Effects of topographical and edaphic factors on the distribution of plant communities in two subtropical karst forests, southwestern China

Relationships between topography,soil properties and the distribution of plant communities on two different rocky hillsides are examined in two subtropical karst forests in the Maolan National Natural Reserve,southwestern China.Surveys of two 1-ha permanent plots at each forest,and measurements of four topographic and thirteen edaphic factors on the slopes were performed.Twoway Indicator Species Analysis(TWINSPAN) and Detrended Canonical Correspondence Analysis(DCCA) were used for the classification of plant communities and for vegetation ordination with environmental variables.One hundred 10m×10m quadrats in each plot were classified into four plant community types.A clear altitudinal gradient suggested that elevation was important in community differentiation.The topography and soil explained 51.06% and 54.69% of the variability of the distribution of plant species in the two forest plots,respectively,indicating both topographic factors(eg.elevation,slope and rock-bareness rate) and edaphic factors(e.g.total P,K and exchangeable Ca) were the important drivers of the distribution of woody plant species in subtropical karst forest.However,our results suggested that topographical factors were more important than edaphic ones in affecting local plant distribution on steep slopes with extensive rock outcrops,while edaphic factors were more influential on gentle slope and relatively thick soil over rock in subtropical karst forest.Understanding relationships between vegetation and environmental factors in karst forest ecosystems would enable us to apply these findings in vegetation management strategies and restoration of forest communities.     

Rebirth after death: forest succession dynamics in response to climate change on Gongga Mountain,Southwest China

Global climate change is having long-term impacts on the geographic distribution of forest species. However, the response of vertical belts of mountain forests to climate change is still little known. The vertical distribution of forest vegetation(vertical vegetation belt) on Gongga Mountain in Southwest China has been monitored for 30 years. The forest alternation of the vertical vegetation belt under different climate conditions was simulated by using a mathematical model GFSM(the Gongga Forest Succession Model). Three possible Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) climate scenarios(increase of air temperature and precipitation by 1.8℃/5%, 2.8℃/10% and 3.4℃/15% for B_1, A_1B and A_2 scenarios, respectively) were chosen to reflect lower, medium and higher changes of global climate. The vertical belts of mountainous vegetation will shift upward by approximately 300 m, 500 m and 600 m in the B_1, A_1B and A_2 scenarios, respectively, according to the simulated results. Thus, the alpine tree-line will move to a higher altitude. The simulation also demonstrated that, in a changing climate, the shift in the vegetation community will be a slow and extended process characterized by two main phases. During the initial phase, trees of the forest community degrade or die, owing to an inability to adapt to a warmer climate. This results in modest environment for the introduction of opportunistic species, consequently, the vegetation with new dominant tree species becomes predominant in the space vacated by the dead trees at the expense of previously dominated original trees as the succession succeed and climate change advance. Hence, the global climate change would dramatically change forest communities and tree species in mountainous regions because that the new forest community can grow only through the death of the original tree. Results indicated that climate change will cause the change of distribution and composition of forest communities on Gongga Mountain, and this change may enhance as the intensity of climate change increases. As a result, the alternation of death and rebirth would finally result in intensive landscape changes, and may strongly affect the eco-environment of mountainous regions.     

Carbon sequestration in forest vegetation of Beijing at sublot level

Based on forest inventory data (FID) at sublot level,we estimated the carbon sequestration in forest vegetation of Beijing,China in 2009.In this study,the carbon sequestration in forest vegetation at sublot level was calculated based on net biomass production (ΔB) which was estimated with biomass of each sublot and function relationships between ΔB and biomass.The biomass of forested land was calculated with biomass expansion factors (BEFs) method,while those of shrub land and other forest land types were estimated with biomass,coverage and height of referred shrubs and shrub coverage and height of each sublot.As one of special forested land types,the biomass of economic tree land was calculated with biomass per tree and tree number.The variation of carbon sequestration in forest vegetation with altitude,species and stand age was also investigated in this study.The results indicate that the carbon sequestration in forest vegetation in Beijing is 4.12 × 106 tC/yr,with the average rate of 3.94 tC/(ha·yr).About 56.91% of the total carbon sequestration in forest vegetation is supported by the forest in the plain with an altitude of < 60 m and the low mountainous areas with an altitude from 400 m to 800 m.The carbon sequestration rate in forest vegetation is the highest in the plain area with an altitude of < 60 m and decreased significantly in the transitional area from the low plain to the low mountainous area with an altitude ranging from 200 m to 400 m due to intensive human disturbance.The carbon sequestration of Populus spp.forest and Quercus spp.forest are relatively higher than those of other plant species,accounting for 25.33% of the total.The carbon sequestration in vegetation by the forest of < 40 years amounts to 45.38% of the total.The carbon sequestration rate in forest vegetation peaks at the stand age of 30–40 years.Therefore,it would be crucial for enhancing the capability of carbon sequestration in forest vegetation to protect the forest in Beijing,to limit human disturbance in the transitional area from the plain to the low mountain area,and to foster the newly established open forest.     

