Effect of cone-picking on natural regeneration of Korean pine in Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve

The storage and distribution of Korean pine seeds on Korean pine forest floor in Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve were investigated, and the data were compared with those in 1970s when the forest was little disturbed. Based on the dependence of natural regeneration of Korean pine on seed predating animals, the effect of commercial cone-picking on natural regeneration of Korean pine was discussed. The results showed that Korean pine seeds were generally berried under litter layer, and most of them were dropped during cone-picking. The density of Korean pine seeds was 1 582 ∼ 2 640 · hm^-2, accounted for 0.3 % ∼ 0.5 % of that in 1970s. Furthermore, over 67.8 % of these seeds were rotten. Unlike the seeds distributed by squirrel, many (46.7 % ∼ 77.1 % ) of them distributed singly. Animals that pick seeds from cone and thus are important for natural regeneration of Korean pine have reduced their population or even disappeared in recent years because most Korean pine cone were collected by people. Therefore, cone-picking was one of the obstacles for natural regeneration of Korean pine in Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve.