Abstract:

Larix olgensis is one of the important commercial timber tree species in northeastern China, but it could not naturally regenerate in the L.olgensis forests. Furthermore, there was little study on its natural regeneration. This paper examined the natural regeneration of L.olgensis in the plantation. The natural regeneration of L.olgensis included the number, survival and growth of one-year seedling and the appearing environment of sapling. The results indicated some one-year seedlings would appear in fruiting L.olgensis plantation, and its number was correlative with seed number of seed bank, and its survival and growth (height and leaf number) was influenced by canopy openness of forest and coverage of vegetation and thickness of litter. One-year seedling of L.olgensis grew slowly in L.olgensis plantation, and its height, base diameter and leaf number was not more than 6 cm, 0.1 cm and 25, respectively. In L.olgensis plantation, seedling emergence of L.olgensis began in April, and the most number of seedling appeared in June, but almost all seedlings disappeared in September. These results confirmed the seedling of L.olgensis did not survive and grow in L.olgensis plantation, and the major factors affecting the survival and growth of L.olgensis seedling were light, herb, shrub and litter. In generally, saplings could be seen in the habitat where there were seed resource and enough light availability, little ground cover, and wet soil in the L.olgensis forests.

Key words: Larix olgensis, seedling, survival and growth, sapling