ArticleFrontiers in plant science2026
Long-term effects of thinning intensity on individual growth and stand basal area recovery in a mixed broadleaf-Korean pine forest.
Article in Frontiers in plant science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Introduction: Selective thinning is a widely applied silvicultural practice aimed at reducing competition and accelerating the growth of target trees. However, excessive tree removal can lead to a significant short-term decline in stand-level productivity and delay structural recovery. Therefore, understanding the trade-offs between individual tree release and stand basal area recovery is crucial for sustainable forest management. Methods: Using 11 years of repeated inventory data from a mixed broadleaf-Korean pine forest in northeastern China, we examined tree growth and stand recovery under four thinning intensities (0%, 20%, 40%, and 60%). Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering were used to classify 19 tree species into three functional groups. Results: The results showed that thinning effects were time dependent. A growth lag phase was observed in the first post-thinning period (2011-2013), followed by a stronger growth response in later study periods, when the high-intensity treatment (60%) showed nearly double the individual growth rate of the control. However, species responses were asymmetric; shade-tolerant climax species (Cluster 3) exhibited the strongest competitive release, whereas pioneer species (Cluster 1) showed minimal sensitivity possibly because of species strategy and tree size. At the stand level, low-intensity thinning (20%) showed a compensatory growth trend, and the fitted linear trend suggested that stand basal area may approach or exceed the control level within about 16 years. In contrast, the high-intensity treatment showed a much slower projected recovery trajectory. The linear mixed-effects model showed that tree growth was mainly related to tree size and spatial structure. Variance decomposition indicated that individual-tree variables contributed the largest share of the explained variance (59.5%). Discussion: Under the conditions of this study, the 20% treatment plot showed the most balanced outcome between stand basal area recovery and individual tree growth during the observed period. These results support the use of structure-based silviculture in mixed broadleaf-Korean pine forests, especially by improving growing space for desirable Cluster 3 individuals while maintaining stand heterogeneity.
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