The Survey and Assessment on Afforestation Status quo of Danfu Courtyard in Chaozhou City

Weihui CHEN,Shuqi CHEN

School of Tourism Management and Culinary Arts,Hanshan Normal University,Chaozhou 521041,China

A forest park describes the integrated areas serving as recreational areas for people on basis of forest conservation.A high-quality forest park advances local development,not only for economy,but also for ecologyand culture.In many cities there is a growing understanding of the importance ofharmony and uni fication of human and nature with economy development.Since the 20thcentury,forest tourism is booming worldwide and also developing fast in recenttwo decades domestically.Nevertheless,with a later start,China’s forest tourism falls behind and it becomes significant to accelerate the aspect in order for national economy construction and eco-environment conservation.

Danfu Courtyard is located in Hongshan Forest Park celebrated for its scenic beauty,and Danfu Courtyard is famous for cultural landscapes.Therefore,it is recommended to integrate greening design of Danfu Courtyard with Hongshan Forest Park to take advantages of the both sides involved,which creates a secluded forest environment for cultural landscapes.

The research conducted a field survey on Danfu Courtyard and assessed status quo,advantages and disadvantage in order to explore the way of constructing Dandfu Courtyard a diversified and rich eco-cultural scenic spot.

Survey Objects and Methods

Surveyed contents

Danfu Courtyard is located in the east of Chaozhou,known as Xikou Yanfeng Mountain Scenic Spot that is named after Bijia Mountain in Chaozhou.Bijia Mountain is originally named Huangtian Mountain with an elevation of 493 m.In an ancient time,there was only a declined Baiyuangu TempleintheMountainwherea peaceful inkstone-shaped lake.Danfu Courtyard is located at 23°40′N and 116°41′E,with an elevation of 160 m.Situated at lower latitude,it has a subtropical maritime monsoon climate,characterized by abundant heat and sunshine,and precipitation.Specifically,annual mean temperature is 21.4℃;sunshine-hour lasts for 1 986.1 h;precipitation reaches 1 685.8 mm;extremely maximum temperature is 39.6℃and the extremely minimum temperature is-0.5℃[1].

Survey range

The survey range is Danfu Courtyard scenic spot with an area of 50hm2,as well as afforestation from the foot of Yanfeng Park to the entrance of Danfu Courtyard.

Table 1 Statistics of plants in Danfu Courtyard[2]

Survey method

The research explored geographical characters and afforestation of Danfu Courtyard by direct observation,interviewing,photographing,recording and sampling.

The consulting people include managers and horticulturists of Danfu Courtyard.

Status quo of Afforestation of Danfu Courtyard in Chaozhou

Function division and vegetation arrangement

Main buildings of Danfu CourtyardThe main buildings are situated in central Danfu Courtyard,which is divided into 7 planes and two stele corridors,covering over 50 vegetations,such asCycas revoluta,Ficus microcarpa,Ficus religiosa,Delonix regia,Osmanthus fragrans,andHyophorbe lagenicaulis.Murrayapaniculatais grown as green belts with width of 1 m in front of Dongyue Jinghua Stone Torii,supplemented by vegetation clusters in corners,consisting ofFagraeaceilanica,Mirabilisjalapa,Bougainvillea glabra,Dracaena angustifoliaandEugenia uniflora.Up the stairs from the Stone Torii lies the first plain,surrounded byFicus religiosa,Cycas revoluta,Ficus microcarpaandBougainvilleaglabrain a coupled planting way.Up the stairs the second plain comes into sight,whereBambusa ventricosais grown by coupled planting along the sides of stone lion.Continuing up the stairs the third plain comes to view,whereCycas revolutais grown by coupled planting and bonsai are arranged around Dragon and Phoenix stone carvings,consisting of Bougainvillea spectabilis,Cycas revolutaandCarmona microphylla.The fourth plain lies on the upper stairs,whereCodiaeum variegatumandBegonia maculata bonsaiare arranged in a coupled planting way.Besides,Spathiphyllumkochii,Philodendron SchottandRhapis excelsabonsai are arranged in three rows in the back ofBuddha Shakyamuniin a coupled way andPlumeria rubraandBambusa ventricosaare coupled planted in sides of the scenic spot.Up to the stairs the fifth plain jumps into our sight,namely,a wall covered with Boston ivy,where a row of sweetscented osmanthus is grown in the centerand surrounded byAglaia odorata,Phoenix roebelenii,Delonix regiaandSabina chinensis,dominated byZoysia tenuifoliaandArachis duranensis.The sixth plain is in the upper stairs,whereCarmona microphylla?is grown in a linear planting way.Finally,the seventh plain,namely Jiaotai Temple comes into view up to the stairs and the vegetation in front of the Temple coversZoysia tenuifolia,Ficus microcarpa,Hyophorbe lagenicaulis,andOsmanthus fragrans.A quadrate pond is behind the Temple,whereNymphaeaL.is grown.The surrounding walls are covered with Boston ivy.Specifically,the 7thplain is dominated by Guoxian Memorial,surrounded by eucalyptus andFicusmicrocarpa,supplemented byUlmus parvifoliaandFraxinus hubeiensis bonsai.In general,the whole building displays a landscape featured by white wall,grey tile and green trees.

