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Scientia Silvae Sinicae ›› 2019, Vol. 55 ›› Issue (1): 103-109.doi: 10.11707/j.1001-7488.20190112

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Storage and Structural Characteristics of Coarse Woody Debris in an Evergreen Broadleaved Forest in Jinyun Mountain

Huang Li, Gao Xiangyang, Qi Meng, Zhou Xia, Yang Chao, Li Xiaohan, Yang Shenghe, Qian Shenhua, Yang Yongchuan   

  1. Chongqing University Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education Chongqing 400045
  • Received:2017-01-17 Revised:2018-08-26 Online:2019-01-25 Published:2019-01-06

Abstract: [Objective] By investigating the storage and structural characteristics of the coarse woody debris (CWD) in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in Jinyun Mountain, this study aims to promote the understanding of the material cycling process of woody debris in evergreen broad-leaved forests, and to provide fundamental data for global carbon sequestration related studies.[Method] In two permanent monitoring plots (with a total area of 1 hm2), we quantified the storage of CWD and checked the proportion of CWD by varying size classes, types and decay classes. In addition, we looked into the differences in the storage of CWD at different topographic positions to learn how topography affect the spatial distribution of CWD.[Result] The total storage of CWD on Jinyun Mountain was 38.42 t·hm-2, among which logs, snags, branches and stumps totaled 27.70, 4.91,2.91 and 2.90 t·hm-2, respectively. The species composition of CWD was similar to that of the above-ground forest community. Castanopsis fargesii was the dominant tree of the forest community, and it also made up 88.44% of the CWD. Logs and snags (>35 cm diameter-class) were the major components of CWD, and a majority of the CWD was found in the medium (63.20%) and late (23.01%) decay classes. Topographic position had a significant effect on the accumulation of CWD; the storage of CWD on the slopes and in the valleys were larger than the CWD storage on the ridges.[Conclusion] The storage of CWD in Jinyun Mountain was at a high level when compared to the existing cases of the evergreen broad-leaved forests elsewhere. CWD is mainly dominated by medium-and late-decay, and large-sized C. fargesii snags and logs. It was mainly distributed on the slopes and in the valleys. Human disturbances and removal of CWD should be controlled in Jinyun Mountain to retain a combination of trees, snags, and logs within forests for sustainable forest management.

Key words: coarsewoody debris, storage, composition, evergreen broad-leaved forest, Jinyun Mountain

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