Abstract
The growth of felled individuals of Eucalyptus camaldulensis was measured in order to develop techniques for regenerating afforested stands in drylands. All felled individuals sprouted multiple stems, and no individual died during the measurement period. Therefore, it is considered that afforested stands of E. camaldulensis in drylands are able to regenerate by sprouting. By 5 years after felling, the crown projection area had become larger than that before felling, whereas the timber volume was still much smaller than that before felling. Thus, the sprouted individuals preferentially expanded their crown projection area during the early developmental stages. As a result of this rapid reconstruction of photosynthetic organs, their annual production would become larger than that of saplings, and the sprouted individuals would be able to reconstruct the lost biomass within a relatively short time. However, too short a cycle of felling would offset the advantage of sprout regeneration. The felling cycle must be regulated according to the growth rate of the stand, and is considered to be more than 5 years in drylands. Further research and analysis of the growth patterns are required to optimize the technique for managing dryland afforestation.
