Relationships between stand spatial structure characteristics and influencing factors of broad-leaved Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) forest in Liangshui Nature Reserve, northeast China

Abstract

The relationships between stand spatial structure and influencing factors of broad-leaved Korean pine forest in Liangshui Nature Reserve of northeast China,was studied with the method of canonical correspondence analysis( CCA). The data were collected form the forest resource inventory of the study area in 2009,which contain 60 plots. However,only 28 plots of typical broad-leaved Korean pine were selected in this paper, including five stand spatial structure parameters and eighteen influencing factors. The results showed that the broad-leaved Korean pine forest of the study area had a reasonable stand spatial structure overall,e. g.,the horizontal distribution pattern of stands was mainly random distribution,the states of tree growth were at the doctrine of mean as a whole,and the mixed degree of species were also high. The relationships between stand spatial structure and influencing factors could be reflected by the CCA. The first CCA axis accounted for the stand age,slope,hardwood ratio and aspect,and the second CCA axis showed variation due to aspect,soil organic matter and mean diameter at breast height. On the whole,the combination of these six factors largely determined the stand spatial structure characteristics. Furthermore,the influencing factors were quantitatively assessed. The stand spatial structure of broad-leaved Korean pine forest explained by stand,terrain and soil factors reached 59. 20%. Within that,pure terrain factors accounted for up to 30. 68% of the variation,stand factors for 19. 01%, and soil factors for 8. 21%. Other undermined factors accounted for an additional 40. 80% of the variation.