Abstract
In 2008, an unexpected and severe ice storm affected the forest of southern China. This storm caused damage in regeneration of an important dominant tree, Schima superba (Gugertree). To study this damage, we set up permanent monitoring plots in an ice-storm-damaged subtropical evergreen broad-leaved secondary forest dominated by S.superba in Jianglang Mountains, China. We surveyed the damage to all trees with a minimum basal diameter of 4 cm and monitored their growth for 6 consecutive years. We analyzed the degrees and types of damage for S.superba and their relationships with resprouting characteristics. The results revealed that the main damage types of S.superba were decapitation (45.45%) and uprooting (28.41%). The distribution percentage for both decapitated and uprooted trees were commonly highest in the range of 10–16 cm basal diameter (BD) size class. A great number of individuals sprouted vigorously after the storm. The mean total sprout number and sprout biomass per tree for S.superba varied by tree BD size class. During the first three years after the ice storm, decapitated trees of larger BD classes produced more sprouts per tree than trees of smaller BD classes. However, the opposite trend was seen in uprooted and leaning trees. There was a trade-off between the total number and length of the sprouts. The difference of mean sprouts number and biomass per tree with size class was mainly related to the damage types. As the recovery progressed since the ice storm, the number of sprouts and sprout biomass in uprooted trees was found mainly on the middle trunk sections of uprooted trees, but in the upper sections of decapitated trees. After six years, the mean number of sprouts per tree, on different parts of the tree and for the three types of damaged trees all declined; however, sprout biomass per tree all increased. The mean number of sprout and sprout biomass per tree on different sections for decapitated trees was always highest over time since the storm. Our study will help to provide data on resprouting ability to develop a predictive model for resprouting.
Highlights
Forests offset a substantial portion of anthropogenic carbon emissions [1]
Our study showed that the distribution percentage of the diameter class for both decapitated and uprooted trees were commonly highest in the range of 10–16 cm base diameter (BD) size-class, while the bending trees mainly distributed in the small BD size-class of 6–10cm
This study found that S. superba trees damaged by the ice storm all resprouted, but the production position, number and the size of sprouts depended on the damage type
Summary
Forests offset a substantial portion of anthropogenic carbon emissions [1]. Most global forests are shaped by disturbances, such as fire, hurricane, ice storm or herbivory, that damage or kill the aboveground biomass of plants [2]. The occurrence frequency and intensity of disturbance are likely to increase [3]. Impacts of disturbances on ecosystems are diverse. They affect the ecosystem’s above- and belowground structure, species composition, biogeochemical processed, Forests 2020, 11, 184; doi:10.3390/f11020184 www.mdpi.com/journal/forests. Forests 2020, 11, 184 photosynthetic capacity and carbon pools [3]. The risk of natural disturbances makes future contribution of forests to the global terrestrial carbon cycle and carbon sink highly uncertain
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