Garden zonesThe garden zones include a hundred-fruitgarden,a peach garden,a pet garden and a cultivation area.

The white fruit garden is situated in flat areas dominated by fruit trees and the vegetation consists of three layers of arbor,shrub and grass or two layers of shrub and grass.At present,the upper layer coversFicus microcarpa,pinus,mango,olive,Michelia alba,Roystonea regiaandBambusa vulgarisin the hundred-fruit garden;the middle layer consists ofMelaleuca bracteata,Dracaena reflexa,PhyllantusEmblica,Syzygiumsamarangense,Psidium guajava,Plumeria rubra,Bambusaventricosa,Musa basjoo,Averrhoacarambola,Ixora chinensisandBougainvillea spectabilisand the down layer ofDuranta repens,Mimosa pudica,Uraria lagoposioides,lawn,and weed.

To the west of the hundred-fruit garden lies the white fruit garden,where border trees are grown on the left dominated by Bauhinia purpurea,and upper the road to the north a pet garden and a peach garden come into view.A Damayi sliding board is located in the center of the pet garden and surrounded with round-shaped greenbelts made ofDuranta repensin a coupled way.Fagraea ceilanicais planted within the cycle and surrounded withMichelia alba,peach,Terminalia mantaly,andFicus religiosa.What’s more,other facilities are installed,such as swings and cages for raising animals.However,it should recognize that chairs are unavailable under shades and the smells are distinct from raising animals.

The peach garden is planted with flowering peach, surrounded byPlumeria rubra,Vcmicia MontanaandFicus microcarpaand spring is so beautiful with delicate and charming peach blossoms and white Vcmicia Montana,attracting bees and butterflies.

In addition,bonsaiare much more, includingBougainvillea spectabilis,Fraxinus hupehensis,Ulmus parvifoliaandAlstonia scholarisand greenhouse cultivation is dominated by orchid family.

Inkstone-pond recreational areasThe areas include Xia Lake,Shanhai Hall,Qingfeng Booth,and a dining room.

Xia Lake is so clear but looks monotonous,for there are no aquatic plants.To the south of Xia Lake lie Qingfeng Booth and Shanhai Hall,planted withPodocarpus macrophyllus,olive,and willow,dominated byZoysia tenuifoliaand to the east lie groves.Besides,reed,willow and masson pine grow well in shoal water.Additionally,extensive forests and grasslands are situated in the north and west,mainly includingAcacia auriculaeformisandCinnamomum camphora.

Tea garden areasThe areas include scenic spots,such as a tea garden and Fish-known(“Zhiyu”)Pond.

Along the banks of the Fishknown pond are willows,Bougainvillea spectabilis and Philodendron.To the east lies a slope cultivated with Amygdalus persica and Ligustrum sinense,presenting a landscape featured by green tree,white wall,and grey tile.Besides,the tea garden has an area of about 1 hm2and the construction is underway.Nevertheless,the tea garden performs not so well as a landscape,because of limited labor and capital investment and poor management.What’sworse,affected by Wedelia chinensis,plants inside have been prevented in growth.

