森林生态研究组知识库

Comprehending the determinants of change in forest understory biomass (UB) offers a theoretical foundation for sustainable forest management. Our objective was to explore how different forest management practices (forest tending (FT), closing mountains for reforestation (CMRF), and clear-cutting (CC)) affect UB. We surveyed forest stand structure and understory vegetation and measured soil properties. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to explore how forest management, soil properties, stand structure, and understory species diversity influence UB. Our results indicated significant differences in UB under various management conditions, with FT resulting in the highest UB. Stand density, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, and total carbon were negatively correlated with UB, while species diversity was positively correlated with it. The explanatory degree of PLS-SEM results on UB was 61%, and forest management mainly affected UB by influencing stand structure (0.27, insignificant) and understory species diversity (-0.46, significant). Understory species diversity exerts a positive effect on UB, whereas stand structure has a negative effect. Our results highlights the importance of considering both understory species diversity and stand structure in future forest management strategies.