Woodland Restoration Research Articles

Effects of clear-felling versus gradual removal of conifer trees on the survival of understorey plants during the restoration of ancient woodlands

Plantations of exotic conifers on ancient woodland sites retain many features of high conservation value and in many countries such sites are being actively restored. Clear-felling of the conifer trees is often a straight-forward first step, but recent guidance on restoration advocates gradual removal of the plantation crop to protect vulnerable woodland specialist plants. To date there has been little empirical evidence to support this policy. One hundred and four stands in 39 woodland sites in the UK owned by the Woodland Trust from Cornwall to Invernesshire were surveyed in 2001 and again in 2009 to assess the survival of woodland flora following restoration by both clear-felling and gradual removal of the plantation crop. On average, there were over seven woodland specialist and ancient woodland indicator species in each of the stands surveyed. Loss of specialist woodland species – the most shade adapted component of the flora – over this time period was strongly correlated with the degree of canopy opening. In contrast, the loss of more light demanding plant species was not related to the intensity of tree removals. This study suggests that a careful assessment and prioritisation of conservation values is needed before restoration. Rapid removal of an exotic species as part of a restoration programme may have an adverse effect on subsequent succession.

Structure and composition of an oak-hickory forest after over 60 years of repeated prescribed burning in Missouri, U.S.A

Prescribed fire is often used in upland oak forests to achieve objectives related to woodland restoration or oak regeneration. While not uncommon for prescriptions to include repeated burning at short fire return intervals, long-term frequent fire effects in hardwood forests have rarely been quantified. We describe the effects of over 60years of repeated prescribed burning on stand structure and composition in a Missouri Ozark oak-hickory forest. Data were collected in 2010 and 2013 from 40×40m plots arranged in a randomized complete block design with two blocks and three treatments: an unburned control (Control), annual prescribed fire (Annual; one-year fire return interval), and periodic prescribed fire (Periodic; four-year fire return interval). In 2013, the diameter distribution of the Control was an exponential decay, whereas those in both burn treatments were unimodal. Repeated prescribed burning, especially at four-year fire return intervals, reduced overstory density and canopy cover and shifted overstory composition from a mixture of white oak species, red oak species, and hickories to primarily white oak species. Although small-diameter stems were top-killed on Periodic plots, resprouting created a dense mid-story of small stature saplings. In contrast, Annual plots were virtually void of woody seedlings and saplings. There was no apparent tree recruitment on either Annual or Periodic plots. The abundance, richness, diversity, and evenness of the understory plant community were greater on the burned plots than on the Control plots, with forbs dominating the Annual plots and woody species dominating the Control plots. Periodic plots included a mixture of forbs and woody species, and graminoids were not common in any plots. Understory species richness per square meter was nearly three times greater on both burn treatments relative to the Control. Our results indicate that long-term, repeated prescribed burning can approximate woodland conditions. However, the lack of tree recruitment suggests that periods without fire are critical for replacing overstory trees. Moreover, additional treatments such as mechanical thinning may be important for modifying the understory environment to benefit graminoids or for reaching management objectives on desirable timescales.

Recovery after African Olive invasion: can a ‘bottom‐up’ approach to ecological restoration work?

SummaryAfrican Olive (Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata) is a densely crowned evergreen small tree, native to eastern Africa that is highly invasive in areas where it has been introduced, including Hawaii and Australia. Invasion by African Olive threatens Cumberland Plain Woodland, a critically endangered grassy eucalypt woodland from western Sydney, Australia, through the formation of a dense mid‐canopy excluding the regeneration of native species. We established a 3‐year field experiment to determine the effectiveness of direct seeding and fire, as techniques for early stage restoration of a 2 ha historically cleared and degraded Cumberland Plain Woodland site after the removal of African Olive. Direct seeding was able to re‐establish a native perennial grass cover which was resistant to subsequent weed invasion and could be managed as an important first stage in woodland restoration with fire and selective herbicide. Fire was able to stimulate some germination of colonising native species from the soil seed bank after 15 years of African Olive invasion; however, germination and establishment of native shrubs from the applied seed mix was poor. We propose a ‘bottom‐up’ model of ecological restoration in such highly degraded sites that uses a combination of direct seeding and stimulation of the soil seed bank by fire, which could be applicable to other degraded grassy woodland sites and plant communities.

