Regeneration Patterns in Planted and Natural Forest Stands Near Knysna, Southern Cape

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The Diepwalle Arboretum was established in 1926 and consists of a cultivated and uncultivated section. The cultivated section consists of pure stands while the uncultivated section contains both pure and mixed stands. In the cultivated section the understorey vegetation was slashed regularly until 1969 after which natural regeneration was allowed. In 1985 the regeneration was sampled in the natural forest and underneath each of 23 stands in the Arboretum. The following regeneration patterns were observed: • Species composition and abundance of regeneration were similar in the natural forest and uncultivated stands, which were different from those in the cultivated stands; • Diversity is highest in the most recently disturbed stands; • Pure stands inhibit regeneration of the same species completely while “other” seedlings are allowed to regenerate extensively.