Response of understory plant species richness and tree regeneration to thinning in Pinus tabuliformis plantations in northern China  

作　　者：Haijiao Yang Chao Pan Yun Wu Shiqi Qing Zhibin Wang Dihai Wang 

机构地区：[1]College of Forestry,Northwest A&F University,Yangling,Shaanxi,712100,China

出　　处：《Forest Ecosystems》2023年第2期215-226,共12页森林生态系统（英文版）

基　　金：supported by Natural Science Basic Research Program of Shaanxi(2021JQ-155);National Natural Science Foundation of China(32101511);Chinese Universities Scientific Fund(2452020137 and 2452021073)。

摘　　要：Background:Chinese pine(Pinus tabuliformis Carr.)is one of the major afforestation species in northern China and plays a key role in restoring forest ecosystems and preserving soil and water.However,most Chinese pine plantations are experiencing ecological problems such as the low diversity of understory plants and difficulty in natural regeneration.Thinning has been widely used to maintain and improve a variety of forest ecosystem services from plantations.To date,however,few studies have been conducted to systematically determine the effects of thinning on understory plant diversity and the regeneration of Chinese pine in plantations.Methods:We conducted a literature search,and selected 22 publications covering a total of 83 treatments related to thinning effects on the species richness of understory plants and 15 publications covering a total of 43 treatments related to thinning effects on the regeneration of Chinese pine,in tree plantations of northern China.The data from the literature were synthesized and evaluated with meta-analysis approach to determine the treatment effects.Results:Compared with the control stands,thinning increased the species richness of shrubs and herbs by an average of 25.3%and 26.5%,respectively.While the varying thinning intensities all had significantly positive effects on the species richness of understory plants,only moderate thinning(30%–50%)had a positive effect on the density of regenerating seedlings and saplings of Chinese pine(60.2%).The species richness of understory plants was greatest after 14 years of thinning with an increase of 36.3%,whereas the density of regenerating Chinese pine seedlings and saplings reached a maximum after≥11 years of thinning with an increase of 76.5%,compared to that of the unthinned stands.Thinning in the half-mature plantations had the greatest effects on the understory shrub richness(44.1%)and the density of regenerating Chinese pine seedlings and saplings(86.5%).Both single and multiple thinning were found to significantly promote the

关 键 词：Chinese pine plantation Forest thinning META-ANALYSIS Natural regeneration Understory plants 

分 类 号：S718.5[农业科学—林学]