A comparative study on spatial structure of Myrica rubra forest under three different managements

Key words: 
• silviculture /
• Myrica rubra /
• spatial structure /
• mingling /
• neighborhood pattern /
• neighborhood comparison

Abstract: We compared Myrica rubra forest under three different managements using the analysis of forest spatial structure in Xianju County，Zhejiang Province，where the M. rubra is one of the majority economic tree species. The objective of the study was to provide a quantitative description of the spatial structure of the three plots （plot 1 named X1 is intension type；plot 2 named X2 is extensive type and plot 3 named X3 is compound type.），and to present a method for comparative analysis of the three forest sites. The results showed that，the mingling degree of the M. rubra on X1，X2 and X3 were 0，0.208 and 0.336 respectively. The average neighborhood comparison of each plot range from 0.564 to 0.667 all were belong to cluster distribution pattern，but the average neighborhood comparison of the compound forest was closer to normal distribution. Therefore compound M. rubra forest is closer to uniform distribution than other two types. The neighborhood comparison measured by diameter at breast height（DBH），biomass，canopy breadth，and tree height under compound type had a slighter fluctuation range than the other two. Compound type is the most beneficial way of the three managements to maximize the ecological benefits. It was possible that increasing individual’s DBH to enhance its biomass，and thus，to achieve its predominance status among individual’s competition was the main strategy of individual’s differentiation. Neighborhood comparison should also be taken as an instructive reference in modifying the spatial structure of stand.［Ch，6 fig. 2 tab. 13 ref.］