Entrance areasThe areas include a parking lot,a tourist center and an entrance square.

The parking lot is surrounded by eucalyptus andAcacia auriculiformis.Besides,Ficus microcarpaandErythrina indicaare grown on the left of the entrance.

In the tourist center,however,potted plants are not trimmed and scatter here and there under anOrmosiahosiei.Only some pottedBougainvillea spectabilisandSalvia splendensgrow well.

The entrance square has an area of about 600 m2,covered by lawns consisting ofZoysiajaponicaand Arachis duranensis,and the lawns are green and look beautiful,enhancing ornamental value of the entrance.The central part of the square has a fivepointed star-shaped afforestation land,but the component plants are few,so that afforestation landscape is not impressive.To the north and east,a row ofRoystonearegiaandFagraea ceilanicais grown,where the broad vision has been a good place for enjoying beautiful landscapes nearby.What’s more,tourists are able to watch sparkling water of Xia Lake and take a glance at Danfu Courtyard.To the west of the squre lies a Shiji Baoding(an ancient cooking vessel),surrounded with green hedgerow made ofCarmonamicrophylla,Altemanthera Ficoidea,Ligustrum sinenseandDuranta repens.

Roads to danfu courtyardThe en-trance sides of Yanfeng Park are grown withArchontophoenix alexandrae,surrounded with greenbelts consisting ofDuranta repensandFicus microcarpaand on the sides of roads to Danfu Courtyard,vegetation can be classified into three layers,including the upper layer ofEucalyptus robusta,Schima superba,Cinnamomum camphoraandBauhiniaLinn,the middle layer ofBridelia tomentosa,Broussonetia papyrifera,and Vcmicia Montana,and the down layer of Rubus alceaefoliusand fern.On the other hand,Hibiscus rosa-sinensisLinn.andBauhiniaLinn.dominate on the sides of entrance of the scenic spot,supplemented by Pinus massoniana andAcacia mangium.

Problems on Afforestation of Danfu Courtyard

Varied afforestation effects and monotonous forms in some places

In general,afforestation work of Danfu Courtyard lacks a complete and scientific plan.For example,towering trees are planted in some areas in the context of lawns,which is far from tridimensional sense of beauty.What’s rose,loess denudation is serious in some areas in the scenic spot,with lower vegetation coverage.As for ordinary scenic spot,vegetation arrangement is so disorder,such as Xia Lake.In conclusion,the landscapes are generally just some platitude,and evengreen plants dominate all the year round,lacking multi-layer afforestation,resulting in poor greening effects.

Unsatisifed afforestation without local characters

The vegetation planned in Danfu Courtyard,such as Alsophila spinulosa(the first-class national protection plant),is taken place by a foliage plant Philodendron,because of capital investment shortage.Consequently,due to such practice of doing shoddy work and using inferiormaterialin afforestation work,it is hard for the role of noble trees to be played in afforestation of the whole Danfu Courtyard.On the other hand,local characters are not taken into consideration,for instance,the proportion of local plants is always lower,includingPinus massoniana, cedarwood,Michelia maudiae,Cinnamomum burmanniandCinnamomum camphora.

Backward management and weak consciousness of environment protection among tourists

Afforestation management is not well implemented.For example,trees grow irregularly and weeds spring up around Xia Lake which hinder roads and it is difficult for tourists to get through.Besides,prevention work is not well done,such as disease and insect prevention,resulting in declining of lawn quality and planting in different densities has caused unfruitful trees,lower yield and poor fruit quality,deteriorated by shortage of daily maintenance and management technology.As for tourists,it is common that environment protection awareness is so poor that uncivil behaviors can be seen every where,such as throwing litter about,breaking off twigs,and tramping on the grass.

Affected phytocoenosium stability by overhigh proportion of quickgrowing tree species and invasive plant

The quick-growing tree species has a higher proportion in afforestation trees and invasive plants are much more,such asWedelia trilobata,affecting groundcover and reducing biodiversity.

