Comparison of Growth and Biomass Productivity of Mixed and Pure Forests of Liquidambar formosana

The growth and biomass productivity of pure forest of Liquidambar formosana and mixed forests with some other tree species were studied. The investigation results indicated that there were significant differences in the growth among different mixed forests. The standing volumes of different mixed plantations were in the following order: L. formosana (50%) × Liriodendron chinense (50%) > L. formosana (50%) × Cunninghamia lanceolata (50%) > L. formosana (25%) × C. lanceolata (75%) > L. formosana (33.3%) × C. lanceolata (66.7%) > L. formosana (33.3%) with L. chinense (66.7%) > L. formosana (33.3%) × Pinus massoniana (66.7%) > L. formosana (50%) × Pinus massoniana (50%) > pure forest of L. formosana > L. formosana (25%) × L. chinense (75%) > L. formosana (25%) × Pinus massoniana (75%). There was significant difference among the biomasses of different mixed forests of L. formosana with other tress species. The biomasses of mixed forests of L. formosana (50%) × L. chinense (50%) and L. formosana (50%) × C.lanceolata (50%) were higher than those of other mixed forests, showing that these mixed forest models were probably most beneficial to harmonizing the relations between tree species and to accumulating the photosynthetic products. Therefore, these two mixed forest models smight be in south China.