Evaluation of natural forest regeneration as a part of land restoration in the Khentii massif, Mongolia
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Evaluation of natural forest regeneration as a part of land restoration in the Khentii massif, Mongolia David Jurˇicˇka1 • Antonı´n Kusbach2 • Jana Parˇ´ılkova´3 • Jakub Housˇka1 • Pavlı´na Ambrozˇova´1 • Va´clav Pecina1 • Zdena Rosicka´1 • Martin Brtnicky´1,4 Jindrˇich Kynicky´4
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Received: 24 January 2018 / Accepted: 10 May 2018 The Author(s) 2019
Abstract Forest stands in the semi-arid environment of northern Mongolia have an essential role in controlling ongoing desertification in the surrounding landscape. Over the last decade, the total forest area has decreased dramatically. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of natural regeneration as an essential element for ensuring sustainability of these forests. Based on field measurements from 120 plots in six sites, our assessment tool revealed five qualitative categories of forest regeneration, allowing us to assess impacts of both grazing and environmental conditions on the regeneration process. Project funding: This work was supported by funding provided by the project CEITEC 2020 (LQ1601), project of the Czech Development Agency CzDA-RO-MN-2014-6-31210 and the Research Fund of the FFWT at Mendel University in Brno (Reg. Number: LDF_PSV_2017 008). The online version is available at http://www.springerlink.com Corresponding editor: Zhu Hong. & David Jurˇicˇka [email protected] 1
Department of Geology and Pedology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University, Zemeˇdeˇlska´ 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
2
Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University, Zemeˇdeˇlska´ 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
3
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Water Structures, Brno University of Technology, Zˇizˇkova 17, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic
4
Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Purkynˇova 656/123, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Grazing is a crucial factor and adversely affects regeneration. For sites with relatively low grazing intensity, low soil moisture levels represent the main reason for reduced regeneration. The approach to classification proposed in this study allows for the identification and interpretation of stand conditions where natural regeneration has failed. This study provides an important foundation to inform decisionmaking related to land protection and restoration actions. Our findings could be used in comparative studies and, importantly, may aid further mapping of Mongolian forests. Keywords Mongolia Natural forest regeneration Seedlings Larix sibirica Land restoration Desertification
Introduction The forests of the Khentii Mountains of northern Mongolia are a transitional zone where the Siberian forest belt borders the Mongolian-Manchurian steppe, and represent a unique ecosystem in which the predominant tree species and land cover composition have largely remained unchanged (Mu¨hlenberg et al. 2012). The Khentii region is where the western Siberian dark taiga, dominated b
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