Thinning promotes forest carbon stocks by optimizing tree growth and soil properties

IF 4.2 2区农林科学 Q1 FORESTRY

Forest Ecology and Management Pub Date : 2026-03-15 Epub Date: 2026-01-05 DOI:10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123494

Zichun Wang , Zheyu Zhang , Jiaqi Zhou , Yaoxiang Li , Guangyu Wang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Forest thinning is a common silvicultural practice that influences the forest carbon dynamics. However, current research focused on a few thinning management variables and specific regions, and the drivers of carbon stock changes in thinned forests at the global scale remain unclear. Through a global meta-analysis of 197 studies comprising 821 pairs of thinning data, we comprehensively evaluated the effects of thinning on aboveground carbon (AGC) and soil organic carbon stocks (SOCS), and to identify the drivers of them. Thinning generally reduced AGC in the short term, but moderate intensities (20 %–35 %), especially combined with understory plant removal, accelerated AGC recovery. Stem-only harvesting (SOH) increased the recovery rate of AGC by 6.05 % compared with whole-tree harvesting (WTH). Strip thinning impeded AGC recovery due to edge effects. Thinning significantly enhanced SOCS by 3.53 %. However, thinning intensity was not the primary determinant, and the positive effects on SOCS gradually disappeared after 10 years. Moreover, fertilization, pruning, and understory plant removal all contributed to further increased SOCS in thinned forests. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that AGC was driven by thinning intensity and recovery time, and soil organic carbon (SOC) and tree height were main direct determinants. SOCS was indirectly enhanced by increases in soil total nitrogen (TN), whereas it was negatively influenced by diameter at breast height (DBH) growth driven by recovery time. Overall, our findings emphasize the critical role of appropriate thinning practices in facilitating carbon stock recovery, while also elucidating the driving mechanisms of tree growth and soil properties on carbon dynamics in thinned forests.

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间伐通过优化树木生长和土壤特性来促进森林碳储量

森林间伐是一种常见的影响森林碳动态的造林做法。然而，目前的研究主要集中在几个间伐管理变量和特定区域，全球尺度上的间伐森林碳储量变化的驱动因素尚不清楚。通过对197项研究的821对间伐数据进行荟萃分析，综合评价了间伐对地上碳（AGC）和土壤有机碳储量（SOCS）的影响，并确定了其驱动因素。间伐通常在短期内降低AGC，但中等强度（20 % -35 %），特别是与林下植物去除相结合，加速AGC恢复。与全树采伐（WTH）相比，单茎采伐（SOH）可使AGC回收率提高6.05 %。由于边缘效应，条带变薄阻碍了AGC的恢复。减薄显著提高SOCS 3.53 %。然而，减薄强度不是主要决定因素，10年后对SOCS的积极影响逐渐消失。此外，施肥、修剪和砍伐林下植物都对疏林SOCS的进一步增加有贡献。结构方程模型（SEM）表明，AGC受间伐强度和恢复时间驱动，土壤有机碳（SOC）和树高是主要的直接决定因素。土壤全氮（TN）的增加间接促进了SOCS的提高，而胸径（DBH）生长在恢复时间的驱动下对SOCS有负向影响。总体而言，我们的研究结果强调了适当的间伐措施在促进碳储量恢复中的关键作用，同时也阐明了树木生长和土壤性质对间伐森林碳动态的驱动机制。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Forest Ecology and Management 农林科学-林学

CiteScore

7.50

自引率

10.80%

发文量

665

审稿时长

39 days

期刊介绍： Forest Ecology and Management publishes scientific articles linking forest ecology with forest management, focusing on the application of biological, ecological and social knowledge to the management and conservation of plantations and natural forests. The scope of the journal includes all forest ecosystems of the world. A peer-review process ensures the quality and international interest of the manuscripts accepted for publication. The journal encourages communication between scientists in disparate fields who share a common interest in ecology and forest management, bridging the gap between research workers and forest managers. We encourage submission of papers that will have the strongest interest and value to the Journal''s international readership. Some key features of papers with strong interest include: 1. Clear connections between the ecology and management of forests; 2. Novel ideas or approaches to important challenges in forest ecology and management; 3. Studies that address a population of interest beyond the scale of single research sites, Three key points in the design of forest experiments, Forest Ecology and Management 255 (2008) 2022-2023); 4. Review Articles on timely, important topics. Authors are welcome to contact one of the editors to discuss the suitability of a potential review manuscript. The Journal encourages proposals for special issues examining important areas of forest ecology and management. Potential guest editors should contact any of the Editors to begin discussions about topics, potential papers, and other details.