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<p>Natural regeneration plays a critical role in maintaining forest ecosystem stability and facilitating the ecological transformation of plantations. However, evaluating regeneration quality and identifying its key driving mechanisms are often challenging, particularly in mixed plantations. We aimed to compare different natural regeneration evaluation methods, assess how ecological factors influence the evaluation values, and identify key regulatory mechanisms of regeneration in mixed plantations. The research was conducted in a mixed plantation of <i>Camptotheca acuminata</i> and <i>Liquidambar formosana</i> at Beishan Forest Farm, Tongshan County, Hubei Province, P.R. China, using crop tree release with five thinning intensity treatments. Regeneration was assessed three years after thinning. A practical three-dimensional evaluation framework covering “quantity, structure, and growth” was constructed. Three evaluation models—interpolation-extrapolation method (IEM), weighted scoring method (WSM), and entropy evaluation method (EEM)—were applied, and ridge regression and redundancy analysis (RDA) were used to identify key ecological drivers. Thinning intensity significantly influenced the density and frequency of natural regeneration, with moderate or higher intensities promoting natural regeneration initiation. The models consistently ranked natural regeneration quality across treatments, with IEM effectively reflecting overall thinning gradients, WSM being highly sensitive to the thinning intensities, and EEM offering stability. Semi-decomposed organic layer thickness (<i>Sot</i>) was the dominant factor across all models, while pH, stand layer index, competition index, openness index and litter thickness also showed significant explanatory power. Differences were observed in how each model responded to ecological factors. The results indicate that natural regeneration is driven by structural, edaphic, and species diversity factors. Sot determines regeneration initiation, while pH and diversity-related factors provide critical resource support. This study establishes a stable and applicable framework for evaluating regeneration quality, offering scientific and technical guidance for identifying the key regulatory factors in close-to-nature management.</p>

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Comparative evaluation of natural regeneration assessment methods and their responses to environmental factors

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月24日

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  • Zhiqiang Tang,
  • Shiyu Guo,
  • Shulin Chen,
  • Jianbo Ruan,
  • Fuming Xia,
  • Haidong Wang,
  • Yang Wang

摘要

Natural regeneration plays a critical role in maintaining forest ecosystem stability and facilitating the ecological transformation of plantations. However, evaluating regeneration quality and identifying its key driving mechanisms are often challenging, particularly in mixed plantations. We aimed to compare different natural regeneration evaluation methods, assess how ecological factors influence the evaluation values, and identify key regulatory mechanisms of regeneration in mixed plantations. The research was conducted in a mixed plantation of Camptotheca acuminata and Liquidambar formosana at Beishan Forest Farm, Tongshan County, Hubei Province, P.R. China, using crop tree release with five thinning intensity treatments. Regeneration was assessed three years after thinning. A practical three-dimensional evaluation framework covering “quantity, structure, and growth” was constructed. Three evaluation models—interpolation-extrapolation method (IEM), weighted scoring method (WSM), and entropy evaluation method (EEM)—were applied, and ridge regression and redundancy analysis (RDA) were used to identify key ecological drivers. Thinning intensity significantly influenced the density and frequency of natural regeneration, with moderate or higher intensities promoting natural regeneration initiation. The models consistently ranked natural regeneration quality across treatments, with IEM effectively reflecting overall thinning gradients, WSM being highly sensitive to the thinning intensities, and EEM offering stability. Semi-decomposed organic layer thickness (Sot) was the dominant factor across all models, while pH, stand layer index, competition index, openness index and litter thickness also showed significant explanatory power. Differences were observed in how each model responded to ecological factors. The results indicate that natural regeneration is driven by structural, edaphic, and species diversity factors. Sot determines regeneration initiation, while pH and diversity-related factors provide critical resource support. This study establishes a stable and applicable framework for evaluating regeneration quality, offering scientific and technical guidance for identifying the key regulatory factors in close-to-nature management.