Stand structure and disturbance history of old-growth blue pine (Pinus wallichiana) forests in the Bhutan Himalaya

IF 2.7 3区 农林科学 Q1 FORESTRY
Karma Tenzin , Craig R. Nitschke , Kathryn J. Allen , Benjamin Wagner , Thiet V. Nguyen , Patrick J. Baker
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Abstract

Blue pine (Pinus wallichiana) forests are of significant ecological, economic, and cultural importance in the Himalayas. We used dendrochronological methods to investigate the role of natural and human disturbance in shaping the development of these forests. Analyses of the age structure and growth patterns of blue pine populations over the period 1760–2020 at two different sites in central Bhutan revealed that blue pine tends to establish as single-cohort stands following relatively intense disturbances and as multi-cohort stands after low-to-moderate severity disturbances. Shifting cultivation, which was common across the region, likely led to the establishment of single-cohort stands, particularly near human settlements, whereas natural disturbances are likely responsible for the development of multi-cohort stands. Tree-ring records revealed an acute change in recruitment patterns in the early 1970s associated with the 1969 Forest Act of Bhutan, which limited traditional practices, such as firewood collection and grazing, within the forests. This led to a sudden and sustained increase in the recruitment of broadleaf tree species and effectively curtailed blue pine regeneration over the past half century due to thick understory and midstory vegetation reducing the amount of light reaching the forest floor. These results highlight the role of disturbances, both human and natural, in driving forest stand dynamics in Himalayan forests and how forest policy and traditional practices can alter those dynamics.
不丹喜马拉雅山脉古老蓝松(Pinus wallichiana)林的林分结构和干扰史
蓝松(Pinus wallichiana)林在喜马拉雅山地区具有重要的生态、经济和文化意义。我们利用树木年代学方法研究了自然和人为干扰对这些森林发展的影响。对不丹中部两个不同地点的蓝松种群在 1760-2020 年间的年龄结构和生长模式的分析表明,蓝松往往在受到相对强烈的干扰后形成单群林分,而在受到中低度干扰后形成多群林分。该地区普遍存在的轮垦可能导致了单株林的形成,尤其是在人类居住区附近,而自然干扰则可能导致多株林的形成。树环记录显示,在 20 世纪 70 年代初,由于 1969 年《不丹森林法》的颁布,森林中的木柴采集和放牧等传统习俗受到了限制,因此树木的生长模式发生了急剧的变化。在过去的半个世纪里,由于茂密的林下和林中植被减少了到达林地的光照量,这导致阔叶树种突然持续增加,并有效地抑制了蓝松的再生。这些结果突显了人为和自然干扰在喜马拉雅森林林分动态中的推动作用,以及森林政策和传统做法如何改变这些动态。
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来源期刊
Dendrochronologia
Dendrochronologia FORESTRY-GEOGRAPHY, PHYSICAL
CiteScore
5.50
自引率
13.30%
发文量
82
审稿时长
22.8 weeks
期刊介绍: Dendrochronologia is a peer-reviewed international scholarly journal that presents high-quality research related to growth rings of woody plants, i.e., trees and shrubs, and the application of tree-ring studies. The areas covered by the journal include, but are not limited to: Archaeology Botany Climatology Ecology Forestry Geology Hydrology Original research articles, reviews, communications, technical notes and personal notes are considered for publication.
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