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Aboveground productivity of an unsuccessful 140-year-old Cryptomeria japonica plantation in northern Kyushu, Japan

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Journal of Forest Research

Abstract

We measured the aboveground biomass, biomass increment and litterfall production of a 140-year-old, abandoned Cryptomeria japonica plantation in order to infer the effects of topography on biomass production. The plantation was unsuccessful and the naturally regenerated broad-leaved trees contributed 93.4% (374.2 Mg ha−1) of the total aboveground biomass (400.2 Mg ha−1). Comparing between different slope positions, aboveground biomass decreased downslope corresponding to the decrease in broad-leaved tree biomass. The biomass of C. japonica did not vary with slope position. Biomass increment and litterfall production of the broad-leaved trees also decreased downslope. However, litterfall production per unit biomass and aboveground net primary production per unit biomass increased downslope. Results of a path analysis showed that biomass increment of C. japonica decreased with increasing topographical convexity, whereas biomass and litterfall production of broad-leaved tree increased. Litterfall production of broad-leaved tree decreased with increasing biomass of C. japonica, suggesting that, despite their small biomass, the presence of residual C. japonica may have negative effects on the distribution and productivity of the broad-leaved trees. Our results indicated that total aboveground biomass of the study site was comparable to that of old-growth C. japonica plantations. We inferred that the variation in aboveground biomass of the broad-leaved trees was largely determined by the topography, while their productivity was affected by interactions with planted C. japonica.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank B. Kusumoto, K. Cho, K. Kaji, Y. Shiiba, K. Inoue, Osaki, Nagasawa of Kyushu University Forests for their assistance with fieldwork and for their helpful discussions. We also thank members of the Laboratory of Forest Resources, Kobe University for valuable comments on the study. This study was financially supported by Monitoring Sites 1000 Project of the Ministry of Environment, Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kyushu University Forest, Kyushu University, Sasaguri, Fukuoka, 811-2415, Japan

    Tsutomu Enoki

  2. Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Takafumi Inoue

  3. Ashoro Research Forest, Kyushu University, Hokkaido, Japan

    Naoaki Tashiro

  4. Department of Plant Sciences, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan

    Hiroaki Ishii

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  1. Tsutomu Enoki
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  2. Takafumi Inoue
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  4. Hiroaki Ishii
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Correspondence to Tsutomu Enoki.

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Enoki, T., Inoue, T., Tashiro, N. et al. Aboveground productivity of an unsuccessful 140-year-old Cryptomeria japonica plantation in northern Kyushu, Japan. J For Res 16, 268–274 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-010-0226-5

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