Provenance and seed mass determines the seed germination success of Eucalyptus ovata (Myrtaceae)

Eucalyptus ovata is a medium size tree which grows from near sea level to sub-alpine regions in the south-east of Australia and is increasingly being used for woodland restoration in Tasmania. Given the wide altitudinal range of the species, we investigated whether a wet, cold stratification treatment enhanced seed germination of high altitude provenances. Open-pollinated seeds were harvested from five trees from a high and low altitude provenance within each of the five geographic regions from across E. ovata 's distribution in Tasmania. Chilling imbibed seeds at 5°C for three weeks had no effect on the overall proportion of viable seeds which germinated. There were, however, significant provenance differences in seed weight and the germination traits (i.e. proportion of viable seeds, germination rate and overall proportion germinated) which were variably linked to differences in altitude. Seed viability tended to increase with seed mass and provenance-level correlations amongst germination traits suggested that seeds from different provenances differed in germination vigour. These results indicate that provenance rather than a pre-treatment determines germination success of E. ovata seed, but these provenance differences are not predictable and that selection of heavier seeds may increase germination success in the nursery and in direct seeding applications.

Associational refuge in practice: can existing vegetation facilitate woodland restoration?

Herbivores can dramatically diminish revegetation success, but associational refuge theory predicts that neighbouring plants could hinder browsing of planted seedlings. The key to strategic restoration using associational refuge is to define which patch variables are effective against the appropriate herbivores, at multiple scales, and to understand which stages of the foraging process these variables disrupt. Our study aimed to test the capacity of existing vegetation to act as associational refuge for planted seedlings by affecting search, detection and consumption decisions, and more generally influence herbivore foraging patterns. We conducted a field trial with free‐ranging, mammalian herbivores and nursery‐raised, native tree seedlings. We quantified seedling browsing damage over time in relation to a suite of existing patch variables at two spatial scales (100 m2 and 4 m2). After two months, 78% of seedlings were browsed, suffering mean foliage loss of 90.5%. Focal seedlings were almost exclusively consumed by swamp wallabies Wallabia bicolor, an abundant generalist browser. Once a swamp wallaby investigated a seedling, the probability of consumption was high (86%). At the large scale, browsing of seedlings was delayed in patches with lower canopy cover and fewer browsed plant species. Seedlings in fern‐dominated patches escaped browsing for longer than those in grass‐dominated patches. At the small scale, browsing was delayed with higher cover of understorey vegetation. Associational refuge was provided by vegetation with characteristics, and at spatial scales, consistent with disrupted search and detection of focal seedlings by herbivores. Thus strategic placement of seedlings in existing vegetation – based on understanding which herbivore species is responsible and how it responds to vegetation – can take advantage of associational refuge during restoration. However, given rapid seedling detection by herbivores, associational refuge may be inadequate in the long‐term under high browsing pressure unless high absolute numbers of seedlings are planted among refuge.

Historical Open Forest Ecosystems in the Missouri Ozarks: Reconstruction and Restoration Targets

Brice B. Hanberry Brice B. Hanberry (corresponding author), University of Missouri, 203 Natural Resources Building, Columbia, MO 65211, hanberryb{at}missouri.edu.

Development of Prescribed Fire as a Silvicultural Tool for the Upland Oak Forests of the Eastern United States

In the past 40 years, the perception of periodic fire in upland oak (Quercus spp.) forests in the eastern United States has changed dramatically. Once thought of as a wholly destructive force, periodic fire is now considered an important disturbance whose absence is a major contributing factor to oak regeneration problems. This change in attitude and the concurrent development of prescribed fire as an accepted oak regeneration tool are due to several research—management partnerships. Starting in the 1970s, cooperative research between the USDA Forest Service and various land management agencies examined fire effects in mature, uncut oak forests. These failed to regenerate oak but identified some key limitations leading to the failures. Subsequent research in the 1990s shifted to oak shelterwoods and ultimately identified hot spring fires as a treatment that would regenerate oak. Since then, other partnerships have expanded fire–oak research to include woodland restoration burning. This paper reviews the history of cooperative fire–oak research over the past 40 years and the key role partnerships have played in the development of current prescribed fire practices in upland oak forests.

