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Peer-Review Record

Seed Rain and Seedling Establishment of Picea glauca and Abies balsamea after Partial Cutting in Plantations and Natural Stands

Forests 2019, 10(3), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10030221
by Laurent Gagné 1,2,*, Luc Sirois 1 and Luc Lavoie 2
Reviewer 1: Anonymous
Reviewer 2: Anonymous
Forests 2019, 10(3), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10030221
Submission received: 7 February 2019 / Revised: 16 February 2019 / Accepted: 25 February 2019 / Published: 1 March 2019
(This article belongs to the Section Forest Ecophysiology and Biology)

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The authors have clarly improved the manuscript by clarifying the points mentioned by the reviewers and by correctly carying out the suggestions provided by the reviewers. I think the manuscript could be accepted for publication at this point.

Author Response

No comments from the reviewer 1

Reviewer 2 Report

Great job authors. Well written manuscript and well structured. Attached file includes my minor comments and points.


Suggestion: 

You may expand and improve the introduction.

[1,29,37] please express the citations in text based on MDPI journals guideline throughout the manuscript.  

Line 56-59: Please add a conclusion to this manuscript after discussion and includes answering these questions based on results.

Please add space between lines 137 and 138


Line 101-102: before versus after partial cutting. 

Table 1. Column 7 from left heading: Mean diameter at breast height (cm)

Also in Table 1. columns under Stems and seedlings per ha SD values in parenthesis are so high for 2 last columns?

Line 149 should be italic

Figure 1. (comments on page 7)

Please edit the numbers of y axis: 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 ...

Please edit the numbers of y axis: 0  0.05  0.1  0.15 ...

Please edit the numbers of y axis: 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 ...


Line 213: 0.05

Figure 4. How about Fir any * or ** or letters in both graphs? 

Please use the same font in Y axis caption of these 2 graphs as follow: 

Total seedlings %


Line 298: 250,000 seeds

Line 317: 7,000 to 8,000 seeds

Line 322: You may add a paragraph to conclude the research.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response


Reviewer 2

 

Journal Forests (ISSN 1999-4907)

Manuscript ID forests-451503

Type Article

Number of Pages 20

Title

Seed rain and seedling establishment of Picea glauca and Abies balsamea after partial cutting in plantations and natural stands

Authors

Laurent Gagné *, Luc Sirois , Luc Lavoie

 

Abstract

The conditions for natural regeneration of white spruce (Picea glauca) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea) in 12 natural stands and 5 plantations containing both species were investigated 9 to 30 years after partial cutting. We estimated seed input on the ground, measured light reaching the understory, and recorded the presence and age of seedlings smaller than 150 cm in height on 6 different substrates: mineral soil, moss, rotten wood, litterfall, herbaceous and dead wood. Partial cutting generally prompted the establishment and growth of seedlings. The number of fir and spruce seedlings is always greater in natural stands than in plantations, a trend likely associated with the reduced abundance of suitable substrate for establishment in the latter. White spruce is significantly associated to rotten wood while fir settles on all types of substrates that cover at least 10% of the forest floor. There is a strong relationship between light intensity and the median height of spruce seedlings, but this relationship is non-significant for fir. Seedlings of both species can survive at incident light intensities as low as 3%, but an intensity of 15% or more seems to offer the best growth conditions. The results of this study provide guidelines for successful forest regeneration following partial cuts in spruce-fir stands.

Open Review

(x) I would not like to sign my review report 

( ) I would like to sign my review report 

English language and style

( ) Extensive editing of English language and style required 

( ) Moderate English changes required 

(x) English language and style are fine/minor spell check required 

( ) I don't feel qualified to judge about the English language and style 

 

 

 

 

Yes

Can  be improved

Must  be improved

Not  applicable

Does  the introduction provide sufficient background and include all relevant  references?

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(x)

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Is  the research design appropriate?

(x)

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Are  the methods adequately described?

(x)

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Are  the results clearly presented?

(x)

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Are  the conclusions supported by the results?

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Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Great job authors. Well written manuscript and well structured. Attached file includes my minor comments and points.




Suggestion: 

SEE ANSWERS IN BOLD

1-You may expand and improve the introduction.

We did not have any details on these suggestions, and therefore we kept the same introduction.

 

2-[1,29,37] please express the citations in text based on MDPI journals guideline throughout the manuscript.

We made corrections throughout the manuscript

 

3- Line 56-59: Please add a conclusion to this manuscript after discussion and includes answering these questions based on results.

The reviewer suggested to add a new paragraph at the end to conclude the research. Instead we rewrote the our last paragraph in a more conclusive style (rather than a prescriptive one, as previously), in addressing each of the four objectives that were mentioned at the end of the introduction section.

 

 

4-Please add space between lines 137 and 138

See page 5

5-Line 101-102: before versus after partial cutting. 

6-Table 1. Column 7 from left heading: Mean diameter at breast height (cm) See page 4

6a-Also in Table 1. columns under Stems and seedlings per ha SD values in parenthesis are so high for 2 last columns?

The values of SD are the good ones

 

7-Line 149 should be italic

See page 6

8-Figure 1. (comments on page 7)

Please edit the numbers of y axis: 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 ...

Please edit the numbers of y axis: 0  0.05  0.1  0.15 ...

Please edit the numbers of y axis: 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 ...

See page 7

9-Line 213: 0.05


Figure 4. How about Fir any * or ** or letters in both graphs? 

There was no significant difference for the fir. That is why there are not any * or letter.

10-Please use the same font in Y axis caption of these 2 graphs as follow: 

Total seedlings % See page 10.

11-Line 298: 250,000 seeds see page 13

     Line 317: 7,000 to 8,000 seeds see page 13

     Line 322: You may add a paragraph to conclude the research.

     See point 3 above

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

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