Effect of thinning intensity on the carbon sequestration of natural mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests in Xiaoxing’an Mountains, China

doi:10.1007/s11676-024-01761-3

Abstract

Abstract:

To study the effect of thinning intensity on the carbon sequestration by natural mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests in Xiaoxing’an Mountains, China, we established six 100 m × 100 m experimental plots in Dongfanghong Forest that varied in thinning intensity: plot A (10%), B (15%), C (20%), D (25%), E (30%), F (35%), and the control sample area (0%). A principal component analysis was performed using 50 different variables, including species diversity, soil fertility, litter characteristics, canopy structure parameters, and seedling regeneration parameters. The effects of thinning intensity on carbon sequestration were strongest in plot E (0.75), followed by D (0.63), F (0.50), C (0.48), B (0.22), A (0.11), and the control (0.06). The composite score of plot E was the highest, indicating that the carbon sequestration effect was strongest at a thinning intensity of 30%. These findings provide useful insights that could aid the management of natural mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests in Xiaoxing’an Mountains, China. This information has implications for future studies of these forests, and the methods used could aid future ecological assessments of the natural forests in Xiaoxing’an Mountains, China.

Key words: Thinning intensity, Xiaoxing’an Mountains,?China, Natural mixed coniferous and broadleaf forest, Carbon sequestration

Hangfeng Qu, Xibin Dong, Hui Liu, Baoshan Zhang, Tong Gao, Yuan Meng, Yunze Ren, Ying Zhang. Effect of thinning intensity on the carbon sequestration of natural mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests in Xiaoxing’an Mountains, China[J]. JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH, 2024, 35(1): 115-.

Hangfeng Qu, Xibin Dong, Hui Liu, Baoshan Zhang, Tong Gao, Yuan Meng, Yunze Ren, Ying Zhang. [J]. 林业研究(英文版), 2024, 35(1): 115-.

