Short-Term Effects of Thinning on Tree Growth and Soil Nutrients in the Middle-Aged Chinese Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.) Plantations

Lin, Na; Deng, Ninglong; Lu, Dehao; Xie, Huiyan; Feng, Mang; Chen, Shiqing

doi:10.3390/f14010074

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Heavy thinning increased pH compared to light and moderate thinning, likely due to higher organic matter mineralization. Similarly, Lin et al (2022) reported that soil pH value increased with an increase in forest canopy openness in Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.)…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Effects of pre-commercial thinning on soil respiration and some soil properties in black pine (Pinus nigra) stands

Kaptanoğlu¹,

Çömez²

2023

Ağaç Ve Orman

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Forestry practices may cause significant changes in soil characteristics as related to their properties and size. Although chemical attributes of the soil respond to the applications in the mid- or long-term while changes in soil respiration can react rapidly to forestry practices. Therefore, determining changes in soil attributes is needed to identify how the management practices would affect forest ecosystem function. Although there is much information on the effect of thinning practices on tree growth, there is a lack of knowledge on the impacts of pre-commercial thinning on soil properties, especially soil respiration. We aimed to determine pre-commercial thinning effects on some soil attributes in black pine sites. Four treatments with different intensities were applied to the stands studied. These practices were control (no pre-commercial thinning), 2000 (heavy), 4000 (moderate), and 6000 (light) individuals per hectare left, respectively. Measurements of soil respiration and soil temperature were carried out between 2014 and 2017 in spring, summer, autumn, and winter months. Soil characteristics, including pH, organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphor content, were measured just after and three years after the thinning. As a result, thinning increased soil respiration rate and soil temperature while decreased soil pH values. Results of the study showed that carbon balance in the ecosystem was significantly affected by thinnings, and adjusting the thinning intensity may be an efficient carbon management tool for reducing carbon emission from the soil.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Effects of pre-commercial thinning on soil respiration and some soil properties in black pine (Pinus nigra) stands

Kaptanoğlu¹,

Çömez²

2023

Ağaç Ve Orman

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“…Therefore, since the Paris climate summit in 2015, forest management has been promoted as an efficient option to increase the accumulation of C by forest ecosystems [11]. Thinning is an essential silvicultural practice widely used in forest management [12], and it has been proved to promote the soil carbon storge of forest ecosystems by altering substrate charateristics [13][14][15][16][17] and the carbon metabolism process rate [18]. For instance, thinning induces more litterfall input, which initially alters substrate availability for microbial, soil enzymatic activity, and carbon mineralization [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Thinning on Carbon Storage in a Mixed Broadleaved Plantation in a Subtropical Area of China

Lin,

Feng,

Huang

et al. 2024

Forests

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Forest thinning is a widely used silvicultural method in forest management and has complex effects on carbon sequestration in different types of forest ecosystems. The present study examined the short-term effects of different thinning intensities on carbon storage in an 11-year-old mixed broadleaved plantation. The results partially supported that different thinning intensities have varying impacts on carbon storage in different parts of forest ecosystems. The main results were as follows: (1) The effect of thinning on promoting the growth of fast-growing tree species (Michelia macclurei Dandy and Schima superba Gardn. et Champ.) was earlier than that of slow-growing tree species (Castanopsis hystrix Miq.). (2) A greater thinning intensity conferred greater effects on promoting the tree biomass carbon growth, litter carbon storage, and understory plant diversity, in the order of 41%~50% > 31%~40% > 20%~30%, but these values were lower than those for the unthinned plots. (3) The soil carbon storage declined most in the 41%~50% thinned plots, due to the reduced carbon storage in the humus layer. (4) The 20%~30% thinning intensity promoted carbon sequestration in the short term in the mixed broadleaved plantation. The results suggested that a lower thinning intensity promoted carbon sequestration in the short term, a greater thinning intensity reduced carbon storage at first, but the negative effect on carbon storage exhibited trade-offs later by the growth of tree and understory plant biomass carbon and the accumulation of litter layer carbon.

