hide
Free keywords:
-
Abstract:
Afforestation and ecological restoration have often been carried out with fast-growing exotic tree
species because of their high apparent growth and yield. Moreover, fast-growing forest plantations have become
an important component of mitigation measures to offset greenhouse gas emissions. However, information on the
long-term performance of exotic and fast-growing species is often lacking especially with respect to their vulnerability
to disturbance compared to native species. We compared carbon (C) storage and C accumulation rates
in vegetation (above- and belowground) and soil in 21-year-old exotic slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.)
and native Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) plantations, as well as their responses to a severe ice storm in 2008. Our results showed that mean C storage was 116.77 ± 7.49 t C ha-1 in slash pine plantation and 117.89 ± 8.27 t C ha-1 in Masson pine plantation. The aboveground C increased at a rate of 2.18 t C ha-1
year-1 in Masson pine and 2.23 t C ha-1 year-1 in slash pine plantation, and there was no significant difference in
C storage accumulation between the two plantation types.
However, we observed significant differences in ice
storm damage with nearly 7.5 % of aboveground biomass
loss in slash pine plantation compared with only 0.3 %
loss in Masson pine plantation. Our findings indicated
that the native pine species was more resistant to ice
storm because of their adaptive biological traits (tree
shape, crown structure, and leaf surface area). Overall, the native pine species might be a safer choice for both afforestation and ecological restoration in our study region.
