Effects of Slope and Strip-Cutting Width on Bamboo Shoot Emergence, Culm Formation, and Understory Vegetation Diversity in Moso Bamboo Forests in China

TL;DR

This study examines how strip-cutting width and slope affect bamboo growth and plant diversity in Chinese bamboo forests, finding that 5 m widths on moderate slopes optimize both productivity and biodiversity.

Contribution

The study identifies an optimal strip-cutting width and slope combination that balances bamboo productivity with understory vegetation diversity.

Findings

A 5 m strip-cutting width on moderate slopes (15–24°) increased bamboo shoot and culm numbers by 27% and 13% compared to narrower and wider widths.

Herb and shrub species diversity indices were highest in 5 m plots on moderate and steep slopes.

Principal component analysis showed 5 m strip-cutting on moderate slopes outperformed other treatments in ecological and production outcomes.

Abstract

Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) harvesting is labor-intensive and inefficient, while strip-cutting enables mechanized, cost-effective management and supports long-term production. Intensive strip-cutting disturbs bamboo ecosystems, altering soil, litter and understory vegetation. This may reduce long-term productivity despite moso bamboo’s rapid growth, especially in the mountainous areas like Anji, Zhejiang. To balance ecological and production goals, we evaluated strip-cutting widths of 3, 5, and 8 m under three slope classes, 5–14° (gentle, SL1), 15–24° (moderate, SL2), and 25–34° (steep, SL3), focusing on bamboo growth recovery and understory vegetation diversity. Compared with uncut control plots, the number of herbaceous and shrub species increased in all treatment plots. In 5 m moderate slope plots, shoot and culm numbers were 27% and 13% higher than those in the 3 m and 8 m plots, and 37% higher than uncut control plots. Herb species diversity, as reflected by the Shannon–Wiener (H′), Simpson (D), and Margalef richness (R) indices, was high in the narrowest clearcut strips under SL1 and SL3. Pielou’s evenness index (J) was high in the 3 and 5 m plots under SL2 and SL3. Shrub species diversity, as indicated by D and R, was high in 5 and 8 m plots under SL2 and SL3. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that under SL2, 5 m strip-cutting width with a score of 0.649 outperformed others. These results suggest that 5 m strip-cutting width under SL2 slope optimizes understory vegetation diversity and supports a synergistic outcome of “high shoot emergence–high culm formation” thereby achieving both ecological and production benefits.

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