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<p>Forests are critical for sustaining water conservation services, yet the hydrological impacts of specific forest management practices remain poorly quantified, particularly in temperate broadleaved forests. Addressing this knowledge gap is essential for the development of evidence-based strategies for balancing ecological integrity and human water demands. Consequently, the present study investigates how three distinct and operationally defined forest management practices (Target tree forest management (TTFM), Structure-based forest management (SBFM), and Secondary forest comprehensive silviculture (SFCS)) influence soil-litter water-holding capacity (WHC) in <i>Quercus aliena</i> var. <i>acuteserrata</i> forests. It further evaluates the relative roles of forest structural attributes versus understory vegetation traits in regulating WHC. We established 16 plots (four replications per treatment, including a control) in northwest China. Forest structure was quantified via spatial structure parameters (uniform angle index, mingling index, and dominance index), structure diversity index and canopy index, while understory vegetation was assessed through species diversity indices and biomass. Redundancy analysis (RDA), Pearson correlation analysis and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) were used to identify and quantify the key drivers of WHC variation. All three forest management practices significantly enhanced soil-litter WHC relative to the control, although the magnitude of improvement varied among treatments. Moreover, forest structure had a greater impact on WHC than understory vegetation. Among the treatments, SBFM showed the strongest performance in improving WHC. Additionally, shrub diversity, spatial structure, and litter reserves were identified as key influencers in RDA, with interactive and pathway dependent effects on WHC. Overall, these findings suggest that targeted refinement of forest structural attributes, together with appropriate regulation of understory vegetation, can enhance soil-litter WHC in temperate secondary forests. This study highlights the importance of conceptually consistent and site-specific forest management strategies for sustaining forest hydrological functions and ecosystem services.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>

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Effects of different management methods on the water-holding capacity in a temperate secondary forest

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月4日

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  • Yutian Xin,
  • Goran Krsnik,
  • Qin Su,
  • Peilin Xie,
  • Yue Yang,
  • Qiming Liao,
  • Bingxu Wang,
  • Xiaolong Zhao,
  • Jiaxin Wu,
  • Ziyu Lu,
  • Pan Wan,
  • Klaus von Gadow

摘要

Forests are critical for sustaining water conservation services, yet the hydrological impacts of specific forest management practices remain poorly quantified, particularly in temperate broadleaved forests. Addressing this knowledge gap is essential for the development of evidence-based strategies for balancing ecological integrity and human water demands. Consequently, the present study investigates how three distinct and operationally defined forest management practices (Target tree forest management (TTFM), Structure-based forest management (SBFM), and Secondary forest comprehensive silviculture (SFCS)) influence soil-litter water-holding capacity (WHC) in Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata forests. It further evaluates the relative roles of forest structural attributes versus understory vegetation traits in regulating WHC. We established 16 plots (four replications per treatment, including a control) in northwest China. Forest structure was quantified via spatial structure parameters (uniform angle index, mingling index, and dominance index), structure diversity index and canopy index, while understory vegetation was assessed through species diversity indices and biomass. Redundancy analysis (RDA), Pearson correlation analysis and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) were used to identify and quantify the key drivers of WHC variation. All three forest management practices significantly enhanced soil-litter WHC relative to the control, although the magnitude of improvement varied among treatments. Moreover, forest structure had a greater impact on WHC than understory vegetation. Among the treatments, SBFM showed the strongest performance in improving WHC. Additionally, shrub diversity, spatial structure, and litter reserves were identified as key influencers in RDA, with interactive and pathway dependent effects on WHC. Overall, these findings suggest that targeted refinement of forest structural attributes, together with appropriate regulation of understory vegetation, can enhance soil-litter WHC in temperate secondary forests. This study highlights the importance of conceptually consistent and site-specific forest management strategies for sustaining forest hydrological functions and ecosystem services.

Graphical Abstract