches. The hardwood forests of the hills region has been heavily impacted by various human cultures for thousands of years. Dendrochronological analysis of a full basal slab cut from a wind-thrown white oak revealed a fairly active period of fire following European settlement. A lack of fire during the early 1600s to mid 1700s suggests that pre-Anglo fire frequency may have been negligible. There is clearly a continued role for the preservation and study of these old-growth remnants. They remain integrally important as we attempt to understand and better manage our remaining anthropogenically disturbed landscape.     

Effects of light and intraspecific competition on growth and crown morphology of two size classes of understory balsam fir saplings

This paper characterizes the growth and crown morphology of young balsam fir saplings naturally regenerated under a gradient of understory light environments and intraspecific competition densities for two size classes (50–100 cm and 100–200 cm). Most growth and crown morphological parameters investigated were strongly related to the natural light gradient investigated (3–83% full sunlight), but the relationship tended to plateau at around 25% full sunlight. The relationships were generally better for the larger size class. Intraspecific competition did not significantly affect growth and crown morphology of saplings receiving less than 25% full sunlight, but it affected relative height growth, relative radial growth and the apical dominance ratio for those receiving more than 25% full sunlight (R²=0.506; p<0.001; R²=0.403; p<0.002; R²=0.348; p<0.001, respectively). These results suggest that live crown ratio, apical dominance ratio and the number of internodal branches can provide, alone or in combination, useful indicators of vigour for understory fir. Such a study provides the basic data inputs required for the development of empirically-derived mechanistic models that can predict understory tree growth and survival.     

Effects of a severe typhoon on forest dynamics in a warm-temperate evergreen broad-leaved forest in southwestern Japan

The effects of a typhoon on forest dynamics and the response of major tree species were studied in a warm-temperate evergreen broad-leaved forest in southwestern Japan. The strongest typhoon on record (T9313) passed through this region in 1993. Return periods of typhoons over 30 ms⁻¹ in instantaneous wind velocity and T9313 were estimated to be 2.2 and 104.5 years, respectively. Approximately 10% of all stems suffered some damage from T9313 and annual stem mortality rose from 1.3 to 2.7%. The estimated period that the number of stems would fall below 10% of the initial was four years shorter with T9313-class typhoons than without them. Thus, the disturbance by T9313 was not catastrophic at the site although T9313 was an episodic typhoon. The short-term responses of major tree species to T9313 were classified into four types: 1) blunt-response type with little decrease and recruitment of stems in the DBH ≥ 5 cm class (Distylium racemosum), 2) retreat type with larger decrease than recruitment (e.g. Quercus acuta), 3) sharp-response type with a large decrease and much recruitment (e.g. Cinnamomum japonicum), and 4) advance type with less decrease than recruitment (Eurya japonica). Among the four regeneration types classified by previous studies (climax, light-demanding, subcanopy, and few-sapling), the climax and few-sapling types each showed a specific short-term response, the blunt-response and retreat types, respectively, that explains one aspect of the regeneration strategies of each type. On the other hand, the light-demanding or sub-canopy type showed multiple short-term responses, indicating that each regeneration type contains species with various regeneration strategies. In this paper, I analyzed data from the database that was compiled by the Aya Research Team.     

The response of the pseudoannual species Trientalis europaea L. to forest gap dynamics in a near-natural spruce forest

