Abstract:

Through investigation of 77 gaps in a 3. 2hm² virgin old-growth Korean pine-broadleaved forest in Jiaohe forest farm, regeneration responses of 13 main tree species to gap size and gap developmental phase were studied. The result showed that the regeneration densities of trees changed with gap size, revealing a unimodal curve. Regeneration densities of three tree species among the 13 peaked at the gap size of 40~60m², while those of the other 10 species peaked at the gap size of 20~40m². The responses of tree species to gap developmental phase revealed three types i.e. the unimodal curve type, the double-modal curve type, and the no significant response type. The regeneration density of each tree species in gaps was greater than their corresponding regeneration density in non-gap stands.

Key words: Gaps, Gap dynamics, Regeneration response, The Korean pine-broadleaved forest