Growth status of young trees and changes in population before and after midsummer in coastal forests damaged by pine wilt disease in coastal sand dunes, Tottori Prefecture, Japan

Abstract

The status of tree seedlings and population changes before and after midsummer were investigated in coastal forests damaged by pine wilt disease. Although most seedlings propagated from seeds that fell from the upper and middle layers of the trees, some seedlings on the forest floor differed from the dominant species in the upper and middle forest layers. The seeds of these species were reported to have been dispersed by birds from trees in the surrounding area. The population changes before and after midsummer could be divided into two groups: those with post-midsummer survival rates of 45% or more, such as Celtis sinensis and Euonymus japonicus, and those with survival rates of 20% or less, such as Ligustrum japonicum and Pittosporum tobira.