Long-Term Urban Park Ecological Restoration: A Case Study of Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York

While offering ecological, recreational, and cultural value, urban woodlands are under intense pressure from their many human visitors and require restorative management to continue to provide these functions. Since park construction in the 1860s, the 95.5 hectares of woodlands in Prospect Park (Brooklyn, NY) have experienced the pressures of human use, and were rather degraded by the mid-1980s. Since the early 1990s, Prospect Park’s managers have actively implemented a woodland restoration program that serves as a model for long-term urban restoration. The program has included removing invasive plants, stabilizing eroding soils, planting native vegetation, and redirecting the flow of visitors through the woodlands with improved trails and fences. While initial capital restoration projects were an important component, the true strength of the plan has been the employment of a diverse and dedicated staff—supported by dedicated funding—practicing adaptive management and restoration in Prospect Park’s woodlands. Despite a trend to restore woodlands through capital projects on a limited timeline, managers found that restoration would only be successful with a long-term commitment and continual, incremental restoration work. Given the constant stresses on our urban woodlands, management is needed in perpetuity to maintain a healthy forest in the heart of the city. This article addresses the extent of the managers’ commitment to a restoration program, assesses progress, and attempts to look towards future management needs.

Enhancing soil biophysical condition for climate-resilient restoration in mesic woodlands

Practitioners of ecological restoration must increasingly consider likely impacts of climate change, requiring reassessment of limits to ecological recovery and persistence. Overcoming soil nutrient enrichment and exotic invasions are common restoration targets in mesic ecosystems, but in a drying climate, the focus may shift towards more fundamental ecosystem functions such as capacity to capture and store water. We investigated opportunities for enhancing the climate-resilience of restoration efforts in temperate grassy eucalypt woodlands, by evaluating benefits after two years of soil amelioration techniques in characteristic sites that had become compacted and nutrient-depleted as a result of past land use. Our goal was to restore soil biophysical functioning without exacerbating exotic invasion.High C:N soil amendments including a green-waste biochar and a mixed-size green-waste mulch facilitated recovery of soil biophysical attributes within two years. Both led to lower bulk density, softer soil surfaces, occasionally higher soil moisture and better persistence of a sown, large-seeded native forb. Biochar also led to improved water infiltration and total C, while mulch led to higher labile C and higher microbial and invertebrate activity (but limited establishment of small-seeded forbs). Benefits were achieved without promoting exotic species, and for attributes with comparable reference data, benefits after two years were on average 25% of that required to reach reference condition. By contrast, P fertilization promoted exotic species at the expense of native grasses, with minimal improvement to soil biophysical condition after two years. Potential benefits of re-introducing a native C4 grass were not evident within the experimental timeframe. We conclude that bulky, high C:N soil amendments have the potential to facilitate recovery of functions associated with soil water availability and hence resilience to a drying climate. However, longer-term evaluation is needed to assess whether benefits reflect once-off small increments, or transitions across ecological thresholds that will facilitate ongoing improvement towards reference condition.

Development of a spatially-distributed hydroecological model to simulate cottonwood seedling recruitment along rivers

Dam operations have altered flood and flow patterns and prevented successful cottonwood seedling recruitment along many rivers. To guide reservoir flow releases to meet cottonwood recruitment needs, we developed a spatially-distributed, GIS-based model that analyzes the hydrophysical requirements for cottonwood recruitment. These requirements are indicated by five physical parameters: (1) annual peak flow timing relative to the interval of seed dispersal, (2) shear stress, which characterizes disturbance, (3) local stage recession after seedling recruitment, (4) recruitment elevation above base flow stage, and (5) duration of winter flooding, which may contribute to seedling mortality. The model categorizes the potential for cottonwood recruitment in four classes and attributes a suitability value at each individual spatial location. The model accuracy was estimated with an error matrix analysis by comparing simulated and field-observed recruitment success.The overall accuracies of this Spatially-Distributed Cottonwood Recruitment model were 47% for a braided reach and 68% for a meander reach along the Kootenai River in Idaho, USA. Model accuracies increased to 64% and 72%, respectively, when fewer favorability classes were considered. The model predicted areas of similarly favorable recruitment potential for 1997 and 2006, two recent years with successful cottonwood recruitment. This model should provide a useful tool to quantify impacts of human activities and climatic variability on cottonwood recruitment, and to prescribe instream flow regimes for the conservation and restoration of riparian woodlands.

Towards climate-resilient restoration in mesic eucalypt woodlands: characterizing topsoil biophysical condition in different degradation states

Background and aims Investments in restoring native vegetation must increasingly allow for likely impacts of climate change, requiring re-evaluation of limits to ecological recovery and persistence. Nutrient enrichment and weed invasion are significant limits to restoration in mesic ecosystems, but in a drying climate, limits could shift towards more fundamental ecosystem functions. We used a state and transition framework to identify landuse-related changes in topsoil biophysical characteristics likely to influence climate resilience in mesic temperate eucalypt woodlands.

