scholarly journals Long-term response of understorey cover, basal area and diversity to stand density in a mixed oak forest on the Síkfőkút plot in Hungary

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 8) ◽  
pp. 319-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Misik ◽  
K. Varga ◽  
Zs. Veres ◽  
I. Kárász ◽  
B. Tóthmérész

The serious oak decline was reported for the 1979–80 period and 63.0% of adult oaks died in a mixed oak forest in the Síkfőkút site, Hungary. The data were used to obtain (1) quantitative information on diversity indices of shrub layer and shrub canopy, including foliage cover percentage of the shrub layer, mean cover of shrub species before and after the oak decline and (2) structural information on shrub basal area and shrub foliage arrangement. Since 1972 we have determined diversity indices, cover percentage and basal area of shrubby vegetation on the monitoring and plus plots. A negative relation was detected between Shannon-Wiener and Evenness indices of the shrub layer and living oak tree density. A positive relation was confirmed between basal area and mean cover of dominant woody species (Acer campestre, Acer tataricum and Cornus mas). The mean cover of shrub species except of A. campestre increased non-significantly after the oak decline on the 48 m × 48 m plot. The findings of the study indicate that diversity indices of the shrub layer and mean cover of A. campestre can be used as a principal indicator of natural disturbance in the studied mature stand and the species of the shrub layer respond differently to the decreasing stand density.  

AGROFOR ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamás MISIK ◽  
Imre KÁRÁSZ

Long-term structural dynamics of shrub layer of temperate oak forest communities were not extensively reported in published studies. The serious oak decline was first reported in 1979-80 and nowadays 63.0% of canopy oak trees died in a forest stand. The data were used to obtain (1) quantitative information on shrub layer growth, including height (H) and shoot diameter (DSH) condition and basal area (BA) values; (2) structural information on foliage cover rate of the shrub layer, mean cover of some shrub species; (3) comprehensive description from the ecological processes in the shrub layer in the last 45 years and our objective was (4) to analyze the possible effects of oak decline on the shrub growth dynamics. The following measurements were carried out in the 48 × 48 m plot: shoot height, shoot diameter, basal area and foliage cover of each individuals in the high shrub layer. Correlation analysis confirmed that significant positive relations were between mean H, mean DSH of the dominant woody species (Acer campestre, Acer tataricum and Cornus mas) and oak tree density between 1972 and 2017. The decreasing oak tree density did not show detectable impact to the co-dominant shrubs growth. There was a low significant association between number of oak trees and basal area of high shrub layer. Finally, there was a statistically significant interaction between mean cover of A. campestre and C. mas and oak trees. The findings of the study indicate that forest responded to oak decline with significant structural rearrangement in the shrub layer.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamás Misik ◽  
Imre Kárász ◽  
Béla Tóthmérész

Abstract Structural changes in the shrub layer were analysed in a Hungarian oak forest after the oak decline pandemics. This paper focuses on the following questions: (1) which of the woody species tolerated better the forest conditions after oak decline? (2) What are the ecological factors that explain the successful response of woody species to changes in light and thermal conditions? In the monitoring plot, the structural condition of specimens only above 8.0 m was observed. After the appearance of oak decline some Acer campestre, Cornus mas and Acer tataricum specimens appeared that reached between 8.0-13.0 m in height. Significant differences were revealed between top canopy density and foliage cover of the subcanopy and between top canopy density and mean cover of field maple. The findings of the study indicate that the forest responded to oak decline with significant structural rearrangement in the shrub layer and that three woody species compensated for the remarkable foliage loss in the top canopy. These species formed a second crown layer directly below the canopy formed by oaks.


1994 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
GT Jane

Mountain beech is frequently the sole canopy species in the montane forests of Canterbury, New Zealand and often the only significant tree or shrub present over large areas and this allows examination of a very simple ecosystem. Data from remeasurement of over 400 permanent quadrats in six areas are examined to elucidate the impact of browsing animals on natural processes. The changes in basic parameters such as stand density and basal area over a decade form consistent patterns in both visual and statistical techniques and this allows identification of important quadrats for detailed study. The basic relationship between density and basal area follows well an established semi-logarithmic relationship, even in decade by decade changes on individual quadrats. Deviations in this pattern can be related to natural disturbance events. The impact of browsing animals, mainly red deer (Cervus elaphus) varied between the different areas. Although numbers peaked in the 1930s and 1940s and declined through commercial hunting in the 1960s-1980s, the impact on the vegetation remains and will persist for many decades.


2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 397-402
Author(s):  
Tanuja Gahlot ◽  
◽  
Prachi Joshi ◽  
Y.S. Rawat ◽  
◽  
...  

