Environmental factors play vital roles in successful plantation and cultivation of tree seedlings. This study focuses on problems associated with reforestation under extreme continental climatic conditions. The objectives were to assess relative seedling performance (survival and growth) with respect to plantation age, and to analyze the influence of specific climatic factors during the early stages of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) plantations. The study was carried out in reforested areas of the Tujyin Nars region of northern Mongolia on six Scots pine plantations ranging from 5 to 10 years. In each of the six plantations, five 900 m 2 permanent sample plots were established and survival rates and growth performance measured annually over 7 years. Results show high variation in survival among the plantations (p \ 0.001, F = 29.7). Seedling survival in the first year corresponded directly to the number of dry days in May. However, survival rate appeared to stabilize after the second year. The insignificant variation of height categories throughout the observation period indicated low competition among individuals. Two linear mixed-effect models show that height and radial growth were best explained by relative air humidity, which we consider to be a reliable indicator of site-specific water availability. Insufficient amounts and uneven distribution of rainfall pose a major threat during the first year of plantation establishment. Humidity and water availability are decisive factors for a successful seedling plantation. This highlights the impact of drought on forest plantations in northern Mongolia and the importance of developing climate resilient reforestation strategies.
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests are one of the main vegetation types in the Asian forest-steppe zone. However, over-harvesting currently threatens the natural regeneration and sustainability of these forests. In this study, we examine the long-term effects of different logging intensities on soil properties and natural regeneration in a natural Scots pine forest in the West Khentii Mountains (Mongolia), 19 years after selective logging. Our experimental design included five treatments: clear cut (CC), treatments with high (HI), medium (MI), low (LI) intensities, and a reference parcel with no logging impact at all (RE). We described and quantified the harvest events and applied ANOVA and LMM modeling to analyze and explain the long-term impacts of the logging intensities on soil properties and natural regeneration. We found that logging has a significant negative influence on the physical and chemical properties of the soil because it increases soil compaction and reduces soil nutrients. The most critical impacts of logging were on soil bulk density, total porosity, organic matter, and total nitrogen and phosphorus. The LMM modeling showed that organic matter (OgM), total nitrogen (TN), available K (AK) and pH values are especially impacted by logging. Our study revealed that the values for all of these variables show a linear decrease with increasing selective logging intensity and have a level of significance of p < 0.05. Another finding of this study is that selective logging with low and medium intensities can promote natural regeneration of Scots pine to numbers above those of the reference site (RE). High intensity logging and clear-cuts, however, limit the regeneration of Scots pine, reduce overall seedling numbers (p < 0.05), and create conditions that are suitable only for the regeneration of deciduous tree species. This underlines the risk of Scots pine forest degradation, either by replacement by broad-leaf trees or by conversion into non-forest ecosystems.
The Mongolian Altai mountain range stretches from east to west for more than 800 kilometers, and its forest cover is considered the southwestern boundary of the distribution of Mongolian forests and is characterized by a unique combination of high-mountain and desert ecosystems. Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) is one of the main forest-forming tree species in the Mongolian Altai and covers 112.0 thousand ha of area and is distributed at an altitude of 2300 to 2700 m a.s.l. In this study, we attempted a comparative study of tree growth rates in larch forests, which are associated with four different altitudinal zones in the Mongolian Altai, aimed at determinining the lower and upper limits of forest distribution in this region. We used the natural quantitative indicators in this study. We carried out the diameter growth rate analyses on 15 model tree samples taken from the Mongolian Altai and 4 samples from Central Khangai regions. All the trees were divided into fast-growing and slow-growing. The results of the assessments showed that 60 percent of the studied forests belonged to slow-growing forests. Slowest growth rate was observed in the forests of Khan Taishir and Khar Azarga mountains, which are the southernmost tip of conifer forest distribution in Mongolia. For the first time in Mongolia we observed that the upper limit of larch forests reached up to 2700 m a.s.l. Such slow rate of tree growth in larch forests is the result of the existing harsh continental climate, aridity, and high altitudinal distribution in the Mongolian Altai. Our findings can become the scientific basis for the development of a sustainable forest management plan in the forests of the Mongol Altai, taking into account the different growth rate between stands..