Microsite factors influencing Eucalyptus regeneration in temperate woodlands

SummaryNatural regeneration of Eucalyptus is a major problem for the restoration and preservation of temperate woodlands. South‐eastern Australia experienced a period of above average rainfall from mid‐2010 to early 2011, creating favourable conditions for localised Eucalyptus regeneration. We conducted a case–control study comparing sites where natural regeneration from seed was present and absent. Vegetation cover, soil condition and hydrophobicity, as well as shelter objects and landscape position, were recorded to identify what influences natural regeneration from seed. Using conditional logistic regression, we found the odds of regeneration occurring increased with uphill slope angle and herbaceous cover. Our results suggest that, during periods of high rainfall, stable microsites that capture seed and resources are most likely to support Eucalyptus regeneration.

Seedling emergence and summer survival after direct seeding for woodland restoration on old fields in south‐western Australia

SummaryRestoration opportunities provided by an emerging carbon market have largely focused on large‐scale woodland restoration projects. Gondwana Link is one such project operating in a 1000‐km corridor in south‐western Australia. We identified environmental factors affecting the success of woody‐species restoration at a dry‐woodland Gondwana Link site, Peniup, by relating the emergence and survival of 1522 seedlings to abiotic and biotic variables, including soil conditions and weed cover. We found soil conditions were highly variable across the site and, together with the dry Mediterranean‐climate summer, affected seedling emergence and summer survival. Seedling emergence was higher in sandy soils, but summer survival was higher in clay soils. Most of the seedlings that emerged and survived the summer were in either the Fabales or Myrtaceae family. We concluded that attempts to analyse restoration outcomes that do not consider how the influence of primary abiotic and biotic factors changes over time may mask the mechanisms driving seedling establishment.

Effects of Oak Woodland Restoration Treatments on Sapling Survival and Tree Recruitment of Oaks in an Upland Mesic Oak-dominated Forest

Effects of Oak Woodland Restoration Treatments on Sapling Survival and Tree Recruitment of Oaks in an Upland Mesic Oak-dominated Forest

Does coarse woody debris density and volume influence the terrestrial vertebrate community in restored bauxite mines?

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is a critical functional and structural component of forest and woodland ecosystems, providing habitat for many species, and is an important consideration in forest and woodland restoration. CWD is very slow to develop naturally so, to accelerate the return of CWD-dependent species to restored areas, CWD is commonly returned manually. However, few studies have tested the effectiveness of such a strategy. We investigated whether the provision of CWD, heaped into ‘habitat piles’ of varying density (0.4–5.7pilesha−1), was effective in accelerating recolonisation by reptiles, frogs and mammals into 3-year old restored bauxite mine-pits in south-western Western Australia. Both reptile and mammal communities, and the abundances of some individual species, differed significantly between unmined and restored forest but the provision of CWD had only a weak effect in accelerating recolonisation. Acritoscincus trilineatus abundance showed a weak positive relationship with habitat pile density and both Cryptoblepharus buchananii and Christinus marmoratus, species that are very rare in restoration, were recorded adjacent to habitat piles in two and one mine-pits respectively. The weak effects of CWD in accelerating recolonisation were likely due to the differences in vegetation between unmined and restored forest, resulting in restored forests being primarily inhabited by generalist species that did not require CWD, and the highest habitat pile densities being ⩽6% of log densities in unmined forest, suggesting that CWD-dependent species perceived all mine-pits as having similarly low levels of CWD, compared to unmined forest. Our results suggest that the provision of CWD in restored areas is critical to accelerate recolonisation of CWD-dependent fauna, but this will require consideration of both CWD spatial connectivity and temporal continuity. Spatial connectivity would be best achieved through CWD densities that approximate those in reference ecosystems, whereas temporal continuity will be harder to achieve, particularly in systems where CWD is slow to develop, and will require the development of innovative techniques and long-term management. However, ensuring the spatial connectivity and temporal continuity of CWD in restored areas should greatly increase their biodiversity value.

