Abstract
Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel ex Houzeau de Lehaie groves were cut down to clear abandoned bamboo groves in Japan. We examined vegetation changes and the regrowth of P pubescens two years after cutting at Oda, in Shimane Prefecture. Based on detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), secondary forests, P. pubescens groves and cutting areas were situated from large to small along axis I. The vegetation structure of a cutting site changed the relative positions of the P. pubescens grove and cutting site. At sites where the forest floor received more sunlight after cutting, the axis I score decreased, and the number of species that appeared increased. After cutting, the number of new P. pubescens shoots at cutting sites increased, and the new shoots were small. Two years after cutting, the number of ew P. pubescens shoots decreased but the shoots were larger than in the previous year. If cutting sites are not managed, P. pubescens groves may regenerate. Thus, sites should be continuously cut. Because the number of species that appear increases when forest floor illumination is increased slightly, cutting out P. pubescens culms of groves that grow among adult trees on the forest floor is useful for recovering broadleaf woodlands.