Relationship between toxic and harmful microalgae and environmental factors in typical mariculture areas of East China Sea

Toxic and harmful algal blooms are usually more frequent in mariculture areas due to the abundant trophic conditions. To investigate the relationship between toxic and harmful microalgae and environmental factors, we set up 12 stations near three mariculture regions (Gouqi Island, Sandu Bay, and Dongshan Bay) in the East China Sea. We collected samples from all four seasons starting from May 2020 to March 2021. We identified 199 species belonging to 70 genera, of which 38 species were toxic and harmful, including 24 species of Dinophyceae, 13 species of Bacillariophyceae, and 1 species of Raphidophyceae. The species composition of toxic and harmful microalgae showed a predominance of diatoms in the summer (August), and dinoflagellates in the spring (May), autumn (November), and winter (March). The cell densities of toxic and harmful microalgae were higher in summer (with an average value of 15.34×10³ cells/L) than in other seasons, 3.53×10³ cells/L in spring, 1.82×10³ cells/L in winter, and 1.0×10³ cells/L in autumn. Pseudonitzschia pungens, Prorocentrum minimum, Paralia sulcata, and Prorocentrum micans were the dominant species and were available at all 12 stations in the three mariculture areas. We selected 10 toxic and harmful microalgal species with frequency >6 at the survey stations for the redundancy analysis (RDA), and the results show that NO ^?₃ , water temperature (WT), pH, DO, and NO ^?₂ were the main factors on distribution of toxic and harmful microalgae. We concluded that the rich nutrient conditions in the East China Sea mariculture areas increased the potential for the risk of toxic and harmful microalgal bloom outbreaks.

     

Leaf thickness and elevation explain naturalized alien species richness in a tropical mountain forest: A case study from Mount Gede-Pangrango National Park,Indonesia

Exotic plant invasion is one of the major causes of species extinction. In many contexts, mountainous forests are the last refuge for native species. There are several inventory studies conducted in mountainous and tropical forests in Indonesia. However, there are no studies yet on the factors that explain the abundance and richness of surveyed naturalized alien species. This study investigated whether the number of individuals and abundanceweighted species richness(AWR) of naturalized alien plant species in the hiking-trail of Mount GedePangrango National Park(MGPNP) forest area correlated with leaf traits(specific leaf area(SLA) and leaf thickness) and environmental factors(elevation, slope, and normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)). We showed that leaf thickness and habitat elevation explained the AWR variations of naturalized alien species. We did not detect any important effect of leaf traits and environmental factors on the number of individuals per exotic species per plot. The influence of leaf thickness and habitat elevation indicates the important role of both biotic and abiotic factors on exotic species to develop a high species richness and become an invasive species in the tropical mountain forest ecosystem.     

Identifying indigenous tree species for land reforestation,forest restoration,and plantation transformation on Hainan Island,China

Selecting suitable species is the most important issue for bare land reforestation, degraded secondary forest restoration, and single-species plantation transformation. However, little information has been documented related to tree species selection for these silvicultural endeavors on tropical Hainan Island of Southern China. The present study employed Baisha County, the ecological core area of Hainan Island, as a case study area. We initially inventoried a slightly disturbed primary forest and attempted to produce diameter distribution curves for each tree species. Second, the tree species were classified into shade intolerant, opportunist, and shade tolerant species based on shape of their diameter distribution curves. Third, market value was determined for each tree species based on published literature and on-site investigations at local wood trading companies. Totally 118 tree species were encountered in the inventoried forest and 13 tree species present were finally identified as potential tree species for our silvicultural endeavor on Hainan Island, of which 3 species are shade intolerant, 5 species are opportunist and 5 species are shade tolerant. Additionally, we also selected 12 tree species that were not in the inventoried forest but were extremely economically valuable and ecologically important. This study should contribute to the formulation of a sustainable forest management strategy on Hainan Island and the methodology might be replicated in other tropical region where suitable species also need to be identified for silvicultural endeavor.     

