JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2023, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (5): 57-64.doi: 10.12302/j.issn.1000-2006.202302022

Special Issue: 林草计算机应用研究专题

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Characteristics of fuel load distribution in typical subtropical forest types

LI Jianhua1(), XIA Honglu1,*(), TANG Weiping2, HUANG Han3   

  1. 1. East China Survey, Planning and Design Institute of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Hangzhou 310019, China
    2. Lanxi City Wildlife Protection and Management Station, Jinhua 321100, China
    3. Lanxi City Forest Farm of Zhejiang Province, Jinhua 321100, China
  • Received:2023-02-23 Revised:2023-06-01 Online:2023-09-30 Published:2023-10-10

Abstract:

【Objective】The fuel load is important for forest fire management. This study investigated the distribution of fuel load and analyzed the relationship between the per unit area fuel load components and volumes, within the tree layer among subtropical forest types, to provide scientific references for sustainable forest management. 【Method】Forest fire survey and supplementary investigation data were taken from Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province. Nine typical subtropical forest types were chosen as research objects. The fuel load per unit area of each component of different forest types was measured and calculated by quadratic investigation and drying methods. One-way ANOVA was used to test for differences of the fuel load per unit area among forest types and components. The linear or nonlinear correlation fitting was carried out on the fuel load per unit area of the components and the volume per unit area of the tree layer of typical forest types to analyze their correlation.【Result】The amount of the fuel load per unit area of tree layer in most forest types was significantly higher than that in the fallen dead wood layer (P< 0.05), and the fallen dead wood layer was significantly higher than other components such as the shrub layer (P< 0.05). However, the fuel load per unit area of the fallen dead wood layer in Phyllostachys edulis monoculture forests was significantly higher than that of other components (P< 0.05). The fuel load per unit area in the tree layer of Quercus spp. forests, Schima superba forests, and coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests were higher than that of other forest types. The fuel load per unit area of the litter layer in coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests, Schima superba forests, and other soft broad-leaved forests were higher than that of other forest types. The results of the regression analysis showed that for most forest types, there was a significant linear positive correlation between fuel load per unit area and volume per unit area of tree layer. Among them, Quercus spp. forests have the highest correlation (R2=0.89). Nevertheless, the amount of the fuel load per unit area in the shrub layer and herb layer in most forest types decreased with the increase of the amount of volume per unit area.【Conclusion】The management of subtropical forest fuel loads should take full account of the differences in the distribution characteristics of different forest types and the interrelationship among different components. The composition of tree species in the canopy layer has a significant impact on the distribution of forest surface fuels. The storage volume per unit area of tree layer is closely related to the fuel load per unit area of tree layer and is an important reference indicator for the analysis and prediction of fuel loads of forest components.

Key words: combustible load, tree species composition, stand volume, One-way ANOVA, regression fit, subtropical forest

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