References 59

1	Abrahamsson S, Ahlinder J, Waldmann P, García-Gil MR. Maternal heterozygosity and progeny fitness association in an inbred Scots pine population. Genetica, 2013, 141(1–3): 41-50, DOI
2	Agathokleous E, Yu L. Effect size in papers published by the journal of forestry research: a missing treasure?. J for Res, 2023, 34(2): 297-299, DOI
3	Basche AD, DeLonge MS. Comparing infiltration rates in soils managed with conventional and alternative farming methods: a meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 2019, 14(9): , DOI
4	Bateni C, Ventura M, Tonon G, Pisanelli A. Soil carbon stock in olive groves agroforestry systems under different management and soil characteristics. Agrofor Syst, 2021, 95(5): 951-961, DOI
5	Belletti P, Ferrazzini D, Piotti A, Monteleone I, Ducci F. Genetic variation and divergence in scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L) within its natural range in Italy. Eur J for Res, 2012, 131(4): 1127-1138, DOI
6	Bouriaud O, Marin G, Bouriaud L, Hessenmöller D, Schulze ED. Romanian legal management rules limit wood production in Norway spruce and beech forests. For Ecosyst, 2016, 3: 20, DOI
7	Carrasco LR, Webb EL, Symes WS, Koh LP, Sodhi NS. Global economic trade-offs between wild nature and tropical agriculture. PLoS Biol, 2017, 15(7): , DOI
8	Chen ZL, Wu JZ. Evolution of logistics industry carbon emissions in Heilongjiang Province. China Sustain, 2022, 14(15): 9758, DOI
9	Chen JD, Li ZW, Song ML, Dong YZ. Decomposing the global carbon balance pressure index: evidence from 77 countries. Environ Sci Pollut Res, 2021, 28(6): 7016-7031, DOI
10	Chen B, Zhang MQ, Yang R, Tang WL. Spatiotemporal variations in the carbon sequestration capacity of plateau lake wetlands regulated by land use control under policy guidance. Land, 2023, 12(9): 1695, DOI
11	Chou JM, Hao YD, Xu Y, Zhao WX, Li YM, Jin HF. Forest carbon sequestration potential in China under different SSP-RCP scenarios. Sustainability, 2023, 15(9): 7275, DOI
12	Du ZM, Xie Y, Hu LQ, Hu LX, Xu SD, Li DX, Wang GF, Fu JM. Effects of fertilization and clipping on carbon, nitrogen storage, and soil microbial activity in a natural grassland in Southern China. PLoS ONE, 2014, 9(6): , DOI
13	Flechard CR, van Oijen M, Cameron DR, de Vries W, Ibrom A, Buchmann N, Dise NB, Janssens IA, Neirynck J, Montagnani L, Varlagin A, Loustau D, Legout A, Ziemblińska K, Aubinet M, Aurela M, Chojnicki BH, Drewer J, Eugster W, Francez AJ, Juszczak R, Kitzler B, Kutsch WL, Lohila A, Longdoz B, Matteucci G, Moreaux V, Neftel A, Olejnik J, Sanz MJ, Siemens J, Vesala T, Vincke C, Nemitz E, Zechmeister-Boltenstern S, Butterbach-Bahl K, Skiba UM, Sutton MA. Carbon–nitrogen interactions in European forests and semi-natural vegetation–Part 2: untangling climatic, edaphic, management and nitrogen deposition effects on carbon sequestration potentials. Biogeosciences, 2020, 17(6): 1621-1654, DOI
14	Gale NV, Halim MA, Horsburgh M, Thomas SC. Comparative responses of early-successional plants to charcoal soil amendments. Ecosphere, 2017, 8(10): , DOI
15	Gao L, Li H. Improving carbon sequestration capacity of forest vegetation in China: Afforestation or forest management?. Forests, 2023, 14(6): 1077, DOI
16	Gao T, Song XY, Ren YZ, Liu H, Qu HF, Dong XB. Thinning intensity affects carbon sequestration and release in seasonal freeze–thaw areas. J for Res, 2023, 34(4): 993-1006, DOI
17	Guan HW, Dong XB, Yan GH, Searls T, Bourque CPA, Meng FR. Conditional inference trees in the assessment of tree mortality rates in the transitional mixed forests of Atlantic Canada. PLoS ONE, 2021, 16(6): , DOI
18	Hanssen SV, Steinmann ZJN, Daioglou V, Čengić M, Van Vuuren DP, Huijbregts MAJ. Global implications of crop-based bioenergy with carbon capture and storage for terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity. Glob Change Biol Bioenergy, 2022, 14(3): 307-321, DOI
19	Horváth M, Bečvárová PH, Šarapatka B, Vencálek O, Zouhar V. Potential relationships of selected abiotic variables, chemical elements and stand characteristics with soil organic carbon in spruce and beech stands. Iforest, 2021, 14(4): 320-328, DOI
