Pub Date : 2026-02-05DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123573
J. Vivian , R.L. Chazdon , A.A. Catling , A. Shapcott , J. Herbohn , D.J. Lee
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Acacia mangium monocultures can catalyse the recovery of the tree community and aboveground carbon stock in the Philippines” [For. Ecol. Manag. 601 (2026) 123357]","authors":"J. Vivian , R.L. Chazdon , A.A. Catling , A. Shapcott , J. Herbohn , D.J. Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123573","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123573","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"607 ","pages":"Article 123573"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146116480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-05DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123595
Nawa Raj Pokhrel , Joseph Dahlen , Thomas L. Eberhardt , Kamal J.K. Gandhi , Brittany F. Barnes
Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands along the fall line between the Piedmont and Coastal Plain physiographic regions periodically experience dieback events whereby gradual dying of tree branches, shoots, and/or roots can occur, ultimately resulting in tree mortality. The objective of this study was to compare resin canal features and wood properties of loblolly pine trees from planted stands along the fall line in Georgia, aged 21–30 years, with and without signs of dieback. Seven symptomatic and seven asymptomatic stands were selected for sampling. Increment cores were collected at breast height (1.37 m) from ten each of the following tree-types: 1) “healthy” trees from asymptomatic stands; 2) “healthy” trees from symptomatic stands; and 3) “unhealthy” trees from symptomatic stands. Radial ring-level properties, including basal area growth (basal area increment), resin canal size (cross-sectional area), specific gravity (SG) values for the earlywood, latewood, and the entire ring, and ultrasonic velocity (USV), were determined from a total of 210 cores. Models were developed to predict each property as a function of tree group and cambial age. Compared to asymptomatic healthy trees, symptomatic unhealthy trees had significantly lower basal area growth, higher earlywood SG, lower latewood SG, and smaller resin canals. Ring SG and USV were not different between tree-types, however basal area weighted USV was higher in the asymptomatic healthy trees. No traumatic resin ducts were found. Altogether, this study provides detailed information on the wood properties and resin canal features of loblolly pine trees experiencing dieback relative to those from asymptomatic stands.
{"title":"Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) trees experiencing dieback have altered resin canals, earlywood, and latewood relative to asymptomatic trees","authors":"Nawa Raj Pokhrel , Joseph Dahlen , Thomas L. Eberhardt , Kamal J.K. Gandhi , Brittany F. Barnes","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123595","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123595","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Loblolly pine (<em>Pinus taeda</em> L<em>.</em>) stands along the fall line between the Piedmont and Coastal Plain physiographic regions periodically experience dieback events whereby gradual dying of tree branches, shoots, and/or roots can occur, ultimately resulting in tree mortality. The objective of this study was to compare resin canal features and wood properties of loblolly pine trees from planted stands along the fall line in Georgia, aged 21–30 years, with and without signs of dieback. Seven symptomatic and seven asymptomatic stands were selected for sampling. Increment cores were collected at breast height (1.37 m) from ten each of the following tree-types: 1) “healthy” trees from asymptomatic stands; 2) “healthy” trees from symptomatic stands; and 3) “unhealthy” trees from symptomatic stands. Radial ring-level properties, including basal area growth (basal area increment), resin canal size (cross-sectional area), specific gravity (SG) values for the earlywood, latewood, and the entire ring, and ultrasonic velocity (USV), were determined from a total of 210 cores. Models were developed to predict each property as a function of tree group and cambial age. Compared to asymptomatic healthy trees, symptomatic unhealthy trees had significantly lower basal area growth, higher earlywood SG, lower latewood SG, and smaller resin canals. Ring SG and USV were not different between tree-types, however basal area weighted USV was higher in the asymptomatic healthy trees. No traumatic resin ducts were found. Altogether, this study provides detailed information on the wood properties and resin canal features of loblolly pine trees experiencing dieback relative to those from asymptomatic stands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"607 ","pages":"Article 123595"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146116481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-05DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123596
Rabia Amen, Emily White , Drew Williams, Joshua Granger, Courtney Siegert
{"title":"Corrigendum to ‘Species level differences in decomposition rates and deadwood carbon storage in the southeastern United States’ [For. Ecol. Manag., 598 (2025) 123193]","authors":"Rabia Amen, Emily White , Drew Williams, Joshua Granger, Courtney Siegert","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123596","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123596","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"607 ","pages":"Article 123596"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146116478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123591
Ricardo S. Ceia , Pedro B. Lopes , Nuno Faria , Luís P. da Silva
