Impact of the 2008 ice storm on moso bamboo plantations in southeast China

Abstract

[1] A massive ice and snow storm occurred in early 2008 in south China and caused extensive damage to forests. Thirty-six plots of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) plantation were established following the ice storm in the central growth area of moso bamboo, Fenyi, Jiangxi province, China. The topographical condition and stand attributes, and the ice storm impact on moso bamboo plantations were investigated. We found that an average of 54.48% (±17.58%) bamboo culms was damaged. The damage patterns included bending, snapping and uprooting, which accounted for 17.01% (±7.28%), 22.37% (±11.58%) and 15.11% (±11.54%) of the total, respectively. An average of 16.42 (±7.09) tons per hectare dead dry biomass was produced, accounting for 37.73% (±14.41%) of total aboveground biomass. A mean value of 8.21 (±3.55) Mg C per hectare was shifted from living biomass to dead. Stand level analysis showed a significant increase in damage level and dead biomass production at north oriented slopes, and with high stand density (between 3000 and 4500 culm/ha). High altitude caused a higher proportion of snapped culms but a lower proportion of uprooted. Analysis at individual culm level suggested that the susceptibility for a culm to break or uproot due to ice storm would rise as its diameter increased, while the susceptibility to bend would decline. The young (1 year old) culm was more susceptible to snapping or bending, while overmature (>5 years old) culm was more susceptible to uprooting, implying it is a good managing practice to harvest mature culm timely.

Analysis of Soil Degradation Causes in Phyllostachys edulis Forests with Different Mulching Years

“…In an "on-year", more than 90% of new shoots were produced, followed by a few new shoots in an "off-year", because moso bamboo forests produced new shoots at two-year intervals [19]. Bamboo of 1 (I) "du" corresponds to 1-2 years, and consequently, 2 (II) and 3 (III) "du" indicate 3-4 and 5-6 years, respectively [20]. The descriptions of stand characteristics are shown in Table 1.…”

Damage assessment to subtropical forests following the 2008 Chinese ice storm

“…The damage rate of stem breakage, decapitation and uprooting (abbreviated as SDU) was expressed as the percentage of the number of trees with the SDU damage types to the total number. We grouped the trees with SDU damage types as these trees would mostly perish in the following years, while those with the damage types of bending, leaning, and branch breakage will generally survive and get back to normal growth (Zhou et al 2011b). Therefore, the SDU damage rate was more accurate to describe the long-term stand loss caused by the ice damage than the overall damage rate, which was more useful to show the general status of the ice damage to forests.…”

“…On the other hand, the more lignified culms were more susceptible to uprooting damage than to bending or stem breakage due to their less flexibility. For bending damage, the youngest culms present the highest bending rate because of their lowest level of lignification and high flexibility (Zhou et al 2011b).…”

“…It appears as a woody tree but belongs taxonomically to the grass family (Gramineae). The total area of moso bamboo plantations (4.2 million hectares) is lower than that of Chinese fir or pine plantations, but its importance is equivalent to pine and Chinese fir because of its rapid growth, versatile use, and short harvest cycle (Zhou et al 2011b. These three forest types comprise the major material supply for timber production and play a pivotal role in rural economy in South China.…”

“…Partly because of this, ice storms and their associated risks are rarely considered in ecosystem management (Zhou et al 2011b). Ice damage to trees is likely to depend on tree size, crown form, wood mechanical properties, stand structure, and many other factors in addition to ice storm intensity (Nadrowski et al 2014).…”