Impact of Simplified Planting without Burning and Digging on Root System and Growth of Eucalyptus Plantations
Traditional afforestation involving hillside burning and large pit cultivation of planting spots can cause a series of problems in eucalypt plantations,such as soil erosion and declining fertility. The method of no hillside burning,no digging pits and simple planting may be important methods to alleviate the above problems. Eucalyptus urophylla × E.grandis was taken as the study object and trials were established to investigate the impact of the two afforestation methods on subsequent root system development and tree growth. At five years after afforestation,the primary distribution range of eucalypt root systems was in 0~70 cm deep soil layer,with a higher concentration of roots at depths of 20~50 cm. There were no significant differences between the two afforestation patterns studied. In the first two years after afforestation,tree diameter at breast height (DBH),tree height,and accumulation in simple planting areas were slightly lower than those in traditional afforestation areas but not significantly so. However,three years after afforestation there was a reversal of the growth advantage. By year five after afforestation,simple afforestation method showed an increase in plantation DBH of 4.90%,tree height of 5.13%,and tree volume of 15.00% over the traditional afforestation plantation. Simple planting afforestation did not have adverse effects on tree volume,but increased the growth of trees,and had a good effect on solving the problems such as fertility decline of eucalypt plantations.
eucalypt plantationno hillside burningsimple planting afforestationroot system distributionvolume