ANALYSIS OF THE DOMINANT FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE GROWTH OF LARIX GMELINII FORESTS.

Identification of environmental factors that strongly influence growth indicators (diameter at breast height, tree height and carbon density) for Larix gmelinii forests in the cold-temperate zone on the Greater Khingan Mountains, northeast China will provide an important reference for sustainable management of the forests. In this study, 75 plots were established in L. gmelinii forests during a forest inventory from 2015 to 2022. Sixteen environmental predictors, comprising climatic, edaphic, topographic, and biotic factors, were selected according to their ecological importance for L. gmelinii forests and peer-reviewed literature to determine their influence on the growth of L. gmelinii forests using linear fitting and redundancy analysis. Stocking degree had the strongest significant correlation with carbon density in the tree layer, which increased with increasing stocking degree. Solar radiation had the strongest significant positive correlation with stand average diameter at breast height. The stand average height was most strongly correlated with soil organic carbon content, with which it had a significant positive correlation. Stocking degree, solar radiation and soil organic carbon content were the dominant factors affecting the growth of L. gmelinii forests. Forest management should incorporate improved light and soil conditions and increase the stocking degree to promote growth of L. gmelinii forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]