Global expansion of eucalypt plantations raises concerns over their ecological impacts, particularly on bird communities. We evaluated how land-use change to eucalypt plantations affects taxonomic and functional diversity of birds, comparing plantations with shrublands (directly replaced), agricultural lands (alternative land use), and natural forests (potential native vegetation) in central Portugal. We also assessed how habitat heterogeneity within plantations, defined by vegetation structure, composition, and landscape context, shapes bird community assembly. Taxonomic diversity was measured using species richness and Shannon’s equitability, while functional diversity was quantified via functional richness, evenness, divergence, and dispersion. Eucalypt plantations had the lowest species richness and functional richness, shrublands were intermediate, and agricultural lands and natural forests had the highest diversity. Functional divergence was higher in plantations than in agricultural lands but similar to shrublands and natural forests. Plantations shared a functional composition with shrublands, suggesting that simplified vertical structure limits tree-associated species. Within plantations, bird assemblages were shaped by cross-scale interactions between local vegetation structure and landscape context. Tree height and understory development determined local habitat suitability for multiple functional groups, while landscape-scale plantation cover mediated broader patterns of functional group abundance. These results indicate that conversion to eucalypt monocultures reduces both taxonomic and functional diversity, representing a net loss of ecological roles relative to directly and indirectly replaced land uses. Our study underscores that enhancing structural complexity and integrating stand-level management with landscape planning are essential to reconcile production goals with bird conservation in plantation-dominated regions.
{"title":"Land-use change to eucalypt plantations decreases taxonomic and functional diversity of bird communities","authors":"Ricardo S. Ceia , Pedro B. Lopes , Nuno Faria , Luís P. da Silva","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123591","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123591","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global expansion of eucalypt plantations raises concerns over their ecological impacts, particularly on bird communities. We evaluated how land-use change to eucalypt plantations affects taxonomic and functional diversity of birds, comparing plantations with shrublands (directly replaced), agricultural lands (alternative land use), and natural forests (potential native vegetation) in central Portugal. We also assessed how habitat heterogeneity within plantations, defined by vegetation structure, composition, and landscape context, shapes bird community assembly. Taxonomic diversity was measured using species richness and Shannon’s equitability, while functional diversity was quantified via functional richness, evenness, divergence, and dispersion. Eucalypt plantations had the lowest species richness and functional richness, shrublands were intermediate, and agricultural lands and natural forests had the highest diversity. Functional divergence was higher in plantations than in agricultural lands but similar to shrublands and natural forests. Plantations shared a functional composition with shrublands, suggesting that simplified vertical structure limits tree-associated species. Within plantations, bird assemblages were shaped by cross-scale interactions between local vegetation structure and landscape context. Tree height and understory development determined local habitat suitability for multiple functional groups, while landscape-scale plantation cover mediated broader patterns of functional group abundance. These results indicate that conversion to eucalypt monocultures reduces both taxonomic and functional diversity, representing a net loss of ecological roles relative to directly and indirectly replaced land uses. Our study underscores that enhancing structural complexity and integrating stand-level management with landscape planning are essential to reconcile production goals with bird conservation in plantation-dominated regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"607 ","pages":"Article 123591"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146116479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-30DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123568
Fernando Pérez-Cabello, Roberto Serrano-Notivoli, Raquel Montorio, Cristian Iranzo
In Mediterranean ecosystems, high-frequency hydroclimatic variability, along with shifts in the fire regime, are key drivers of forest degradation. In this context, understanding post-fire vegetation recovery is crucial for both ecological research and forest management standpoint. Satellite-based remote sensing, particularly through orbital platforms, provides a robust framework for tracking post-fire vegetation dynamics. We assessed recovery patterns across 30 fire-affected areas in Aragón (northeastern Spain) by analyzing temporal trends in the Leaf Area Index (LAI), a widely used proxy for canopy structure, primary productivity, and vegetation health. Using Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs), we modeled LAI trajectories as a function of fire severity, dominant plant regenerative traits, and post-fire climatic conditions (drought or wet periods), including fire location as a random effect to account for spatial heterogeneity among burn sites. The models showed strong predictive capacity (R² ≈ 0.80), and the inclusion of random effects substantially improved model fit, underscoring the importance of site-specific factors in shaping recovery dynamics. Fire severity and post-fire moisture availability—particularly during the first years—were the most influential drivers of LAI regeneration. The regeneration mechanism of dominant vegetation also contributed to early post-fire recovery, although its influence diminished over time. From a forest management perspective, these findings can inform the design of post-fire recovery strategies based on different post-fire moisture and severity conditions.