The objective of this study was to test relationships between gap size, gap age and performance of the pseudoannual forest herb layer species Trientalis europaea. We also tested for a potential covariation of performance variables with light as the putative driving factor of gap size and gap age effects. The study took place in the core zone of the Harz National Park in a near-natural spruce forest at Mt. Brocken, Germany. We established 70 randomly distributed plots of three different gap age classes (<15 years, >15 and <60 years, >60 years) and undisturbed forest stands. We recorded growth variables of Trientalis (e.g. height of ramets, number of flowers and fruits per ramet and number of daughter tubers per ramet) and measured PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density). Gap sizes were assessed with GPS, ranged from 131 m² to 16400 m² and were independent from gap age. Population density of T. europaea was neither affected by gap size nor by gap age. However, gap age had an effect on the fitness of Trientalis ramets. In gaps, the species produced a higher number of flowers and fruits. In general, the average proportion of flowering and fruiting was very low, with 13% and 4%, respectively. In contrast, light intensity had a significant positive effect on ramet density, while the number of daughter tubers differed between 0.8 and 0.5 tubers per individual under lowest light and full light intensity, respectively. The general conclusion is that gap size had no effects on the performance of T. europaea, while gap age had both direct effects and indirect effects mediated by light.     

Bark beetles,fuels, fires and implications for forest management in the Intermountain West

Bark beetle-caused tree mortality in conifer forests affects the quantity and quality of forest fuels and has long been assumed to increase fire hazard and potential fire behavior. In reality, bark beetles, and their effects on fuel accumulation, and subsequent fire hazard, are poorly understood. We extensively sampled fuels in three bark beetle-affected Intermountain conifer forests and compared these data to existing research on bark beetle/fuels/fire interactions within the context of the disturbance regime. Data were collected in endemic, epidemic and post-epidemic stands of Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine and Engelmann spruce. From these data, we evaluated the influence of bark beetle-caused tree mortality on various fuels characteristics over the course of a bark beetle rotation. The data showed that changes in fuels over time create periods where the potential for high intensity and/or severe fires increases or decreases. The net result of bark beetle epidemics was a substantial change in species composition and a highly altered fuels complex. Early in epidemics there is a net increase in the amount of fine surface fuels when compared to endemic stands. In post-epidemic stands large, dead, woody fuels, and live surface fuels dominate. We then discuss potential fire behavior in bark beetle-affected conifer fuels based on actual and simulated fuels data. Results indicated that for surface fires both rates of fire spread and fireline intensities were higher in the current epidemic stands than in the endemic stands. Rates of spread and fireline intensities were higher in epidemic stands due, however, to decreased vegetative sheltering and its effect on mid-flame wind speed, rather than changes in fuels. Passive crown fires were more likely in post-epidemic stands, but active crown fires were less likely due to decreased aerial fuel continuity. We also discuss the ecological effects of extreme fire behavior. Information is presented on managing forests to reduce the impact of bark beetle outbreaks and the interplay between management, bark beetle populations, fuels and fire hazard and behavior.     

Influence of tree species on understory vegetation diversity and mechanisms involved—A critical review for temperate and boreal forests

Tree species composition is a primary attribute of forest ecosystems, and is often manipulated by silvicultural practices. Forest management to diversify tree species is now being promoted to favor biodiversity. To assess the soundness of this policy we reviewed and analyzed the literature on the relationship between tree species composition and floristic diversity, including the mechanisms involved therein. Coniferous forests generally provide less diversified vascular understories than broadleaved forests. At the tree species scale, there are not enough reports to draw firm conclusions on the effect of any particular species. Mixing of deciduous and coniferous tree species generally affects understory diversity, but in almost all cases maximum diversity is observed in one of the pure stands, not in mixed stands. Understory vegetation is influenced by overstory composition and structure through modifications of resource availability (light, water and soil nutrients) and other effects, such as physical characteristics of the litter layer. Overstory light transmittance and diverse properties of forest litter are factors that have been most fully studied to date, but other factors such as throughfall water quantity and chemistry may also play a role. While the relative importance of mechanisms that account for the effect of overstory on understory biodiversity has often been discussed, these mechanisms have rarely been the subject of formal experiments. Overall, varying management practices and site attributes make it difficult to generalize results. They combine with the effects of tree species in influencing understory vegetation diversity, but they have been rarely considered. Future research is needed to gain a better understanding of the relationship between overstory and understory diversity and establish general laws.     

