Productivity of mixed versus pure stands of oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. and Quercus robur L.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) along an ecological gradient

Hans Pretzsch, Kamil Bielak, Joachim Block, Arkadiusz Bruchwald, Jochen Dieler, Hans Peter Ehrhart, Ulrich Kohnle, Jürgen Nagel, Hermann Spellmann, Michał Zasada, Andreas Zingg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

232 Scopus citations

Abstract

The mixture of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and oak (sessile oak, Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., and pedunculate oak, Q. robur L.) is of considerable importance in Europe and will probably become even more important under climate change. Therefore, the performance of oak and beech in mixture was compared with the species' growth in pure stands. Data from 37 long-term mixing experiments in Poland, Germany and Switzerland were pooled for analysis of mixing effects on stand productivity and possible interrelationships with mixing portions or site conditions. We found that on average, mixed stands of oak and beech exceeded biomass productivity in pure stands by 30 % or 1. 7 t ha-1 year-1, as the growth of both species was benefitted by the mixture. However, that the interaction actually ranged from facilitation and overyielding on poor sites to underyielding on fertile sites triggered by competition. An empirically derived interaction model showed volume and dry mass growth changing in mixed stands from gains of 50 % to losses of 10 % depending on site conditions. It is concluded that the analysed mixture grows in accordance with the stress-gradient hypothesis and that our results suggest a site-specific relationship between species mixture and biomass productivity. As a consequence, an adequate species mix should result in increased productivity under steady state as well as climate change.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)263-280
Number of pages18
JournalEuropean Journal of Forest Research
Volume132
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2013

Keywords

  • Climate change
  • Competition
  • Competitive reduction
  • Facilitation
  • Long-term mixing experiments
  • Mixing effect
  • Overyielding
  • Stress-gradient

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