An ice storm in 2008 affected forests in Nanling Mountain, China. Researchers studied saplings in different forest communities 4 years later to understand biodiversity and distribution patterns. They found that each community had different numbers of saplings: deciduous forests had the most, followed by evergreen forests and mixed forests. The size of saplings varied among communities, with broad-leaved mixed forests having the most. Sapling species richness was higher than tree species, and dominant sapling species were found in clusters in each community. The ice storm helped with the regeneration and succession of the forests.