Cluster-planting for forest reclamation: more effectively deploying native plants and better emulating**regeneration dynamics

立地条件是在受干扰的工业用地上成功进行天然林更新的关键驱动力。然而，在许多情况下，条件远非最佳，因此需要用苗木补充恢复场地。我们的知识和木本植物建立的最佳实践是建立在林业发展的实践基础上的，这些实践优化了用于商业收获的林木的生产力。 然而，开垦作业和监管标准不太注重生产可销售的木材，而是更注重是否建立了功能性的、有复原力的森林社区。建立一个适应天然林条件的森林可能会导致更快的场地恢复和未来的复原力。这项研究将测试森林开垦做法的另一种方法，目前的做法是在大面积上均匀种植树苗。这种替代方法被称为集群种植，促进在整个填海地点种植树苗集群，目的是集群作为重建森林的核心点。在本项目中，我们将研究丛植落叶树苗对所种植树苗的存活、生长以及树苗丛内和周围原生植被的早期发育的影响。**

Site conditions are the key driver for successful natural forest regeneration on disturbed industrial sites. Yet, in many cases, conditions are far from optimal, driving the need to supplement the recovery of sites with nursery stock seedlings. Our knowledge and best practices of woody plant establishment are founded on practices developed in the forest industry that optimize productivity of forest trees intended for merchantable harvest. However, reclamation operations and regulatory criteria are less focused on solely producing merchantable timber and instead focus more on whether a functional, resilient forest community is established. Establishing a forest that is adapted to the conditions found in natural forests may lead to faster site recovery and future resilience. This study will test an alternative approach to forest reclamation practices, which currently consist of planting tree seedlings uniformly across large areas. This alternative method is known as cluster planting, promotes the planting of clusters of tree seedlings across reclamation sites with the objective that the clusters function as nucleation points for the re-establishment of a forest. In this project we will examine the impacts of cluster-planting deciduous tree seedlings on the survival, growth of the planted seedlings as well as early-development of native vegetation within and surrounding tree seedling clusters.**