{"title":"The climate-fire nexus: Understanding post-fire vegetation recovery","authors":"Fernando Pérez-Cabello, Roberto Serrano-Notivoli, Raquel Montorio, Cristian Iranzo","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123568","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123568","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In Mediterranean ecosystems, high-frequency hydroclimatic variability, along with shifts in the fire regime, are key drivers of forest degradation. In this context, understanding post-fire vegetation recovery is crucial for both ecological research and forest management standpoint. Satellite-based remote sensing, particularly through orbital platforms, provides a robust framework for tracking post-fire vegetation dynamics. We assessed recovery patterns across 30 fire-affected areas in Aragón (northeastern Spain) by analyzing temporal trends in the Leaf Area Index (LAI), a widely used proxy for canopy structure, primary productivity, and vegetation health. Using Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs), we modeled LAI trajectories as a function of fire severity, dominant plant regenerative traits, and post-fire climatic conditions (drought or wet periods), including fire location as a random effect to account for spatial heterogeneity among burn sites. The models showed strong predictive capacity (R² ≈ 0.80), and the inclusion of random effects substantially improved model fit, underscoring the importance of site-specific factors in shaping recovery dynamics. Fire severity and post-fire moisture availability—particularly during the first years—were the most influential drivers of LAI regeneration. The regeneration mechanism of dominant vegetation also contributed to early post-fire recovery, although its influence diminished over time. From a forest management perspective, these findings can inform the design of post-fire recovery strategies based on different post-fire moisture and severity conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123568"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-30DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123563
Jiangfeng Wang , Fangyin Pan , Kate Heal , Chuifan Zhou
Available phosphorus (AP) is a critical limiting factor for productivity and nutrient cycling in subtropical Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) plantations. However, plantation soils are typically acidic and phosphorus deficient, resulting in persistently low AP levels. Biochar, owing to its distinct physicochemical properties, is considered effective in improving soil conditions and nutrient availability. However, how soil AP responds to biochar over time remains poorly understood, particularly whether early increases can be sustained or instead diminish and reverse over time. In this study, a field experiment was conducted in a subtropical 3-year-old Chinese fir plantation in Fujian Province, China. The experiment was established on an acidic red soil (Ultisol) with a sandy loam texture. Corn straw biochar produced at 400–500 °C under oxygen-limited slow pyrolysis was applied once at four rates (0, 0.5, 1, and 2 kg plant−1) to replicated plots. Soil samples from each plot were collected at 6, 12, and 18 months after biochar application and analyzed for soil AP, phosphorus fractions, pH, Fe/Al oxides, and microbial communities. Biochar application significantly increased soil AP concentrations at 6–12 months, with AP increasing by 18–56 % at 6 months and 10–47 % at 12 months relative to the control and showing a clear dose-dependent pattern. However, by 18 months, soil AP in all biochar treatments had declined markedly and decreased by 72–76 % relative to the control, indicating that the initial AP enhancement was not sustained and reversed over time. Machine learning and structural equation modeling applied to identify drivers of AP showed that early increases in AP were driven by elevated soil pH and weakened Fe/Al fixation, whereas later declines were associated with Ca-P precipitation and sustained Fe/Al-P stabilization. Consistent with this shift, Ca-bound P increased by 22–36 %, while Fe-P and Al-P decreased by 17–60 % at 18 months relative to the control. Biochar also reshaped soil bacterial communities and P-cycling functional groups, with Proteobacteria-dominated phosphate-solubilizing assemblages and certain Actinobacteriota showing treatment- and time-dependent shifts that were linked to changes in soil AP dynamics. Overall, biochar effectively alleviates soil phosphorus limitation in subtropical Chinese fir plantations in the short term, but its effect is strongly time dependent and may diminish and reverse over time. Our results highlight soil pH elevation and Ca-P precipitation as the dominant biochar-associated drivers of AP dynamics. Since a single high-dose biochar application, although highly effective in the short term, tends to accelerate fixation processes in the long term, plantation management should consider low-dose repeated biochar applications or integration with organic amendments to prolong the effect and sustain nutrient supply and ecosystem functioning.