Land-Use History and Contemporary Management Inform an Ecological Reference Model for Longleaf Pine Woodland Understory Plant Communities

Ecological restoration is frequently guided by reference conditions describing a successfully restored ecosystem; however, the causes and magnitude of ecosystem degradation vary, making simple knowledge of reference conditions insufficient for prioritizing and guiding restoration. Ecological reference models provide further guidance by quantifying reference conditions, as well as conditions at degraded states that deviate from reference conditions. Many reference models remain qualitative, however, limiting their utility. We quantified and evaluated a reference model for southeastern U.S. longleaf pine woodland understory plant communities. We used regression trees to classify 232 longleaf pine woodland sites at three locations along the Atlantic coastal plain based on relationships between understory plant community composition, soils (which broadly structure these communities), and factors associated with understory degradation, including fire frequency, agricultural history, and tree basal area. To understand the spatial generality of this model, we classified all sites together and for each of three study locations separately. Both the regional and location-specific models produced quantifiable degradation gradients–i.e., progressive deviation from conditions at 38 reference sites, based on understory species composition, diversity and total cover, litter depth, and other attributes. Regionally, fire suppression was the most important degrading factor, followed by agricultural history, but at individual locations, agricultural history or tree basal area was most important. At one location, the influence of a degrading factor depended on soil attributes. We suggest that our regional model can help prioritize longleaf pine woodland restoration across our study region; however, due to substantial landscape-to-landscape variation, local management decisions should take into account additional factors (e.g., soil attributes). Our study demonstrates the utility of quantifying degraded states and provides a series of hypotheses for future experimental restoration work. More broadly, our work provides a framework for developing and evaluating reference models that incorporate multiple, interactive anthropogenic drivers of ecosystem degradation.

Effect of Various Growth Hormone Concentration and Combination on Callus Induction, Nature of Callus and Callogenic Response of Nerium odorum

Nerium odorum, Linn. (Apocynaceae) is an important evergreen shrub. It is heat, salinity and drought tolerant. Plants with milky sap have medicinal value, mainly cardenolides, flavonoids and terpenes. It is used for wastewater purification and for restoration of riparian woodlands. In view of these facts, the study was conducted for micropropagation of N. odorum. Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with different concentrations (0.5-10.0 mg/l) of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and kinetin (Kin) were used singly and in combinations. Among all the growth hormones, 2,4-D was the best for callus induction (75% in stem and 79% in leaf) and in combination 2,4-D and BAP (78% in stem and 81% in leaf). The day of callus induction started from the 19th to the 37th day. This variation is due to the differences in culture conditions and the age of explants. The fresh and dry weight and moisture content showed good growth of callus, which is used in further studies of alkaloid production. Micropropagation of this plant allows the production of clones at a fast rate and in continuous manner. This work can lead to the development of an efficient protocol for callus induction and other issues.

Computer Modelling as an Aid to Forest and Woodland Restoration

Reclamation of terrestrial ecosystems tends to be focussed on two main land uses, mining and degraded agricultural or forested lands. Modelling has great potential to assist in both situations. The aim of many restoration programs is to restore biodiversity and a self-sustaining, fully functional ecosystem, which is intimately linked with the return of the plants, the vertebrates and, particularly, the invertebrate fauna, whose presence plays a pivotal role in most ecosystem functions and processes. A thorough understanding of these plant-fauna associations is essential if restoration is to succeed. It could also equip us with the knowledge to decide how minimalistic our information needs can be when modelling progress with restoration, for instance: by quantifying certain biophysical parameters; these plus certain vegetation indices; or by both plus a range of faunal attributes. As well as streamlining the restoration monitoring process, this could lead to the enhancement of the conservation value of the restoration, and a clear understanding of the ecological links between flora and fauna would also help develop bioindicators as components of completion criteria schedules. Using Western Australian bauxite mining in the Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest as a case study, this paper reviews rehabilitation prescriptions and trends in development of plant assemblages, invertebrate colonization and litter decomposition, and applies a systems dynamic modelling approach model to test assumptions regarding the evolution of plant-fauna assemblages in time and assess whether it is feasible to predict temporal changes in the rehabilitation of this ecosystem. Secondly, in relation to efforts to purchase and rehabilitate land to reconnect remnant woodland vegetation close to the south coast of Western Australia, network analysis and multi-level simulations are applied in order to decide the best locations to acquire land and to restore it in order to optimise connectivity.

