Regeneration of native broadleaved species on clearfelled conifer plantations in upland Britain

FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

卷:310

Article

Spracklen, B. D.¹  Lane, J. V.²  Spracklen, D. V.³  Williams, N.⁴  Kunin, W. E.² 

[1] Rowans, Huntly AB54 6AJ, Aberdeen, Scotland

[2] Univ Leeds, Sch Biol, Leeds LS2 9JT, W Yorkshire, England

[3] Univ Leeds, Sch Earth & Environm, Leeds LS2 9JT, W Yorkshire, England

[4] Forestry Commiss, Ambleside LA22 0QJ, Cumbria, England

关键词: Clearfelling;    Native woodland;    Natural regeneration;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.foreco.2013.08.001

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

In upland areas of Great Britain, large tracts of non-native conifer plantations have been established on poor quality agricultural land. There is now considerable interest in the conversion of some of these plantations to a more natural woodland comprised of native tree species. We studied the tree regeneration and ground flora on 15 upland sites (altitudes ranging from 120 m to 380 m above sea level) that had been clearfelled of conifers. Regeneration of native tree species was successful where a clearcut site was adjacent to mature native trees, which acted as a seed source. Mean regeneration densities of native tree species on clearcut sites were typically greater than 1000 stems/ha, exceeding minimum recommended planting densities for the establishment of new native woodland. Whilst 10 native woody tree species were recorded, the regeneration was dominated by birch species. Regeneration densities were significantly higher on clearcut sites than on adjacent areas of unplanted moorland, probably due to the lack of a dense ground flora following the clearfelling operations. Our results indicate that where local native seed sources exist, clearfelling upland conifer plantation sites to allow natural regeneration has the potential to be an effective method of establishing native woodland. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

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