20	Huo ZM, Liu GY, Yan NY, Li H, Shah AM, Chen Y, Zhao B, Lu ZM, Ghisellini P. Estimating the contribution of community landscape construction to urban carbon neutrality: methodology and database construction. Environ Res Lett, 2023, 18(10): , DOI
21	Iacob O, Rowan JS, Brown I, Ellis C. Evaluating wider benefits of natural flood management strategies: an ecosystem-based adaptation perspective. Hydrol Res, 2014, 45(6): 774-787, DOI
22	Keller AA, Fox J. Giving credit to reforestation for water quality benefits. PLoS ONE, 2019, 14(6): , DOI
23	Khatibi A, Pourebrahim S, Bin Mokhtar M. Simulating carbon sequestration using cellular automata and land use assessment for Karaj. Iran Solid Earth, 2018, 9(3): 735-744, DOI
24	Li XH, Farooqi TJA, Jiang C, Liu SR, Sun OJ. Spatiotemporal variations in productivity and water use efficiency across a temperate forest landscape of Northeast China. For Ecosyst, 2019, 6: 22, DOI
25	Li BB, Shen XJ, Zhao YJ, Cong PJ, Wang HY, Wang AJ, Chang SW. Sloping farmlands conversion to mixed forest improves soil carbon pool on the Loess Plateau. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022, 19(9): 5157, DOI
26	Liu H, Dong XB, Meng Y, Gao T, Mao LL, Gao R. A novel model to evaluate spatial structure in thinned conifer-broadleaved mixed natural forests. J for Res, 2023, 34(6): 1881-1898, DOI
27	Lutz DA, Howarth RB. The price of snow: albedo valuation and a case study for forest management. Environ Res Lett, 2015, 10(6): , DOI
28	Ma XY, Liu XN, Xiang BD, Zhang WJ. Effect of hydraulic retention time on carbon sequestration during the two-stage anammox process. Processes, 2019, 7(10): 717, DOI
30	Nanni AN, Grau H. Land-use redistribution compensated for ecosystem service losses derived from agriculture expansion, with mixed effects on biodiversity in a NW Argentina watershed. Forests, 2017, 8(8): 303, DOI
31	Osuri AM, Kasinathan S, Siddhartha MK, Mudappa D, Shankar Raman TR. Effects of restoration on tree communities and carbon storage in rainforest fragments of the Western Ghats. India Ecosphere, 2019, 10(9): , DOI
32	Pilli R, Grassi G, Moris JV, Kurz WA. Assessing the carbon sink of afforestation with the Carbon Budget Model at the country level: an example for Italy. Iforest, 2015, 8(4): 410-421, DOI
33	Portmann R, Beyerle U, Davin E, Fischer EM, De Hertog S, Schemm S. Global forestation and deforestation affect remote climate via adjusted atmosphere and ocean circulation. Nat Commun, 2022, 13(1): 5569, DOI
34	Pretzsch H, del Río M, Biber P, Arcangeli C, Bielak K, Brang P, Dudzinska M, Forrester DI, Klädtke J, Kohnle U, Ledermann T, Matthews R, Nagel J, Nagel R, Nilsson U, Ningre F, Nord-Larsen T, Wernsdörfer H, Sycheva E. Maintenance of long-term experiments for unique insights into forest growth dynamics and trends: review and perspectives. Eur J for Res, 2019, 138(1): 165-185, DOI
35	Priano ME, Fusé VS, Gere JI, Berkovic AM, Williams KE, Guzmán SA, Gratton R, Juliarena MP. Tree plantations on a grassland region: effects on methane uptake by soils. Agrofor Syst, 2014, 88(1): 187-191, DOI
36	Qie L, Lewis SL, Sullivan MJP, Lopez-Gonzalez G, Pickavance GC, Sunderland T, Ashton P, Hubau W, Abu Salim K, Aiba SI, Banin LF, Berry N, Brearley FQ, Burslem DFRP, Dančák M, Davies SJ, Fredriksson G, Hamer KC, Hédl R, Kho LK, Kitayama K, Krisnawati H, Lhota S, Malhi Y, Maycock C, Metali F, Mirmanto E, Nagy L, Nilus R, Ong R, Pendry CA, Poulsen AD, Primack RB, Rutishauser E, Samsoedin I, Saragih B, Sist P, Ferry Slik JW, Sukri RS, Svátek M, Tan S, Tjoa A, van Nieuwstadt M, Vernimmen RRE, Yassir I, Kidd PS, Fitriadi M, Ideris NKH, Serudin RM, Abdullah Lim LS, Saparudin MS, Phillips OL. Long-term carbon sink in Borneo’s forests halted by drought and vulnerable to edge effects. Nat Commun, 2017, 8: 1966, DOI
38	Remy CC, Keyser AR, Krofcheck DJ, Litvak ME, Hurteau MD. Future fire-driven landscape changes along a southwestern US elevation gradient. Clim Change, 2021, 166(3): 46, DOI
39	Rosano-Peña C, Teixeira JR, Kimura H. Eco-efficiency in Brazilian Amazonian agriculture: opportunity costs of degradation and protection of the environment. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2021, 28(44): 62378-62389, DOI
40	Sheehan T, Bachelet D, Ferschweiler K. Fire, CO₂, and climate effects on modeled vegetation and carbon dynamics in western Oregon and Washington. PLoS ONE, 2019, 14(1): , DOI