Experimental test of the impacts of feral hogs on forest dynamics and processes in the southeastern US

The foraging activities of nonindigenous feral hogs (Sus scrofa) create widespread, conspicuous soil disturbances. Hogs may impact forest regeneration dynamics through both direct effects, such as consumption of seeds, or indirectly via changes in disturbance frequency or intensity. Because they incorporate litter and live plant material into the soil, hogs may also influence ground cover and soil nutrient concentrations. We investigated the impacts of exotic feral hogs in a mixed pine-hardwood forest in the Big Thicket National Preserve (Texas, USA) where they are abundant. We established sixteen 10 m × 10 m plots and fenced eight of them to exclude feral hogs for 7 years. Excluding hogs increased the diversity of woody plants in the understory. Large seeded (>250 mg) species known to be preferred forage of feral hogs all responded positively to hog exclusion, thus consumption of Carya (hickory nuts), Quercus (acorns), and Nyssa seeds (tupelo) by hogs may be causing this pattern. The only exotic woody species, Sapium sebiferum (Chinese tallow tree), was more than twice as abundant with hogs present, perhaps as a response to increased disturbance. Hogs increased the amount of bare soil by decreasing the amounts of plant cover and surface litter. Plots with hogs present had lower soil C:N, possibly due to accelerated rates of nitrogen mineralization. These results demonstrate that hogs may influence future overstory composition and reduce tree diversity in this forest. Management of hogs may be desirable in this and other forests where large-seeded species are an important component of the ecosystem. Further, by accelerating litter breakdown and elevating nitrogen in the soil, hogs have the potential to impact local vegetation composition via nitrogen inputs as well.     

韩国森林中枯死木及地被物对小型鼠类丰富度的影响(英文)

在南韩东北部,1997-1998年间,自4月至12月对人工林和无枯死木生境及采伐后保留地被物的落叶次生林中的小型鼠类种群特征进行了调查。在两块林地中各选择1 hm2(100m100m)样地作为控制区和处理区。两块研究地的中上层林冠结构基本相似,但倒木及地被物的数量及比例却显示控制区大于处理区。两区域中共捕到两种小型鼠类,其中棕背 (Eothenomys regulus)211只,占总数的55.5%,大林姬鼠(Apodemus peninsulae)169只,占44.5%。这两种鼠类的丰富度及种群稳定性在控制区明显优于处理区。两地小型鼠类的不同捕获量主要来自两地鼠类繁殖率和居留率的不同。显然,森林地被结构对小型鼠类的生存具有重要意义。因此,采伐迹地中保留枯死木及地被物是维持小型鼠类种群所必须的。     

Snow avalanche disturbances in forest ecosystems—State of research and implications for management

Avalanche disturbances are important processes in many subalpine forest ecosystems but have received relatively little research attention in comparison to other major types of disturbances. This paper presents a review of interactions between forests and snow avalanches in mountain ecosystems and discusses how avalanche disturbance regimes and associated management may change in the future. Avalanche disturbance regimes are two-way interactions in which forest structure and composition affect avalanches and avalanches, in turn, affect structure and composition.     

Woody plant regeneration after blowdown, salvage logging, and prescribed fire in a northern Minnesota forest

