Forest succession in post-agricultural Larix olgensis plantations in northeast China

Abstract

In order to understand the management of regional vegetation, numerical classification and ordination are widely used to investigate community distribution and vegetation features. In particular, two-way indicator-species analysis programs (TWINSPAN) classifies plots and species into different groups. De-trended correspondence analysis (DCA) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) reflects the relationship between community and site conditions. Afforestation with Larix olgensis Herry. Plantations is a suitable restoration strategy on post-agricultural fields in the Lesser Khingan Mountains. The results of this study show how these plantations develop over time to establish a reliable pathway model by measuring and clarifying the succession process. Twenty-eight L. olgensis plantations along a 48-year chronosequence of afforestation were investigated with a quadrat sampling method. Species composition, community structure attributes of diversity, and site conditions were analyzed. Communities were classified by TWINSPAN into five successional stages: immature, juvenile, mid-aged, near-mature and mature. Classifications were validated by DCA and CCA analysis. Site conditions such as soil and litter thickness, soil organic matter, soil density, and pH were measured. Successional stages varied in community composition and species population, accompanied by time from afforestation and a gradient of site conditions. This gradient showed changes in vegetation occurrence and diversity coinciding with changes in soil conditions. The study showed that L. olgensis plantations had marked predominance in growth and were associated with improved soil fertility and the formation of a stable plant community.