Abstract
To estimate impacts by selection cutting on forest ecosystem, we surveyed change of species diversity and detected factors influencing distributions of vascular plants on forest floor in following five years after cutting in a mixed forest in Hokkaido Island, Japan. Dwarf bamboo (Sasa senanensis) grew thickly in the cutting stand. The existence in preceding years was indicated as most important factor for major floor species by GLM that explains existence or frequency of each species by stand cutting, physical disturbance of floor, micro topography, light condition, vegetation cover and existence in preceding years as factors. Light condition and vegetation cover were shown as following important factors, but others did not. While we quantitatively indicated the influence of selection cutting on cover or distribution for some species including dwarf bamboo, the impact on species diversity as number of species or Shannon’s index was not clear. Partiality of environmental change by selection cutting, and perenniality of floor plants could be thought to absorb immediate change of species composition in whole stand.