Salvage logging after natural disturbance has received increased scrutiny in recent years because of concerns over detrimental effects on tree regeneration and increased fine fuel levels. Most research on tree regeneration after salvage logging comes from fire-prone systems and is short-term in scope. Limited information is available on longer term responses to salvage logging after windstorms or from forests outside of fire-prone regions. We examined tree and shrub regeneration after a stand-replacing windstorm, with and without salvage logging and prescribed fire. Our study takes place in northern Minnesota, USA, a region where salvage logging impacts have received little attention. We asked the following questions: (i) does composition and abundance of woody species differ among post-disturbance treatments, including no salvage, salvage alone, and salvage with prescribed burning, 12 years after the windstorm?; (ii) is regeneration of Populus, the dominant pre-blowdown species, inhibited in unsalvaged treatments?; and (iii) how do early successional trajectories differ among post-blowdown treatments? Twelve years after the wind disturbance, the unsalvaged forest had distinctly different composition and abundance of trees and woody shrubs compared to the two salvage treatments, despite experiencing similar wind disturbance severities and having similar composition immediately after the blowdown. Unsalvaged forest had greater abundance of shade tolerant hardwoods and lower abundance of Populus, woody shrubs, and Betulapapyrifera, compared to salvage treatments. There was some evidence that adding prescribed fire after the blowdown and salvage logging further increased disturbance severity, since the highest abundances of shrubs and early successional tree species occurred in the burning treatment. These results suggest that salvage treatments (or a lack thereof) can be used to direct compositional development of a post-blowdown forest along different trajectories, specifically, towards initial dominance by early successional Populus and B.papyrifera with salvage logging or towards early dominance by shade tolerant hardwoods, with some Populus, if left unsalvaged.     

洞庭湖区防浪林林分林冠结构的研究

对洞庭湖区河洲、滩地上的不同林龄的旱柳、杨树防浪林、芦苇林进行了标准地调查,选取标准株(地),对其茎杆、枝条、叶片的空间分布进行了测定,通过对其差异进行比较分析,旨在间接测定不同防浪林的防浪效益的差异。     

Effects of roads,topography, and land use on forest cover dynamics in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Roads and topography can determine patterns of land use and distribution of forest cover, particularly in tropical regions. We evaluated how road density, land use, and topography affected forest fragmentation, deforestation and forest regrowth in a Brazilian Atlantic Forest region near the city of São Paulo. We mapped roads and land use/land cover for three years (1962, 1981 and 2000) from historical aerial photographs, and summarized the distribution of roads, land use/land cover and topography within a grid of 94 non-overlapping 100 ha squares. We used generalized least squares regression models for data analysis. Our models showed that forest fragmentation and deforestation depended on topography, land use and road density, whereas forest regrowth depended primarily on land use. However, the relationships between these variables and forest dynamics changed in the two studied periods; land use and slope were the strongest predictors from 1962 to 1981, and past (1962) road density and land use were the strongest predictors for the following period (1981–2000). Roads had the strongest relationship with deforestation and forest fragmentation when the expansions of agriculture and buildings were limited to already deforested areas, and when there was a rapid expansion of development, under influence of São Paulo city. Furthermore, the past (1962) road network was more important than the recent road network (1981) when explaining forest dynamics between 1981 and 2000, suggesting a long-term effect of roads. Roads are permanent scars on the landscape and facilitate deforestation and forest fragmentation due to increased accessibility and land valorization, which control land-use and land-cover dynamics. Topography directly affected deforestation, agriculture and road expansion, mainly between 1962 and 1981. Forest are thus in peril where there are more roads, and long-term conservation strategies should consider ways to mitigate roads as permanent landscape features and drivers facilitators of deforestation and forest fragmentation.     

Disturbance history and dynamics of an old-growth mixed species mountain forest in the Slovenian Alps

A long history of human presence in the Alps has made studies of natural forest structure, composition, and disturbance processes difficult. In the Slovenian Alps, we identified a mixed European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)-silver fir (Abies alba Mill.)-Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stand with old-growth characteristics that escaped past cutting. We reconstructed the dynamics of the stand using a combination of stand and age structure analyses, dendroecological evidence of past canopy disturbance, and historical evidence of past human activities. The disturbance reconstruction revealed a stand-scale disturbance in the 1850s. Based on the presence of pit-and-mound topography throughout much of the stand and the absence of logging activities found in historical records, we assume this event was caused by strong winds. The current structure and composition of the stand are largely a result of this event. Post-disturbance forest development was dominated by the release of shade tolerant regeneration, especially F. sylvatica. The windthrow also created appropriate conditions (i.e. increased light and exposed mineral soil) for recruitment of less shade tolerant species, including larch (Larix decidua Mill.) and maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.). The results suggest that periodic, intermediate severity wind disturbances, similar to the event documented here, may have had an important influence on pre-settlement forest dynamics in mixed mountain forests of the Alps, and add to the limited available information regarding the historic range of natural variability of disturbance processes. This information may be useful for forest management that attempts to emulate natural processes.     

