Forest vegetation and site - Fundamentals for a site-adapted selection of tree species in montane semi-natural forests in the Western Qingling Mountains, Gansu Province, China

The knowledge about the ecology of tree species, site conditions and forest vegetation, including natural regeneration of tree species is essential for a sustainable forest management, e.g. in the form of close-to-nature forestry. In China, this knowledge is insufficient for most forest types.

This thesis studies the relationship between site conditions and forest vegetation in a forest area of about 300 ha in the Western Qingling Mountains, Gansu Province, China.
The thesis follows three aims. First, an analysis of the relationship between site conditions and forest vegetation. Second, a description of stand structure, natural regeneration, and succession. Third, a discussion of the relation between the regeneration of tree species and solar radiation in the oak forest. The achieved results of this study might offer indications concerning site-adapted tree species, to optimize the silvicultural measures for natural regeneration, aiming at conservation of the diversity in the managed mixed oak forests.