顾及单木三维形态的无人机立体影像单木识别算法

单木参数对当前的森林资源管理、生态研究以及生物多样性保护等具有重要意义。无人机立体影像数据与单木识别算法为单木参数的低成本、自动化获取提供了基础。现有研究表明,常用的基于局部最大值搜索的单木识别算法面对密集林分时存在严重的漏识别问题,影响了参数提取的精度,因此本文提出了顾及单木三维形态的无人机立体影像单木识别新算法。算法首先综合利用无人机立体影像的高程与RGB光谱信息,通过随机森林分类进行林冠区的提取;然后利用形态学的多层腐蚀、膨胀与连通区标记进行树冠相连单木的分离与树冠中心点的提取,从而实现单木自动化识别。本文选取内蒙古大兴安岭林区和四川王朗林区的4块样地进行验证,以目视解译数据为参考,分别与基于高程值的局部最大值搜索算法（算法A）、基于RGB光谱亮度值的局部最大值搜索算法（算法B）进行比较。结果显示：本文提出的算法在4个样地的平均F1-score为94.17%,与算法A和算法B相比分别提高了15.85%和9.37%;而对于密集样地,本文提出的算法在查全率上相比算法A和算法B分别提高51.79%和35.64%。结果表明本文提出的算法在不同林区均能够实现较好的单木识别效果,特别是能够有效避免密集林分下的漏识别问题,为基于无人机立体影像的单木识别研究提供了一种新的思路。     

Structure and regeneration dynamics of three forest types at different succession stages of spruce – fir mixed forest in Changbai Mountain,northeastern China

Analyzing and understanding the structure and growth dynamics of forests at different stages is helpful to promote forest succession, restoration and management. Three spots representing three succession stages of spruce-fir mixed forest(SF: polar-birch secondary forest, MF: spruce-fir mixed forest and PF: spruce-fir near primary forest) were established. Structure, growth dynamics during two growth seasons for dominant tree species, regeneration were examined, and a univariate O-ring function statistic was used to analyze the spatial patterns of main regeneration tree species. Results showed that,(1) composition of tree species, periodic annual increment(PAI) of the diameter at breast height(DBH), basal area for overstory trees and of ground diameter(DGH) for saplings, were significantly different with the succession;(2) the current species composition and regeneration dynamics of SF suggested a development towards spruce-fir mixed forests. Pioneer species like Betula platyphyllaa will gradually disappear while climax species, such as Abies nephrolepis, Pinus koraiensis, Picea koraiensis and Tilia amurensis will dominate forest stands;(3) Despite the highest volume occurring in PF, and saplings in it grew better than in the others, this forest type is unstable because of its unsustainable structure of DBH class and insufficient regeneration; and(4) MF had the most reasonable distribution of DBH class for adult trees(DBH 5.0 cm) and DGH class for saplings(H ≥30 cm and DBH ≤5 cm), as well as an optimal volume increment. Limiting canopy opening size can lessen the physiological stress and promote the growth and competitive status of regeneration. Management implications for increasing the gaps and thus creating better growth conditions for understory saplings and facilitating forest succession were discussed.     

Impacts of reforestation on woody species composition,species diversity and community structure in dry-hot valley of the Jinsha River,southwestern China

To understand the impacts of reforestation on woody species composition, species diversity and community structure, seven plantation forests in dry-hot valley of the Jinsha River in Southwest China were investigated, with adjacent wastelands, natural shrub grassland and a natural forest as references. Species importance value, species richness, species heterogeneity and Sorenson similarity index between plantations and the natural forest were analyzed. Results indicated that compared to wastelands and natural shrub grassland, reforestation improved species diversity and community structure, and more forest woody species found suitable habitats in plantations. Species diversity in understory of plantations and Sorenson similarity index were significantly negatively correlated with stem density in mature plantations (26-31 years old). Higher species diversity and Sorenson similarity index existed in mature sparse plantations due to lower stem density and more tree species planted initially. In contrast, reference natural forest, with species heterogeneity of 2.28 for shrub layer, showed the highest species diversity. It would take a long time for species composition and diversity to recover through reforestation in a dry-hot valley. Therefore, it was essential to protect remnant natural forests strictly and reforest with suitable management such as lower stem density and increasing genetic diversity of trees planted.     

