Abstract
Abstract. Partial cutting, which removes some individual trees from a forest, is one of the major and widespread forest management practices that can significantly alter both forest structure and carbon (C) storage. Using 748 observations from 81 studies published between 1973 and 2011, we synthesized the impacts of partial cutting on three variables associated with forest structure (mean annual growth of diameter at breast height (DBH), stand basal area, and volume) and four variables related to various C stock components (aboveground biomass C (AGBC), understory C, forest floor C, and mineral soil C). Results show that the growth of DBH increased by 111.9% after partial cutting, compared to the uncut control, with a 95% bootstrapped confidence interval ranging from 92.2 to 135.9%, while stand basal area and volume decreased immediately by 34.2% ([−37.4%, −31.2%]) and 28.4% ([−32.0%, −25.1%]), respectively. On average, partial cutting reduced AGBC by 43.4% ([−47.7%, −39.3%]), increased understory C storage by 391.5% ([220.0%, 603.8%]), but did not show significant effects on C stocks on forest floor and in mineral soil. All the effects, if significant (i.e., on DBH growth, stand basal area, volume, and AGBC), intensified linearly with cutting intensity and decreased linearly over time. Overall, cutting intensity had more strong impacts than the length of recovery time on the responses of those variables to partial cutting. Besides the significant influence of cutting intensity and recovery time, other factors such as climate zone and forest type also affected forest responses to partial cutting. For example, a large fraction of the changes in DBH growth remains unexplained, suggesting the factors not included in the analysis may play a major role. The data assembled in this synthesis were not sufficient to determine how long it would take for a complete recovery after cutting because long-term experiments were scarce. Future efforts should be tailored to increase the duration of the experiments and balance geographic locations of field studies.
Highlights
Ocean Science of diameter at breast height (DBH) increased by 111.9 % after partial cutting, compared to the uncut control, with a 95 % bootstrapped confidence interval ranging from 92.2 to 135.9 %, while stand basal area and volume decreased immediately by 34.2 % ([−37.4 %, −31.2 %]) and 28.4 % ([−32.0 %, −25.1 %]), respectively
Large variances were observed in the relative changes of DBH growth and the C stored in understory across study sites
For the two variables with sufficient observations (i.e., DBH growth and stand basal area), our results show that the positive effect of partial cutting on DBH growth was more intensive in the broadleaf trees than in conifer ones compared with the uncut controls (r = 0.22, P < 0.01) (Fig. 2 and Table 2) probably because of the greater light improvement for the remaining trees in broadleaf forests compared to coniferous forests after partial cutting (Hale, 2003)
Summary
Ocean Science of DBH increased by 111.9 % after partial cutting, compared to the uncut control, with a 95 % bootstrapped confidence interval ranging from 92.2 to 135.9 %, while stand basal area and volume decreased immediately by 34.2 % ([−37.4 %, −31.2 %]) and 28.4 % ([−32.0 %, −25.1 %]), respectively. If significant (i.e., on DBH growth, stand basal area, volume, and AGBC), intensified linearly with cutting intensity and decreased linearly over time. Overall, cutting intensity had more strong impacts than the length of recovery time on the responses of those variables to partial cutting. Besides the significant influence of cutting intensity and recovery time, other factors such as climate zone and forest type affected forest responses to partial cutting. A large fraction of the changes in DBH growth re-
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