This study was conducted in planted forests located in the Tujyin Nars National Park territory of Selenge province, Mongolia. We aimed at studying the effect of climate factors on seedling survival and tree growth at the Scots pine plantations. A total of five 50 x 20 m (0.1 ha) sized square sample plots were established at the plantations, planted between 2003 and 2007. All field measurements and data collection were carried out annually in September and October between 2003 and 2017. Annual field measurements of seedlings included: tree health status, diameter at stem basis, total height and annual height increments. We used climate data taken from the closest meteorological station (8-15 km to the north-west), “Sukhbaatar” located in Sukhbaatar Soum of Selenge province. To calculate the statistical analysis of the survival rate and seedling growth, we used the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) method to determine statistically significant differences in means among variables between the sites. An F-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to assess the relationships between climate variables and survival and tree growth. Our findings showed a significant difference (F=28.4, p<0.001) between seedling survival among plantations planted in different years of plantation establishment. The study revealed that there is a strong negative correlation (r=-0.76) between seedling survival and number of critical dry days, and contrary, strong positive correlation (r =0.71) with the precipitation for May. The increment of planted trees was more sensitive to air temperature (r = 0.47), annual rainfall (r = 0.72), air relative humidity and number of dry days during the first three years than in subsequent years. Таримал өсвөр нарсан (pinus sylvestris l.) ойн амьдралт, өсөлтөнд уур амьсгалын үзүүлэх нөлөө Хураангуй Тус судалгааг Сэлэнгэ аймгийн Алтанбулаг, Шаамар сумын нутагт ойжуулалтаар тарьж ургуулсан таримал нарсан ойд гүйцэтгэв. Судалгааны ажлын зорилго нь таримал ойн моддын амьдралт, өсөлтөнд уур амьсгалын үзүүлэх нөлөөг судлахад оршино. Судалгаанд 2003-2007 онуудад ойжуулсан таримал ойн мониторинг судалгааг 2003 -2017 онуудад жил бүр тасралтгүй гүйцэтгэлээ. Ойжуулсан талбай бүрд 50 х 20 м (1000 м2) хэмжээтэй дээж талбайг байгуулан, түүнд таримал модны эрүүл байдал, ишний өндөр, диаметрийн өсөлт болон титмийн өндрийг хэмжив. Ишний шинжилгээний дээжид модны өндрийн болон диаметрийн өсөлтийн хэмжилтийг хийсэн ба уур амьсгалын үзүүлэлтэд судалгааны талбайд хамгийн ойр (10 км) орших Сэлэнгэ аймгийн цаг уурын ажиглалтын “Сүхбаатар” станцын 2003-2017 оны хугацаанд дахь цаг уурын мэдээг ашиглав. Хэмжилтийн статистик үзүүлэлтүүдийг боловсруулахад нэг хүчин зүйлт вариансийн шинжилгээ (ANOVA), модны өндөр, диаметрийн өсөлтийн явц болон уур амьсгалын үзүүлэлтүүд хоорондын хамаарлыг Персоны корреляцын коэффициеитээр илэрхийлэв. Судалгааны үр дүнгээс үзвэл, ялгаатай цаг хугацаанд ойжуулсан талбайн моддын амьдралт статистикийн хувьд ялгаатай (F=28.4, p<0.001), ялангуяа 5-р сарын хэт хуурайшилттай өдрийн үргэлжлэх хугацаа (r=-0.76), ургамал ургалтын хугацааны агаарын температур, хур тунадасны нийлбэр (5-р сар r =0.71, 6- сар r=0.41, 7- сар r= 0.46) - тэй хүчтэй, эерэг хамааралтай байна. Ойжуулалтанд шилжүүлсний дараах тарьцын хоёр болон гурав дахь жилийн нийлбэр өндрийн өсөлт, жилийн дундаж агаарын температур (r = 0.47), диаметрийн өсөлт нь жилийн нийлбэр хур тунадастай (r = 0.72) эерэг, хүчтэй хамааралтай байна. Түлхүүр үг: Ойжуулалт,өндөр, диаметр, цаг уур, хамаарал
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