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Effects of crown release on basal area growth rates of some broad-leaved tree species with different shade-tolerance

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Journal of Forest Research

Abstract

We compare three or four years effects of crown release on stem growth rates among four deciduous broad-leaved tree species,Fagus crenata, Quercus crispula, Magnolia obovata andAcer mono, in an even-aged coppice forest, central Japan. The crown release significantly improved relative growth rates for basal-area (RGRBA) of the four species. However the effects of neighboring gap area (GAPA) on the RGRBA differed among the species. The effects were significant forQ. crispula andM. obovata, indicating that growth rates of these two species increase with intensity of the crown release. In contrast, the RGRBA ofF. crenata andA. mono were not correlated with the GAPA, suggesting that their growth rates are unrelated to the intensity. We considered that such differences among species were closely related to their photosynthetic characteristics of light use; less-tolerant species (Q. crispula andM. obovata) exhibit greater growth rates relative to the intensity of crown release than tolerant species (F. crenata andA. mono). Based on these results, we proposed implications for thinning practices in mixed forests of species with different shade-tolerance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, 950-2181, Niigata, Japan

    Toshiya Yoshida & Tomohiko Kamitani

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  1. Toshiya Yoshida
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  2. Tomohiko Kamitani
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Yoshida, T., Kamitani, T. Effects of crown release on basal area growth rates of some broad-leaved tree species with different shade-tolerance. J For Res 3, 181–184 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02762141

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02762141

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