The ability of forests in atmospheric carbon sequestration is increasingly gaining attention. Present study deals with the estimation of biomass and carbon stock of the teak plantation in the terai central forest division in Kumaun, Uttarakhand State of India. Very few scientific studies were done regarding the teak plantation and the estimation of its biomass in Kumaun. Therefore this study was carried out in this region to assess the role played by teak plantation in climate change. The information regarding the changes in pattern of carbon storage is vital and important because it can be used by government and policymakers to predict the deposit pattern for changing climate. Three sites i.e., Kamola block (Site I), Kamola beat (Site II) and East Gadappu beat (Site III) were selected for the study. Large scale variations in biomass and carbon stock were noted among all three sites. Site III (East Gadappu) showed the maximum biomass and carbon stock (297.03 tha-1 and 143.18 tha-1) followed by site I (Kamola block) (241.9 tha -1and 117.27 t ha-1) and site II ( Kamola beat ) (175.76 t ha-1and 85.79 t ha-1). Although stand density and total basal area of the forest showed almost similar value on all three sites, still the differences in biomass and carbon stock at all sites indicated the positive contribution of biodiversity as shown in the results and negative implications of human disturbance to the forest.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talat Parveen ◽  
Orus Ilyas

Abstract The disturbance is a major factor driving the decline of tropical forests and their associated fauna. Henceforth, basic information on species diversity would be useful for assessing the success of management in the fragmented and human-disturbed landscape. We accounted for tree species diversity and their regeneration pattern from the tropical dry deciduous forest of Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR), India. Considering this, random vegetation sampling along with transects was carried out in different ranges of PTR. It is spread over in an area of 2998.98 km2 that situated in the northern part of Madhya Pradesh and distributed in Panna and Chhatarpur district. The tropical dry deciduous forest inventory in the 10.6132-ha area yielded a total of 46 woody species of > 10 cm GBH, belonged to 23 Families and 40 genera. The regeneration represented 27 species of < 30 cm height (seedling) under 16 families and 24 genera while sapling, which ranges from > 30cm to 1.3m, showed 24 species of 13 families and 32 genera. The Shannon diversity of Trees, seedlings, and saplings was 2.684, 2.525, and 2.401 respectively. A total stand density and basal area of 2391 stems of trees were estimated as 225.285 stand ha− 1 and 90.016 m2ha− 1 respectively. Tectona grandis scored the highest IVI value of 59.44 (19.81% of total IVI for all species) among the dominated tree species, followed by Acacia catechu (24.94), Abrus precatorius (23.25), Zizyphus xylopyra (22.94), Anogeissus latifolia (22.16) and Lagerstroemia parviflora (22.18). Nearly 23.913% of the total number of species was recorded as rare species. The highest seedling density was obtained for Diospyros melanoxylon followed by Zizyphus xylopyra, Aegle marmelos, Wrightia tintoria, and Tectona grandis, which declined in the subsequent sapling stage and showed a reverse pattern. Hence, the highest sapling density was recorded for Tectona grandis then Aegle marmelos, Wrightia tintoria, Diospyros melanoxylon, and Zizyphus xylopyra. A total of 36.956% of tree species were found to fail to establish in the community because species were represented by only adult or tree stage that listed as Not-regenerating. In terms of the most diverse family among the plant categories; viz. Tree, Seedling, Sapling, Fabaceae had the highest species richness. The highest tree stand density (127.576 stand ha− 1) was recorded in the girth class of 31-60cm (48.687% of the total tree stand density) followed by 10-30cm and 61-90cm. Likewise, a total basal area of 20.824 m2ha− 1 was occupied by 31-60cm that contributed 23.051% of the total basal area, so our data on the population structure of forest shows a similar trend wherein the distribution curve exponentially decreases with increasing girth classes that indicates not only a mid-successional forest but also a human-disturbed.


1983 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 208-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert N. Muller

Abstract An old-growth forest and a 35-year-old, second-growth forest on the Cumberland Plateau were studied to compare species composition and structure. Species composition and total basal area of the two stands did not differ, although total stand density was 19 percent lower and basal area of commercial species was 25 percent higher in the old-growth than in the second-growth stand. Analysis of size-class distributions showed that both stands were best represented by an inverse J-shaped distribution, which best describes old-age stands. The rapid regeneration of the second-growth stand seems to be the result of minimal disturbance to accumulated nutrient pools in the soil. The importance of these accumulated nutrient pools and implications for forest management on the Cumberland Plateau are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (11) ◽  
pp. 1471-1482
Author(s):  
Woongsoon Jang ◽  
Bianca N.I. Eskelson ◽  
Louise de Montigny ◽  
Catherine A. Bealle Statland ◽  
Derek F. Sattler ◽  
...  