Effects of stand characteristics on tree species richness in and around a conservation area of northeast Bangladesh

We investigated the effect of tree cover, forest patch and disturbances on tree species richness in a highly diverse conservation area of northeast Bangladesh. A systematic sampling protocol was adopted and 80 sub-plots from twenty five 1 ha plots were used for the vegetation survey. Linear regression analysis was performed to understand the effect of patch area, disturbances and tree cover on tree species richness. Ordination using Redundancy analysis (RDA) and Non-metric Multi Dimensional Scaling (NMDS) were also performed to explore the tree species compositional similarities along the stand characteristics gradient and locations of the sample plots. Our study revealed that, forest patch size has greater influence on species richness. Areas with medium level of disturbances have shown greater species richness. In constrained ordination the selected explanatory variables regulated the richness of common species. Our findings can be useful for better forest management and restoration of landscapes of conservation needs using ecologically important species.     

Ethnobotanical and Indigenous Knowledge of Important Plants in East Hararghe,Eastern Ethiopia

An ethnobotanical study was conducted in East Hararghe, Ethiopia to identify and investigate the use of various plants by the traditional healers and communities engaged in domestic, pesticide and medicinal use. A total of 78 species were observed to be used by the local inhabitants in the region for the treatments of various ailments. Out of these, herbs constitute 49% followed by trees(36%) and shrubs only 15%. However, most frequently used plant parts were leaf and aerial parts(20) followed by seed(13), fruit(12), other parts(10), rhizome(7) and bark(1). Most of the plants were found to be used for medicinal, aromatic and food flavouring(spices, condiments) purposes. Out of 78 species recorded in the present study, 11 were reported to cure stomachache, seven for cold, cough and respiratory problem, six for diarrhoea and five species were found capable of curing fever. Fabaceae was the largest family contributing to medicinal plant use with seven species followed by Solanaceae, Myrtaceae,(5 spp.), and Zingiberaceae, Asteraceae, Liliaceae(4 spp. each). Some of the important plants utilized for taking care of variety of ailments are Azadirachta indica, Brassica nigra, Balanites aegyptiaca, Maytenus ovatus, Rosmarinus officinalis and Trigonella foenum graecum. Most of these medicinal and aromatic plants(MAPs) play a significant role in the household economy and were observed to be very popular among the people. Unpopular plants were left out of the study. This study provides useful and basic information on usage of different plants for conducting further studies aimed at conservation and documentation of traditional medicine system and economic welfare of rural peoples of the East Hararghe, Ethiopia. It also revealed that indigenous practices contributed to sustainable management of plants.     

Regeneration and tree species diversity of Sitakund Botanical Garden and Eco-park,Chittagong, Bangladesh

Anthropogenic disturbances influence plant regeneration and species diversity, which impact the conservation status of protected areas. A study was conducted in the Sitakund Botanical Garden and Eco-park （SBGE）, Chittagong, Bangladesh to analyze the natural regeneration and tree species diversity in disturbed and less disturbed zones. Stratified and systematic random sampling was used to select 50 sample plots from each of the two zones. A total number of 109 plant species from 43 families were recorded in the study; of which 93 species were of natural origin while the rest were planted. From the species with natural origin 66 were tree species, 9 were shrub species and 28 were climbers. Species richness, density of regeneration and disturbance index in the height classes （0- 0.5 m） and {dbh 〉 6 cm） indicated significant differences between the zones. The study analyzed how disturbances affect species diversity in the area. It was found that species richness and basal area are negatively related with disturbances. Moreover, density （N/ha） of trees was more likely to decrease with increasing tree height that reflects the huge demand of local people to harvest large trees as part of their income generating activities. The study findings have implications for future managementdecisions of the SGBE. To restore these ecosystems, management should focus on both biodiversity eonservation and providing benefits to local people without hampering forest ecosystems.     

