Climate influences the effect of fungal decay type on regeneration of Picea jezoensis var. hondoensis seedlings on decaying logs

• Published in: Canadian journal of forest research Vol. 50; no. 1; pp. 73 - 79
• Main Authors: Fukasawa, Yu, Ando, Yoko, Suzuki, Satoshi N, Aizawa, Mineaki, Sakuma, Daisuke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ottawa NRC Research Press 2020; Canadian Science Publishing NRC Research Press
• Subjects: Brown rot; Climate; Climate effects; Climatic conditions; coarse woody material; Coniferous forests; Decay; Decay fungi; decay type; Environmental protection; Forest floor; Forest management; forest regeneration; Forests; forêt subalpine; Fungi; Glacial periods; Heart rot; Influence; matériau ligneux grossier; Picea jezoensis; Planting density; Populations; precipitation; Preservatives; précipitation; Regeneration; régénération forestière; Seedlings; Semifabricated products; Soft rot; subalpine forest; Sustainable forestry; Trees; type de carie; White rot; Japan
• ISSN: 0045-5067; 1208-6037
• DOI: 10.1139/cjfr-2019-0147

Hondo spruce (Picea jezoensis var. hondoensis (Mayr) Rehder)) is separately distributed among several mountainous regions in central Japan as remnant populations of the last glacial period. To identify factors that affect Hondo spruce seedling regeneration on decaying logs, we investigated the relationships between climatic conditions, log properties, including decay type by fungi, and Hondo spruce seedling density on logs using data from seven subalpine Hondo spruce forests in central Japan. The results showed that the presence of soft rot was associated with higher seedling density, and the effect of brown rot in sapwood and white rot in heartwood on the predicted number of spruce seedlings on logs switched from positive to negative with increasing temperature and precipitation. Because soft rot occurs under humid conditions, the use of forest management techniques that increase the number of logs with soft rot in sapwood (e.g., by keeping the forest floor moist) are recommended for the sustainable regeneration of Hondo spruce. However, the relationships between wood decay type and seedling regeneration can also be affected by climate condition and thus are more complex than previously thought.