Abstract
BackgroundPromoting natural regeneration (including seed and sprout regeneration) of dominant woody species is essential for restoring secondary forests. However, such restoration processes have been decelerated by the enclosure under Natural Forest Protection Project of China (NFPP). It remains unclear how to implement appropriate management measures (e.g., whether to apply logging and the suitable intensity) to facilitate natural regeneration according to the responses of two regeneration modes to management measures. We monitored the early stages of seed regeneration (seed rain, soil seed bank, and 1–3-year-old seedlings) and sprout regeneration (stump sprout rate, stump survival rate, probability of sprouting, and number of sprouts per stump) over the first 3 years (2017–2019) after logging under three intensity regimes (control [0%], 25%, and 50% logging intensity) in secondary forests.ResultsThe seed rain density decreased markedly, seedling density increased insignificantly after logging, and logging promoted seedling survival at an increasing conversion rate of 3-year-old seedlings (37.5% under 0%, 100% under 25%, and 80.95% under 50% logging) compared to those of the control. The proportion of 3-year-old seedlings increased with logging intensity and was the highest (16.2%) at 50% logging intensity. Sprout density was not affected by logging intensity, however, under 25% and 50% logging, it decreased by 27% and 6% in 2018, and by 37% and 33% in 2019, respectively. Seedling density was 41.65- and 15.31-fold higher than that of sprouts in the 50% and 25% logging treatments, respectively. Based on the relative contributions of the two regeneration modes after logging, three groups of natural regeneration patterns were classified for dominant woody species in temperate secondary forests, i.e., seed regeneration preference (Betula dahurica, Carpinus cordata and Fraxinus mandshurica), sprout regeneration preference (Acer mono and Acer pseudosieboldianum) and no preference (Quercus mongolica, Fraxinus rhynchophylla, and Juglans mandshurica).ConclusionIn addition to enclosure, appropriate logging can be applied according to the responses of various natural regeneration patterns of dominant woody species to logging in temperate secondary forests under the NFPP.
Highlights
IntroductionSecondary forests or second-growth forests, derived from natural regeneration after destructive disturbances of primary forests, have become the predominant forest resource (accounting for 60% and 72% of the forest area worldwide and Northeast China, respectively)Li et al Ecological Processes (2022) 11:16(Longworth and Williamson 2018; Zhu et al 2019)
Secondary forests or second-growth forests, derived from natural regeneration after destructive disturbances of primary forests, have become the predominant forest resourceLi et al Ecological Processes (2022) 11:16(Longworth and Williamson 2018; Zhu et al 2019)
A mixture of broadleaved tree species dominated by Acer mono (AM), Acer pseudosieboldianum (AP), Cornus controversa (CC), Fraxinus mandshurica (FM), Fraxinus rhynchophylla (FR), Juglans mandshurica (JM), and Quercus mongolica (QM), and mosaic stands of Pinus koraiensis and Larix spp. occurred at the selected secondary forest stands at Qingyuan Forest CERN; no invasive tree species were present in this area (Mao et al 2007; Zhu et al 2010, 2019; Wang et al 2017)
Summary
Secondary forests or second-growth forests, derived from natural regeneration after destructive disturbances of primary forests, have become the predominant forest resource (accounting for 60% and 72% of the forest area worldwide and Northeast China, respectively)Li et al Ecological Processes (2022) 11:16(Longworth and Williamson 2018; Zhu et al 2019). Compared with primary forests, secondary forests are associated with substantial challenges such as irrational stand structures, declining biodiversity, and lower productivity (Lu et al 2018; Zhao et al 2019), which mainly results from lacking natural regeneration of dominant tree species (Gu et al 2005; Yan et al 2019) Promoting their natural regeneration is imperative to improve ecosystem services and stability of secondary forests and to restore them to primary forests (van Kuijk et al 2008; Zhang et al 2018). We monitored the early stages of seed regeneration (seed rain, soil seed bank, and 1–3-year-old seedlings) and sprout regeneration (stump sprout rate, stump survival rate, probability of sprouting, and number of sprouts per stump) over the first 3 years (2017–2019) after logging under three intensity regimes (control [0%], 25%, and 50% logging intensity) in secondary forests
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