Study on Survival Rate and Growth of Sassafras Tzumu through Afforestation with Stem-cutting Method

The survival rate of afforestation with typical Sassafras tzumu is relatively low in the southeast coastal area. In this study, the stem of dry-rooted seedlings of Sassafras tzumu were cut off and afforested. The results showed that: (1) After two years of afforestation, the stem-cutting treatment significantly affected the survival rate, ground diameter, tree height, and growth indicators. Furthermore, except that the difference of tree height in the second year is significant, other indicators were extremely significant in different years and characteristics. (2) The stem-cutting treatment significantly improved the survival rate of Sassafras tzumu, which was 100% in the first year and 98% in the second year. Compared with the afforestation without stem-cutting treatment, the survival rate of the afforestation with stem-cutting was increased by 30.15%. (3) The stem-cutting treatment obviously promoted the growth of ground diameter, and the annual growth of ground diameter was over 29%. (4) The stem-cutting treatment greatly increased the shoot growth, with an increase of 222.78% in the first year and 94.49% in the second year. The results indicated that the stem-cutting afforestation had obvious effect in southeast coastal areas, and it was a promising afforestation method worth popularizing.