LAND-COVER DENSITY-BASED APPROACH TO URBAN LAND USE MAPPING USING HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGERY

1IN T R O D U C T IO N Timely up-gradatnig ofurban landuse and landcoverin- formationisessentialforurban environmentalmonitor- ing,planningand management purposes.Traditionall,y fieldsurveyand visualinterpretatiofnrom aerialphotog- raphy areprimary ways t…     

基于标记控制分水岭分割方法的高分辨率遥感影像单木树冠提取

树冠是树木的重要组成,可以直接反映树木健康状况。高空间分辨率遥感影像和遥感技术为快速获取详细的树冠信息和实时监测林冠变化提供了有效的途径。因此,基于高空间分辨率遥感影像的单木树冠提取方法研究对现代森林管理具有重要意义。本文以黄河三角洲地区孤岛林场人工刺槐林和旱柳为研究对象,以QuickBird影像为数据源,首先利用面向对象方法实现研究区林地和非林地分类;然后以林地为掩膜,提取出树冠分布范围;在此基础上,分别选取疏林区和密林区为试验区域,通过形态学开闭重建滤波,平滑图像,去除噪声;最后,利用标记控制分水岭分割方法分别对疏林区和密林区进行树冠提取。本文以人工勾绘结果为参考进行精度验证,结果显示疏林区F测度达到87.8%,密林区F测度达到65.5%,表明该提取方法简单易行,精度可靠。     

Forest carbon storage and tree carbon pool dynamics under natural forest protection program in northeastern China

The Natural Forest Protection(NFP) program is one of the Six Key Forestry Projects which were adopted by the Chinese Government since the 1980s to address important natural issues in China. It advanced to protecting and restoring the structures and functions of the natural forests through sustainable forest management. However, the role of forest carbon storage and tree carbon pool dynamics since the adoption of the NFP remains unknown. To address this knowledge gap, this study calculated forest carbon storage(tree, understory, forest floor and soil) in the forest region of northeastern(NE) China based on National Forest Inventory databases and field investigated databases. For tree biomass, this study utilized an improved method for biomass estimation that converts timber volume to total forest biomass; while for understory, forest floor and soil carbon storage, this study utilized forest type-specific mean carbon densities multiplied by their areas in the region. Results showed that the tree carbon pool under the NFP in NE China functioned as a carbon sink from 1998 to 2008, with an increase of 6.3 Tg C/yr, which was mainly sequestrated by natural forests(5.1 Tg C/yr). At the same time, plantations also acted as a carbon sink, reflecting an increase of 1.2 Tg C/yr. In 2008, total carbon storage in forests covered by the NFP in NE China was 4603.8 Tg C, of which 4393.3 Tg C was stored in natural forests and 210.5 Tg C in planted forests. Soil was the largest carbon storage component, contributing 69.5%–77.8% of total carbon storage; followed by tree and forest floor, accounting for 16.3%–23.0% and 5.0%–6.5% of total carbon storage, respectively. Understory carbon pool ranged from 1.9 to 42.7 Tg C, accounting for only 0.9% of total carbon storage.     

结合Gabor小波和形态学的高分辨率图像树冠提取方法

树冠信息的遥感提取能有效辅助森林参数反演、林分长势监测、树种识别等森林调查活动。随着遥感信息自动化提取的需求不断加强,本文基于高空间分辨率遥感数据,以滁州市皇甫山林场为研究区域,设计了一种结合Gabor小波和形态学的树冠提取方法。该方法首先采用Gabor小波提取出纹理特征,其次结合K-means聚类分析方法,对PCA降维后的纹理特征向量提取出阔叶林区,最后基于形态学理论降低影像噪声,并利用前景后景标记的分水岭方法进行单木树冠提取。经过与人工解译的树冠信息结果对比发现,在郁闭度较高的阔叶林区,该自动化方法提取树冠精度较高,分割准确率A_d为79.59%,F测度达到了79.00%能有效提供精确的单木树冠信息,为林业经济调查技术的发展具有一定的实践意义。     