Restoration of eucalypt grassy woodland: effects of experimental interventions on ground-layer vegetation

We report on the effects of broad-scale restoration treatments on the ground layer of eucalypt grassy woodland in south-eastern Australia. The experiment was conducted in two conservation reserves from which livestock grazing had previously been removed. Changes in biomass, species diversity, ground-cover attributes and life-form were analysed over a 4-year period in relation to the following experimental interventions: (1) reduced kangaroo density, (2) addition of coarse woody debris and (3) fire (a single burn). Reducing kangaroo density doubled total biomass in one reserve, but no effects on exotic biomass, species counts or ground cover attributes were observed. Coarse woody debris also promoted biomass, particularly exotic annual forbs, as well as plant diversity in one of the reserves. The single burn reduced biomass, but changed little else. Overall, we found the main driver of change to be the favourable growth seasons that had followed a period of drought. This resulted in biomass increasing by 67%, (mostly owing to the growth of perennial native grasses), whereas overall native species counts increased by 18%, and exotic species declined by 20% over the 4-year observation period. Strategic management of grazing pressure, use of fire where biomass has accumulated and placement of coarse woody debris in areas of persistent erosion will contribute to improvements in soil and vegetation condition, and gains in biodiversity, in the future.

道路对林地景观连接度的影响研究——以巩义市为例

基于景观连接度原理，借用景观连接度指数，在地理信息系统支持下，探讨了巩义市山区林地景观在不同距离阈值下连接度的变化，定量分析了道路对林地景观连接度的影响。结果显示，随着景观距离阈值的增大，无论是否有道路，林地景观整体可能连通性指数值都表现为逐渐增大；对林地景观连接度起“非常高”和“高”作用的林地斑块数量都比较少，但占林地总面积比例较大，面积大的林地斑块在提高景观连接度中起的作用较大；道路的分割使得林地斑块重要值降低，就单一斑块而言，随着景观距离阈值的增大，分割成的小斑块的重要值降低程度在逐渐减小。;Landscape connectivity, defined as the degree to which the landscape facilitates or impedes the movement of organisms or ecological processes among patches, has been widely recognized as one of the key objectives in studies of forest landscape management, ecological conservation and construction. The dispersal ability of organisms across changing landscapes is critical for long-term biodiversity conservation, and successful dispersal of organisms always depends on the landscape connectivity. The landscape fragmentation caused by roads has significant effects on the landscape pattern and ecological processes, such as the migration of species and biodiversity maintenance in different ecosystems of landscape. This paper aims to analyse the road impact on forest landscape connectivity in mountain area of Gongyi City, Henan Province, China. The landscape connectivity is evaluated based on a graph-theory framework, in which a graph represents a landscape as a set of nodes (habitat patches) connected to some degree by edges that join pairs of nodes functionally. Both the graph structure and the habitat availability metrics provide significant improvements for analyzing landscape connectivity and decision making in conservation planning of different ecosystems or landscapes. The geographic data sets for the study area, such as DEM, landuse, soil, vegetation and hydrology, were collected and managed in GIS. Two connectivity indicators, the probability index of connectivity (<em>PC</em>) and the importance value (Percentage of the variation in <em>PC</em>, <em>dPC</em><em>_k</em>), were calculated. Considering the dispersal distances for different organisms, we examined the variation of landscape connectivity of the woodland in the low and middle mountainous areas according to five distance thresholds: 0.5 km, 1 km, 2.5 km, 5 km, and 10 km. The importance values of the woodland patches were calculated in the scenarios with roads and without roads in different dispersal distances. In addition, the impact of roads on the landscape connectivity of five selected woodland patches was elucidated in detail. The results shows that: (1) the woodland landscape <em>PC</em> values tend to increase with the distance thresholds from 0.5 km to 10 km, in both scenarios of with roads or without roads; (2) there are few patches with larger area, and in the very high and high categories of contribution to woodland landscape connectivity; (3) the <em>dPC</em><em>_k</em> values of woodland landscape patches gradually decrease with the segmentation of roads, especially for some small patches. We conclude that the roads have important effects on the forest connectivity in the study area. The landscape indexes (such as distance threshold, node position of forest patch and forest area) and the topographical factors (elevation and slope) should be comprehensively considered when analyzing the relationships between roads and forest connectivity. Moreover, the case study also proves that the analysis of landscape connectivity could and should be used as a criterion for selecting important patches in woodland restoration planning. The analytical methods used in this paper are relatively easy to implement, and thus have application potentials in ecological restoration management and landscape planning.