Community Characteristics of Pinus massoniana-Broad-Leaved Mixed Forests and Their Relationship with Environmental Factors in Public Welfare Forests of Zhejiang Province

To the sustainable development and management, it is of significance to clarify community characteristics of Pinus massoniana-broad-leaved mixed forests at different developmental stages and their relationship with environmental factors. Hierarchical clustering and redundancy analysis were employed to analyze species composition and community structure on the basis of 240 forest plots at different developmental stages in Zhejiang Province. The results showed that P. massoniana-broad-leaved mixed forests with stand ages of less than 20 years and 20～60 years could both be classified into four distinct clusters with similar dominant species( P. massoniana, Schima superba, Quercus glauca, and Quercus fabri), broad-leaved species exhibited greater dominance in the 20 ~ 60-year-old P. massoniana-broad-leaved mixed forests, besides, Itea omeiensis, Quercus acutissima, and Castanopsis sclerophylla were found, which shared similar habitat preferences with P. massoniana. Elevation and average annual precipitation emerged as the most significant factors affecting the community distribution of P. massoniana-broad-leaved mixed forests, and in the 20 ~ 60-year-old forests of this type, the clusters with a higher degree of broadleaf formation mainly occurred in habitats with high precipitation, high elevation, thick deciduous layer and humus layer. This study provides a basis for forest management practice, such as the transformation of P. massoniana-broad-leaved mixed forests and optimization of tree species composition, etc.