Suggestions

The investigation and assessment on afforestation of Danfu Courtyard provide references for improvement on greening tree species and tree deployment in the Courtyard.It is notable that highlights should be given to greening and landscape construction on basis of afforestation planning available in order to characterize different scenic spots and enrich artificial phytocoenosium.

To enrich plant diversity

It is recommended to increase local trees to enrich plant diversity such asPinus massoniana,Cunninghamia lanceolata,Micheliamaudiae,Cinnamomum burmanni,andCinnamomum camphora,to create characteristic vegetative landscape. What’s more,noble trees can be added to certain extent in key scenic spots,includingCycas taiwaniana,Mussaenda anomalaLi,Alsophila spinulosaandFokienia hodginsii.The general principle of vegetation arrangement is that plant species should be diversified,including foliage plant,flowering plant and plants with ornamental fruits to create ornamental values throughout the year in a region.Still,attention should be paid to relationship among plantspecies,involving competing,parasitism and commensalism in case of wastes in terms of manpower and material resources[3].

To enrich vegetation level,hue and seasonal changes

It is important to enrich artificial plant community at increasing plant diversity and create three-dimensional and multi-layer afforestation landscape under the principle of organic matching of arbor,shrub and grass.Furthermore,Livistona chinensis,Archontophoenix alexandrae,Plumeria rubraandCanna indicaare also available to display a tropical landscape.Considering afforestation landscape is so dull in Danfu Courtyard,dominated evergreen plants,especially in autumn and winter,it is suggested to increase color-leaf species in autumn and evergreen in winter to guarantee tourists to enjoy flower blooming in spring,relax in a cool place in summer,watching colored leaves and fruits in autumn and evergreen in winter[4].

Toreinforcedailyplanningand management and improve maintenance technology

It is of significance to reinforce daily management,covering regular trimming on and prevention of disease and insects in the scenic spot,as well as improve maintenance technology to promote tree growth and afforestation.

To construct characteristic landscapes in Chaoqiao Cultural Tourism District

Danfu Courtyard is not only a scenic spot,but also a hub connecting countrymen residing in Thailand.Therefore,on the one hand,the construction style should reflect key connotation of Danfu Courtyard based on traditional Chaoshan dwellings featured by fire-ceased wall and grey tile roof.On the other hand,the construction should integration local traditional culture with Thailand culture to incorporate into graceful water and mountain-based landscapes.Additionally,simple construction should be for em-bellishment of the theme and allowing tourists to seek peach of mind and integrate with surrounding landscapes in the context of trees nearby[5].

Re-modification of afforestation in some scenic spots

The main buildings are characteristic landscape of Danfu Courtyard,which should be supplemented by parterre and flower border to incorporate buildings into water and mountains isolated with other scenic spots with hedgerow or pergola.As for extensive lawns,seasonal flowers can be selected to enhance ornamental value of the lawns.Foliage plants can be interspersed in the hundred-fruit garden periphery,which would echo with Bauhinia blakeana across the street,and the movable pergola is also feasible with seasonalflowers for tourist enjoyment.Within the hundredfruit garden,however,the areas can be classified by alley and step according to characteristics ofgarden of southern Changjiang delta,and the sub-areas can be constructed into artificial plant communities with mosaiculture and plant sculpture,added by ornamental plants.Fragrant plants can be grown in the recreation areas where animals are raised to clean airs.Terrestrial plants,hygrophyte and hydrophyte can be selected and grown on the banks of Xia Lake,as well as flowering peach and willow and many water activities can be developed on Xia Lake,such as sightseeing and fishing to attract more tourists.And that waterfowl and carp can be released on the Lake to formulate a benign ecosystem.Still,the rule of environment protection should be always a priority.Vegetations along Guoxian Memorial should be grown in a coupled way or in a row and Coniferous plants should be the firstchoice.Moreover,plant choice in the entrance roads should be made with consideration of color,fragrance,shape and growth to formulate a forest oxygenbar for the benefits of health keeping.In the context of local mountains,color-leaf trees can be increased to enrich the mountain beautify and vary landscapes in different seasons[6].

To improve environmental awareness among tourists

It is crucial to enhance promotion and management work on afforestation and environmental awareness among tourists to create an attracting tourism environment.

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