Tree fern trunks provide establishment surfaces and habitat for a range of plant taxa including many understorey shrubs and canopy trees. The importance of these habitats for augmenting forest biodiversity and woody plant regeneration processes has been the subject of conjecture but has not been robustly assessed.
We compared establishment of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and Corsican pine (Pinus nigra) seedlings in kanuka (Kunzea ericoides) and manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) shrubland to test the hypothesis that Douglas fir, because of its greater shade tolerance, is better able to establish in woody communities than pine species. Seed of the conifer species was sown under a range of canopy covers at six sites, the cover being low-statured vegetation in openings between stands, stand edges, and moderate and dense canopies.
