The significance of different indices for stand structure and diversity in forests

Neumann, Markus; Starlinger, Franz

doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(00)00577-6

Cited by 246 publications

(180 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…A combination of structural diversity indices and classical stand structure measures provided a synthetic description of stand structure. Structural diversity measures included species richness, diameter standard deviation, and Vertical Evenness index, a measure of vertical structure 9 complexity (Neumann and Starlinger 2000). For the stumps we measured the height, the diameter at the top and at the ground level.…”

Section: Stand Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

The larch wood pasture: structure and dynamics of a cultural landscape

et al. 2010

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As a consequence of land abandonment and marginalization, open areas and traditionally managed wood pastures are disappearing from many alpine valleys. Landscape and stand scale dynamics were analyzed in two neighboring inner valleys of central Italian Alps (Valmalenco, SO) dominated by larch (Larix decidua Mill.) forests and experiencing different historical land use intensities. Land cover mapping obtained from object-oriented analysis of aerial photographs was used to quantify land cover changes between 1961 and 2003. Spatial statistics were used to quantify landscape patterns, and intensive sampling in permanent plots was employed to perform point pattern analysis at the stand scale. Expansion of forested area at the expense of wood pastures was the main land cover transition observed. Differences in land use intensities were responsible for different patterns at the landscape scale: (1) heavier grazing and human pressure created a more diverse and fragmented mosaic of meadows, open woodlands, forests and wood pastures, (2) lower human impact favored a more homogeneous and stable system. A decline in grazing pressure in the late 1970s favored the establishment of larch and spruce in a clustered pattern, typical of the subalpine belt. Subalpine wood pastures, likewise many other semi-natural environments, are in danger of disappearing and lose their productive and cultural characteristics, because they are developing into more closed and dense stands

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Section: Stand Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

The larch wood pasture: structure and dynamics of a cultural landscape

et al. 2010

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“…Although there are many studies which focus on the methodology to characterize stand structure [11,12,14,18,22,24], only few studies compare different indices of stand structure in Mediterranean forests.…”

Section: F Montes Et Almentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of thinning on the structural diversity of coppice forests

Montes¹,

Cañellas²,

Rı́o³

et al. 2004

Ann. For. Sci.

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-Coppices are currently at a turning point: traditional uses have been abandoned and silviculture must be redefined according to new uses. Thinning to improve the development of trees is often the silvicultural treatment chosen. This paper attempts to assess the changes in forest structural diversity induced by different thinning regimes applied in coppice stands of Quercus pyrenaica and Quercus faginea. Structural diversity is analysed through spatial pattern, crown dimensions, vertical and horizontal differentiation and foliage height diversity. Moderate and heavy thinning have similar effects on stand structure, but the effects of light thinning are quite different for both species. The spatial pattern shows a greater regularity as the intensity of the thinning regime increases. The response of Q. pyrenaica to thinning is noticeable both in tree height and crown diameter, whilst in the case of Q. faginea, trees reacted to thinning by developing epicormic sprouts on the stem from the base of the crown. Vertical differentiation shows opposite trends in both species: increasing the intensity of thinning leads to an increase in vertical differentiation with Q. pyrenaica, but to a greater homogenisation shortly after thinning with Q. faginea. A neighbourhood analysis using Gadow's differentiation index is able to provide useful information on the changes in microstructure, while foliage height diversity index can be used to describe complex changes in the vertical structure of the stand. coppice / Quercus pyrenaica / Quercus faginea / structural diversity / thinning Résumé -L'effet des éclaircies sur la diversité structurale des taillis. Aujourd'hui, les taillis se trouvent à une phase de changement : on a renoncé à leur usage traditionnel, et alors la sylviculture est obligée de les redéfinir selon les nouveaux usage qu'on propose. Le recours aux éclaircies pour améliorer le croissance des arbres est le traitement de préférence. Ce travail a pour but l'identification des changements qui se sont produits dans la diversité structurale du peuplement, et qui ont été induits par l'application des divers types d'éclaircies sur les taillis de Quercus pyrenaica y Quercus faginea. La diversité structurale est étudiée avec l'analyse du modèle de répartition des tiges, de la taille des cimes, de la différenciation tant horizontale que verticale et des variations de hauteur du feuillage. Les éclaircies moyennes et fortes ont à peu près le même effet sur la structure du peuplement, mais l'effet des éclaircies plus légères est bien différent dans les deux espèces. Le modèle spatial montre une plus grande régularité au fur et à mesure que l'intensité de l'éclaircie augmente. La réponse de Quercus pyrenaica à l'éclaircie est bien évidente tant en ce qui concerne la croissance en hauteur que le diamètre de la cime. Mais pour Quercus faginea, les arbres vont réagir d'une autre façon, avec l'émission de bourgeons adventifs dès la partie inférieure de la couronne. La différenciation verticale va montrer deux tendances diffé...

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“…The few extensive studies of stand structure suggest that different indices of stand structure closely correlate with each other, so that analyses may be based on a relatively small number of variables that are most indicative (McElhinny et al, 2005;Neumann and Starlinger, 2001;Pommerening, 2002;Zenner and Hibbs, 2000). In monospecific stands, shifting from spatially regular thinning to less regular but more intense harvest events or increasing the duration of the regeneration period may increase structural diversity throughout the whole rotation period (Barbeito et al, 2011;Peck et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mixing of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) enhances structural heterogeneity, and the effect increases with water availability

Pretzsch

Rı́o

Schütze

et al. 2016

Forest Ecology and Management

130

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a b s t r a c tThe mixing of tree species with complementary ecological traits may modify forest functioning regarding productivity, stability, or resilience against disturbances. This may be achieved by a higher heterogeneity in stand structure which is often addressed but rarely quantified. Here, we use 32 triplets of mature and fully stocked monocultures and mixed stands of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) located along a productivity and water availability gradient through Europe to examine how mixing modifies the stand structure in terms of stand density, horizontal tree distribution pattern, vertical stand structure, size distribution pattern, and variation in tree morphology. We further analyze how site conditions modify these aspects of stand structure. For this typical mixture of a light demanding and shade tolerant species we show that (i) mixing significantly increases many aspects of structural heterogeneity compared with monocultures, (ii) mixing effects such as an increase of stand density and diversification of vertical structure and tree morphology are caused by species identity (additive effects) but also by species interactions (multiplicative effects), and (iii) superior heterogeneity of mixed stands over monocultures can increase from dry to moist sites. We discuss the implications for analyzing the productivity, for modelling and for the management of mixed species stands.

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The significance of different indices for stand structure and diversity in forests

Cited by 246 publications

References 27 publications

The larch wood pasture: structure and dynamics of a cultural landscape

The larch wood pasture: structure and dynamics of a cultural landscape

The effects of thinning on the structural diversity of coppice forests

Mixing of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) enhances structural heterogeneity, and the effect increases with water availability

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