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“…Therefore, it is necessary to determine a reasonable stand density under the current site conditions in order to make full use of the forest land productivity and achieve the purpose of promoting the growth of the stand. At present, most of the studies on stand volume and wood quality of Chinese fir plantation thinning are young and middle-aged forests, and the research sites are mainly concentrated in the middle and southern belts of Chinese fir (Tong et al, 2000;Xu et al, 2014;Guo et al, 2019;Lin et al, 2022), but there are relatively few studies on the effects of stand density management in the northern Chinese fir plantation during the cutting age. Here, we analyzed changes in the relationship between the structure and productivity of Chinese fir plantations after thinning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on the effects of stand density management of Chinese fir plantation in Northern China

Sun

et al. 2023

Front. Plant Sci.

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The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanism by which thinning alters stand structure and affects forest productivity by characterizing changes in stand quantitative maturity age, stand diameter distribution, structural heterogeneity, and forest productivity of Chinese fir plantations at different thinning times and intensities. Our findings provide insights into how the density of stands could be modified to enhance the yield and timber quality of Chinese fir plantations. The significance of differences in individual tree volume, stand volume, and timber merchantable volume was determined using one-way analysis of variance and post hoc Duncan tests. The stand quantitative maturity age was obtained using the Richards equation. The quantitative relationship between stand structure and productivity was determined using a generalized linear mixed model. We found that (1) the quantitative maturity age of Chinese fir plantations increased with thinning intensity, and the quantitative maturity age was much greater under commercial thinning than under pre-commercial thinning. (2) Individual tree volume and the proportion of medium-sized and large-sized timber merchantable volume increased with stand thinning intensity. Thinning promoted increases in stand diameter. pre-commercially thinned stands were dominated by medium-diameter trees when the quantitative maturity age was reached, whereas commercially thinned stands were dominated by large-diameter trees. The living trees volume will decrease immediately after thinning, and then it will gradually increase with the age of the stand. When the stand volume included both living trees volume and thinned volume, thinned stands increased stand volume compared with unthinned stands. In pre-commercial thinning stands, the greater the intensity of thinning, the greater the increase in stand volume, and the opposite was true for commercial thinning. (3) Thinning also reduced heterogeneity in stand structure, which was lower after commercial thinning than after pre-commercial thinning. The productivity of pre-commercially thinned stands increased with thinning intensity, whereas that of commercially thinned stands decreased with thinning intensity. (4) The structural heterogeneity of pre-commercially and commercially thinned stands was negatively and positively correlated with forest productivity, respectively. In the Chinese fir plantations in the hilly terrain of the northern Chinese fir production area, when pre-commercial thinning was performed in the ninth year to a residual density of 1750 trees per hectare, the stand quantitative maturity age was reached in year 30, medium-sized timber accounted for 75.2% of all trees, and the stand volume was 667.9 m3 per hectare. This thinning strategy is favorable for producing medium-sized Chinese fir timber. When commercial thinning was performed in year 23, the optimal residual density was 400 trees per hectare. When the stand quantitative maturity age was reached in year 31, large-sized timber accounted for 76.6% of all trees, and the stand volume was 574.5 m3 per hectare. This thinning strategy is favorable for producing large-sized Chinese fir timber.

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Short-Term Effects of Thinning on Tree Growth and Soil Nutrients in the Middle-Aged Chinese Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.) Plantations

Cited by 6 publications

References 48 publications

Effects of pre-commercial thinning on soil respiration and some soil properties in black pine (Pinus nigra) stands

Effects of pre-commercial thinning on soil respiration and some soil properties in black pine (Pinus nigra) stands

Effects of Thinning on Carbon Storage in a Mixed Broadleaved Plantation in a Subtropical Area of China

Study on the effects of stand density management of Chinese fir plantation in Northern China

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