Study onSonneratia apetala productivity in restored forests in Leizhou Peninsula, China

Abstract

The exoticSonneratia apetala in Leizhou Peninsula, has shown outstanding fast-growing ability in restored mangrove forests, at the middle and high tide intertidal zone, with year-round fresh water input from drainage. By setting plot and selecting standard tree, investigation and measurement on height growth, diameter growth, biomass, productivity, and so on, were made in aS. apetala plantation at age of six at Lanbel, Fucheng, Leizhou Peninsula in May 2001. The investigating results showed that the mean annual height growth of plantation was 2.03 m and mean annual growth of diameter at breast height (DBH) was 2.35 cm. There exists a significant correlation between the diameter at ground surface (DGS) and DBH. The average biomass of a single standard tree in dry weight was 95.647 kg/m². A ratio of above-ground biomass to under-ground biomass was 1.60. The stand biomass of unit area was 22.955 kg/m², singletree wood volume was 88.23 dm³, and the annual wood volume productivity (P _A) of the same year was 0.407. The forest energy accumulation was 424.851 MJ/m², with annual solar energy fixing rate of 40.68×10⁻⁷%. It is concluded thatS. apetala species had characteristics of outstanding high biomass accumulation and could be used as coastal planting tree species in southern China.

Keywords

Sonneratia apetala / Mangrove / Biomass / Leizhou Peninsula / S 758.1 / S728.6 / A