This study was conducted to quantify growth responses of three major commercial conifer species (lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Watson), interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco), and spruce (white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and hybrid spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex. Engelm. × Picea glauca (Moench) Voss × Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière))) to various fertilizer blends in interior British Columbia, Canada. Over 25 years, growth-response data were repeatedly collected across 46 installations. The fertilizer blends were classified into three groups: nitrogen only; nitrogen and sulfur combined; and nitrogen, sulfur, and boron combined. The growth responses for stand volume, basal area, and top height were calculated through absolute and relative growth rate ratios relative to a controlled group. Fertilizer blend, inverse years since fertilization, site index, stand density at fertilization, and their interactions with the fertilizer blend were used as explanatory variables. The magnitude and significance of volume and basal area growth responses to fertilization differed by species, fertilizer-blend groups, and stand-condition variables (i.e., site index and stand density). In contrast, the response in top height growth did not differ among fertilization blends, with the exception of the nitrogen and sulfur fertilizer subgroup for lodgepole pine. The models developed in this study will be incorporated into the current growth and yield fertilization module (i.e., Table Interpolation Program for Stand Yields (TIPSY)), thereby supporting guidance of fertilization applications in interior forests in British Columbia.


1993 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
William D. Boyer

Abstract Well-stocked mature longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) stands were cut to five residual basal areas in 1957, namely 9, 18, 27, 36, and 45 ft² per ac, to observe the effect of stand density on seed production and seedling establishment. Seedlings, mainly from the 1955 or 1961seed crops, were established in treated stands. All pines on net 0.9 ac plots were remeasured in 1991 to determine the effect of residual pine density on development of the regeneration. Even the lightest residual overstory converted the structure of 29- to 35- yr-old ingrowth into the reverse-Jdiameter class distribution characteristic of uneven-aged stands. Four or six residual trees, now comprising 7 to 10 ft² basal area (ba)/ac, reduced ingrowth basal area to about half that of same-aged stands released from overstory competition. Merchantable volume of ingrowth under theselow residual densities averaged 40% of that in released stands. Mean annual per ac volume increment of ingrowth averaged 21 to 22 ft³ under the 9 ft² density but did not exceed 7 ft³ under any residual density above this. The potential impact of significant growth reductionsshould be taken into account when considering uneven-aged management methods for longleaf pine. South. J. Appl. For. 17(1):10-15.


2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 776-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiongqing Zhang ◽  
Quang V Cao ◽  
Lele Lu ◽  
Hanchen Wang ◽  
Aiguo Duan ◽  
...  

Abstract Stand density index (SDI) has played an important role in controlling stand stocking and modeling stand development in forest stands. Reineke’s SDI (SDI_R) is based on a constant slope of –1.605 for the self-thinning line. For Chinese fir plantations, however, it has been reported that the self-thinning slope varied with site and climate, rendering SDI_R questionable. Remeasured data from 48 plots distributed in Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, and Sichuan provinces were used to develop models for prediction of stand survival and basal area, with SDI_R incorporated as a predictor variable. Also included in the evaluation were growth models based on self-thinning slopes estimated from two groups of sites (SDI_S) or from climate variables (SDI_C). Results indicated that models with climate-sensitive SDI (SDI_C) performed best, followed by SDI_S and SDI_R. The control models without SDI received the worst overall rank. Inclusion of climate-sensitive SDI in growth and survival models can therefore facilitate modeling of the relation between stand density and growth/survival under future climate-change conditions.


2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Giriraj ◽  
M. S. R. Murthy ◽  
B. R. Ramesh

The composition, abundance, population structure and distribution patterns of the woody species having a girth at breast height of ≥ 10 cm were investigated in the tropical wet evergreen forests of the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in the southern Western Ghats, India. A 3 ha plot was established with an altitudinal range of 1170 to 1306 m. In the study plot 5624 individuals (mean density 1875 ha−1) covering 68 woody species belonging to 52 genera and 27 families were enumerated. The mean basal area was 47.01 m2 ha–1 and the Shannon and Simpson diversity indices were 4.89 and 0.95, respectively. Of these woody species nearly 51% are endemic to the Western Ghats. The four dominant species, Cullenia exarillata, Palaquium ellipticum, Aglaia bourdillonii and Myristica dactyloides, account for 34% of the trees and 67% of the basal area, and therefore constitute the main structure of the forest. Within this forest type, five species assemblages corresponding to altitudinal gradient were identified using correspondence analysis. Management of such mid elevation evergreen forests necessarily depends on knowledge of recognisable community types and their environmental variables. The present study provides essential background for formulating strategies for sustainable conservation of forest communities at the local level.


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