Temporal effects of thinning on the composition and growth of regenerated woody plants in Larix kaempferi plantations

Abstract

Understanding the temporal effects of thinning on the composition and growth of regene-rated broadleaved woody species in coniferous plantations can provide profound references for promoting the conversion of monoculture plantations into mixed conifer-broadleaved forests, which could solve the problem that the production and ecological functions of monoculture plantations cannot be balanced. We compared the composition of regenerated woody plant species in Larix kaempferi plantation with short-term (1-3 years), medium-term (4-9 years) and long-term (>9 years) after thinning. Furthermore, we selected three regenerated tree species with higher importance value and reciprocal symbiosis with L. kaempferi, which differed in shade tolerance, including shade-intolerant species Quercus mongolica, intermediate shade-tolerant species Acer mono, and shade-tolerant species Tilia mandschurica. We analyzed the relationships between light conditions (i.e., canopy density) and the growth (i.e., base diameter and height) of those species in L. kaempferi plantation with different terms after thinning. The results showed that 46 species of regene-rated broadleaved woody plants were recorded in thinned plantations. The common and dominant tree in different terms after thinning was A. mono, and the shrub species were Lonicera japonica and Euonymus alatus. With the increasing time after thinning, species richness of regenerated trees decreased, but the ratio of tree to shrub species increased and the intermediate shade-tolerant tree species took the dominant position. The temporal effect of thinning on the growth of three tree species was affected by shade tolerance ability. Basal diameter and height of T. mandschurica were higher than those of Q. mongolica and A. mono. With the increases of time after thinning, basal diameter of T. mandschurica and height of A. mono were more sensitive to light, indicating that there were respectively "a shade tolerance strategy" and "a shade avoidance strategy" to adapt to the post-thinning environment. The effects of thinning on the composition and growth of regenerated broadleaved woody species in L. kaempferi plantations were significantly time-sensitive. When deve-loping thinning measures to promote the regeneration of broadleaved trees in plantations, we should consider to extend the thinning interval appropriately to ensure the growth of broadleaved tree seedlings (e.g., T. mandschurica and A. mono) and accelerate their migration into the canopy layer. This would promote the formation of mixed conifer-broadleaved forests and eventually realize the sustainable development of plantations.