基于随机森林特征选择的城市绿化乔木树种分类

城市绿化在改善空气、水和土壤质量,吸收和减少二氧化碳及各种污染物,缓解城市热岛和减少雨水径流等方面发挥着重要作用。及时准确地获取树种信息是城市规划与绿化管理的先决条件,对进一步改善城市生态环境也具有重要意义。基于遥感技术,使用高空间分辨率的WorldView-2卫星影像,采用光谱、纹理、指数以及几何等多种特征相结合的面向对象方法,并通过随机森林进行特征选择,对福州大学旗山校区北部的榕树、杧果、香樟、重阳木、羊蹄甲、垂叶榕以及木棉7种主要绿化乔木进行树种分类。实地验证结果表明：通过特征选择可以减少或规避数据冗余以及休斯效应的产生,该方法可以提高现有同类型树种分类的精度,当淘汰全部特征的20%,利用34个特征（包括15个光谱特征、6个纹理特征、8个指数特征和5个几何特征）进行分类时,总精度最高,可达74.95%,Kappa系数为0.67。其中,光谱平均值的特征重要性最高,而各波段的标准差的重要性较低。WorldView-2卫星影像的4个新增波段,特别是黄光和红边波段及其构建的指数特征重要性较高,也说明这些波段在植被遥感,特别是树种分类中极具应用前景。     

Ecological consequences of land use change: Forest structure and regeneration across the forest-grassland ecotone in mountain pastures in Nepal

The ecotone, the spatial transition zone between two vegetation communities, is claimed to have more species than the adjoining communities. However, empirical studies do not always confirm higher richness at the ecotone. The ecotone position and structure are dynamic over time and space and it is driven by the changes in climate, land use or their interaction. In this context, we assessed the forest- grassland ecotone of temperate mountains in central Nepal by i） comparing species composition and richness across the ecotone, ii） analyzing if the forestgrassland ecotone is shifting towards the grassland center by colonizing them with trees, and iii） discussing the consequence of changed disturbance regime in the dynamics of this ecotone and the surrounding grasslands. We analyzed vegetation data sampled from belt transects laid across the forest- grassland ecotone in semi-natural grassland patches. Vegetation data consisting of species richness and composition, and size structure and regeneration of the two most dominant tree species, namely Rhododendron arboreum and Abies spectabilis, from the transects, were used to analyze the trend of the forest-grassland ecotone. Forest and grasslands were different in terms of floristic composition and diversity. Vascular plant speciesrichness linearly increased while moving from forest interior to grassland center. Spatial pattern of tree size structure and regeneration infers that forest boundary is advancing towards the grasslands at the expense of the grassland area, and tree establishment in the grasslands is part of a suceessional process. Temporally, tree establishment in grasslands started following the gradual decline in disturbance. We argue that local processes in terms of changed land use may best explain the phenomenon of ecotone shift and consequent forest expansion in these grasslands. We underpin the need for further research on the mechanism, rate and spatial extent of ecotone shift by using advaneed tools to understand the process indepth.     

Socio-economic drivers of deforestation in Roghani Valley,Hindu-Raj Mountains,Northern Pakistan

Deforestation and associated ecological disturbances are the issues of global concern.Researchers have investigated a number of driving forces which accelerate the rate of deforestation at local and regional levels.These include poverty,population growth,market demand and prices,political instability,agricultural expansion and changes in property right and ownership regimes.This paper seeks to explore the impacts of population growth,changing tenure system and other socioeconomic factors on the forest cover of Roghani Valley,located in Hindu Raj Mountains,Northern Pakistan.The present study is mainly based on information collected through participatory observation,selfadministered interviews and questionnaire survey.Geographical Information System（GIS） database is also used for mapping and quantification.The results reveal that in the past three to four decades the study area has been subjected to severe deforestation and about half of the forest area has been converted into barren land.Thus,the area under natural forests decreased from 2099 to 1444 hectares in four decades.This large-scale deforestation is attributed to both proximate and under lying causes particularly traditional land tenure system and demographic development.Consequently,forest resources have been degraded and a number of plant species have disappeared from the forests of the study area while several others are in the process of disappearance.     

Succession Features and Dynamic Simulation of Subalpine Forest in the Gongga Mountain, China

The Gongga Mountain of eastern Tibet Plateau is a representative of the alpine regions with high peaks and deep valleys. Climate change over the last thousand years has controlled the dynamics of glacier and debris flow occurrence, which resulted in substantial changes in the mountainous environment. The authors surveyed the community structure of primary forests in Gongga Mountain and forest successign processes in woodland plots. The changing features in the subalpine environment are discussed in this paper. Tree species and sizes between the glacier shrinking areas and debris flow fans in Hailuogou Valley are compared. The pioneer species that settle in debris flow fans and the glacier shrinking areas are Salix spp. and Populus purdomii. Abies fabri and Picea brachytyla are the climax tree species. The succession process of primary vegetation in Hailuogou (2700 ～ 3200 m) can be divided into four stages: