The composition and diversity of natural regeneration of tree species in gaps under different intensities of forest disturbance

The positive ecological interaction between gap formation and natural regeneration has been examined but little research has been carried out on the effects of gaps on natural regeneration in forests under different intensities of disturbance.This study evaluates the composition,diversity,regeneration density and abundance of natural regeneration of tree species in gaps in undisturbed,intermittently disturbed,and disturbed forest sites.Bia Tano Forest Reserve in Ghana was the study area and three gaps each were selected in the three forest site categories.Ten circular subsampling areas of 1 m2 were delineated at 2 m spacing along north,south,east,and west transects within individual gaps.Data on natural regeneration<350 cm height were gathered.The results show that the intensity of disturbance was disproportional to gap size.Species diversity differed significantly between undisturbed and disturbed sites and,also between intermittently disturbed and disturbed sites for Simpson’s(1-D),Equitability(J),and Berger-Parker(B-P)indices.However,there was no significant difference among forest sites for Shannon diversity(H)and Margalef richness(MI)indices.Tree species composition on the sites differed.Regeneration density on the disturbed site was significantly higher than on the two other sites.Greater abundance and density of shade-dependent species on all sites identified them as opportunistic replacements of gap-dependent pioneers.Pioneer species giving way to shade tolerant species is a natural process,thus make them worst variant in gap regeneration.

Findings through the AsiaFlux network and a view toward the future

The preliminary results of long-term CO2 flux measurements at forest sites in East Asia are explained and compared with each other. The features of seasonal variation of CO2 fluxes are different among deciduous-broadleaf, evergreen-coniferous, deciduous-coniferous and tropical forests in East Asia, and the causes of difference are discussed. The integrated yearly NEP (net ecosystem production) estimated from the CO2 flux by eddy covariance method in various forests of East Asia has a notable difference in the range of 2 to 8 tC ha-1 yr-1. The main factors of this difference are the annual mean temperature and tree species. Furthermore, the remaining issues are discussed, such as the quantitative estimation of the CO2 flux by the eddy covariance method and the synthetic analysis of the carbon budget under collaborations with biological survey.

The growth and production modeling of individual trees of Eucalyptus urophylla plantations

Individual tree models(ITMs)are classified as growth and production models for projecting current and future forest stands.ITMs are more complex than other growth and production models,show a higher level of detail and,consequently,produce a better modeling resolution.However,the accuracy and efficiency of ITMs have not been properly assessed to date.In this study,we estimated the growth in height,diameter,and individual tree volume of a Eucalyptus urophylla plantation by applying an ITM.We used a continuing forest inventory dataset in which 1554 individual trees within 29 permanent plots were measured in the field over a 6-year period(24 to 72 months).Each individual tree volume was estimated for future tree age.To achieve this,we adjusted the model to predict the height and diameter growth,and the probability of mortality as a function of the competition index.The ITM accuracy was assessed based on the analysis of variance results and,subsequently,the multiple mean comparison test at the 5%significance level.The tree volumes predicted by the ITM for the forest stand aged 72 months,beginning at ages 24,36,48,and 60 months,were compared to the field measured tree volume acquired from the 72-month forest inventory that was used as the reference age.Estimated and observed tree volumes were similar when the estimation was based on the 48-month forest plots.These results might help to reduce financial costs of forest inventory because the ITM produces accurate future predictions of forest stand stocks.Our estimated ITM for Eucalyptus plantations using measurement intervals up to 2 years is recommended because it significantly reduced the projected volume discrepancy compared to the field measurements.