41	Shrestha P, Hurley S, Adair E. Soil media CO₂ and N₂O fluxes dynamics from sand-based roadside bioretention systems. Water, 2018, 10(2): 185, DOI
42	Štraus H, Podvinšek S, Klopčič M. Identifying optimal forest management maximizing carbon sequestration in mountain forests impacted by natural disturbances: a case study in the Alps. Forests, 2023, 14(5): 947, DOI
43	Tanner K, Strong AL. Assessing the impact of future sea level rise on blue carbon ecosystem services on long island. New York Sustainability, 2023, 15(6): 4733, DOI
45	Wang WW, Haver D, Pataki DE. Nitrogen budgets of urban lawns under three different management regimes in southern California. Biogeochemistry, 2014, 121(1): 127-148, DOI
46	Wang YX, Li XL, Liu R. The capture and transformation of carbon dioxide in concrete: a review. Symmetry, 2022, 14(12): 2615, DOI
47	Wang ZC, Li YX, Meng YB, Li CX, Zhang ZY. Thinning effects on stand structure and carbon content of secondary forests. Forests, 2022, 13(4): 512, DOI
48	Wang G, Yue DP, Yu Q, Yang D, Xu CL, Wang F. Study on forest and grassland ecological space structure in eyu mining area and potential alternatives for enhancing carbon sequestration. Forests, 2023, 14(8): 1587, DOI
49	Wang H, Wu JZ, Lin WS, Luan ZP. Carbon footprint accounting and influencing factors analysis for forestry enterprises in the key state-owned forest region of the greater khingan range. Northeast China Sustainability, 2023, 15(11): 8898, DOI
50	Wang YR, Liu ZH, Tang T, Li JP. Analysis of the relative importance of stand structure and site conditions for the productivity, species diversity, and carbon sequestration of Cunninghamia lanceolata and Phoebe bournei mixed forest. Plants (basel), 2023, 12(8): 1633, DOI
51	Wu N, Qian H, Tan Y, Wang Y. Effect of nitrogen addition on carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in temperate forest litter and soil. J Environ Biol, 2018, 39(6): 1036-1040, DOI
52	Yang BY, Bai ZK, Cao YG, Xie F, Zhang JJ, Wang YN. Dynamic changes in carbon sequestration from opencast mining activities and land reclamation in China’s Loess Plateau. Sustainability, 2019, 11(5): 1473, DOI
53	Yu M, Gao Q. Topography, drainage capability, and legacy of drought differentiate tropical ecosystem response to and recovery from major hurricanes. Environ Res Lett, 2020, 15(10): , DOI
54	Zhang WX, Hendrix PF, Dame LE, Burke RA, Wu JP, Neher DA, Li JX, Shao YH, Fu SL. Earthworms facilitate carbon sequestration through unequal amplification of carbon stabilization compared with mineralization. Nat Commun, 2013, 4: 2576, DOI
55	Zhang T, Dong XB, Guan HW, Meng Y, Ruan JF, Wang ZY. Effect of thinning on the spatial structure of a Larix gmelinii Rupr. secondary forest in the Greater Khingan Mountains. Forests, 2018, 9(11): 720, DOI
56	Zhang BS, Dong XB, Qu HF, Gao R, Mao LL. Effects of thinning on ecosystem carbon storage and tree-shrub-herb diversity of a low-quality secondary forest in NE China. J for Res, 2023, 34(4): 977-991, DOI
57	Zhang ZM, Wan XY, Sheng KX, Sun HY, Jia L, Peng JC. Impact of carbon sequestration by terrestrial vegetation on economic growth: evidence from Chinese County satellite data. Sustainability, 2023, 15(2): 1369, DOI
58	Zhou BX, Qi XY, Hou XR, Chen ZL, Wu JZ. Identification and spatial correlation of imported timber landing processing industrial clusters in Heilongjiang Province of China. Sustainability, 2023, 15(6): 5061, DOI
59	Zhu ZL, Middleton B, Pindilli E, Johnson D, Johnson K, Covington S. Conservation of carbon resources and values on public lands: a case study from the National Wildlife Refuge System. PLoS ONE, 2022, 17(1): , DOI

[1]	Tommaso Chiti, Nicola Benilli, Giovanni Mastrolonardo, Giacomo Certini. The potential for an old-growth forest to store carbon in the topsoil: A case study at Sasso Fratino, Italy [J]. JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH, 2024, 35(1): 10-.
[2]	Hui Liu, Xibin Dong, Yuan Meng, Tong Gao, Liangliang Mao, Ran Gao. A novel model to evaluate spatial structure in thinned conifer-broadleaved mixed natural forests [J]. JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH, 2023, 34(6): 1881-1898.