Coarse woody debris loading capacity and its environmental gradient in Huzhong forest area of Great Xing' an Mountains

The coarse woody debris (CWD) loading capacity of main forest types and of different larch forest communities in Huzhong area of Great Xing 'an Mountains was investigated, with its environmental gradient analyzed by Detrended Canonical Correspondence Analysis (DCCA). The CWD loading capacity varied significantly with forest type, being the highest (0.20 m³ · hm^-2) in spruce forest (Picea koraiensis). Different larch forest (Larix gmelinii) communities had a CWD loading capacity from 0 to 0.28 m ³ · hm^-2, with the highest in Pinus pumila-Larix gmelinii (0.28 m³ · hm^-2) and the lowest in Sphagnum magellanicum-Ledum palustre-Larix gmelinii (0), but the differences were not significant. The CWD loading capacity across the study area was complicated, which might result from the complex interplay of affecting factors. The main factors affecting the spatial pattern of the CWD loading capacity were topographic factors (elevation and slope position) and stand structure (age, canopy cover, and others), and the interaction between topographic factors and stand structure expressed the spatial gradient of CWD loading capacity in Huzhong area of Great Xing' an Mountains.