Brazilian savanna re-establishment in a monoculture forest:diversity and environmental relations of native regenerating understory in Pinus caribaea Morelet. stands

In this paper we analyze and compare natural regeneration in shrub-tree community in three areas below Pinus caribaea stands and a natural area (cerrado sensu stricto). We also analyze the influence of...     

Litterfall, litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics in a subtropical natural oak forest and managed plantation in northeastern India

In northeastern India, subtropical forests are over-exploited for timber, fuel wood and common agricultural practice like shifting cultivation, which are responsible for the degradation of natural forest. In degraded areas, large-scale plantations of different species of Quercus have been raised since 1980 for the production of economic Tasar silk. Conversion of natural forest into plantation affects the process of nutrient cycling due to management practices. Thus, it would be of importance to study the litterfall, litter decomposition process and the factors regulating the rate of litter decay in these ecosystems to improve recommendations for their management and conservation. We recorded litterfall by using litter traps and decomposition of leaf litter by nylon net bag technique to understand the amount of organic matter and nutrient return and their release in soils of forest and plantation in Manipur, northeast India. Total litterfall was 419.9 g m⁻² year⁻¹ in plantation and 547.7 g m⁻² year⁻¹ in forest. Litter decomposition rate was faster at plantation site than the forest in the early stage of litter decomposition whereas the reverse was observed at later stages of decomposition. Stepwise regression analysis showed the significant role of relative humidity and mean temperature on mass loss rates in the forest. Relative humidity, maximum temperature, population of fungi and actinomycetes were the best predictor variables for mass loss rates in plantation. Nutrient retranslocation efficiency and the immobilization of N and P in forest litter were higher than plantation. This suggests that Q. serrata growing in natural ecosystem in oligotrophic condition adapted strong nutrient conservation mechanisms to compete with the other plant species for the meager soil nutrients. The same species in plantation loses these adaptive capabilities because of exogenous supply of nutrients and in the absence of intense competition with other plant species. Thus, the optimization of organic and chemical fertilizer input in plantation is recommended for maintaining the soil fertility level to produce quality leaf for silkworm by conserving essential nutrients in the system.     

伞伐更新法对赫卡尼亚(Hyrcanian)森林系统中森林再生和林分结构的影响

研究伞伐更新法对赫卡尼亚森林系统中森林再生和林分结构的影响。在伊朗北部优势种为山毛榉（Fagus orientalisLipsky）的硬木林,采取伞伐更新法和非伞伐更新法方法设计实验区。结果表明,在山毛榉（F orientalis Lipsky）林中采用伞伐更新法处理,明显影响林下草本植物种的频度和密度。伞伐更新法处理后,林堇菜（Viola silvestris Lam.）、车叶草（Asperula odorata L.）、苔草（Carex spp.）和悬钩子（Rubushyrcanus Juz）的种频度明显增加。在对照区,树种的胸高直径（57.50&#177;2.15cm）大于被处理区（50.67&#177;1.88cm）的树种的胸高直径（50.67&#177;1.88 cm）,但对照区和处理区的树种的高度值相似。在1995-2005年间,波斯铁木（Parrotia persica）苗木数量增加到13.2%,而山毛榉（F orientalis）和欧洲鹅耳枥（Carpinus betulus）的苗木数量却明显减少。总之,应该利用其它育林方法,如,带状择伐作业,而不是伞伐更新法培育赫卡尼亚森林中山毛榉林。