{"title":"Biochar-induced enhancement of soil available phosphorus shows pronounced temporal dynamics in subtropical Chinese fir plantations","authors":"Jiangfeng Wang , Fangyin Pan , Kate Heal , Chuifan Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123563","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123563","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Available phosphorus (AP) is a critical limiting factor for productivity and nutrient cycling in subtropical Chinese fir (<em>Cunninghamia lanceolata</em>) plantations. However, plantation soils are typically acidic and phosphorus deficient, resulting in persistently low AP levels. Biochar, owing to its distinct physicochemical properties, is considered effective in improving soil conditions and nutrient availability. However, how soil AP responds to biochar over time remains poorly understood, particularly whether early increases can be sustained or instead diminish and reverse over time. In this study, a field experiment was conducted in a subtropical 3-year-old Chinese fir plantation in Fujian Province, China. The experiment was established on an acidic red soil (Ultisol) with a sandy loam texture. Corn straw biochar produced at 400–500 °C under oxygen-limited slow pyrolysis was applied once at four rates (0, 0.5, 1, and 2 kg plant<sup>−1</sup>) to replicated plots. Soil samples from each plot were collected at 6, 12, and 18 months after biochar application and analyzed for soil AP, phosphorus fractions, pH, Fe/Al oxides, and microbial communities. Biochar application significantly increased soil AP concentrations at 6–12 months, with AP increasing by 18–56 % at 6 months and 10–47 % at 12 months relative to the control and showing a clear dose-dependent pattern. However, by 18 months, soil AP in all biochar treatments had declined markedly and decreased by 72–76 % relative to the control, indicating that the initial AP enhancement was not sustained and reversed over time. Machine learning and structural equation modeling applied to identify drivers of AP showed that early increases in AP were driven by elevated soil pH and weakened Fe/Al fixation, whereas later declines were associated with Ca-P precipitation and sustained Fe/Al-P stabilization. Consistent with this shift, Ca-bound P increased by 22–36 %, while Fe-P and Al-P decreased by 17–60 % at 18 months relative to the control. Biochar also reshaped soil bacterial communities and P-cycling functional groups, with Proteobacteria-dominated phosphate-solubilizing assemblages and certain Actinobacteriota showing treatment- and time-dependent shifts that were linked to changes in soil AP dynamics. Overall, biochar effectively alleviates soil phosphorus limitation in subtropical Chinese fir plantations in the short term, but its effect is strongly time dependent and may diminish and reverse over time. Our results highlight soil pH elevation and Ca-P precipitation as the dominant biochar-associated drivers of AP dynamics. Since a single high-dose biochar application, although highly effective in the short term, tends to accelerate fixation processes in the long term, plantation management should consider low-dose repeated biochar applications or integration with organic amendments to prolong the effect and sustain nutrient supply and ecosystem functioning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123563"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075258","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Forest continuity is often assumed to increase bryophyte diversity, yet in Mediterranean Spanish fir (Abies pinsapo) forests we found no effect of stand age on richness, composition, or assemblage structure. Across paired old and young stands, generalized linear mixed models showed that age (a proxy for temporal continuity) was not a significant predictor of species richness, and no age-by-environment interactions altered this result. Community structure was instead explained by atmospheric water availability and microtopographic context. Distance-based redundancy analyses identified cloud probability (horizontal rain) as the main driver of epiphyte richness, whereas terrain roughness additionally influenced terricolous and saxicolous species. Turnover (β) depended on spatial proximity rather than age, and no bryophyte species or species combinations were identified as indicators of stand age. Older Spanish fir stands lack much of the bryoflora typical of old-growth forests, likely reflecting centuries of intensive management; therefore, assessments of forest continuity in Mediterranean systems should explicitly account for historical land use. From a conservation perspective, current old-growth trees host few specialists of dead wood or of microniches on old trunks and branches. Nevertheless, the similarity of assemblages between old and young stands indicates functional connectivity and rapid colonization of regenerating patches, with older stands acting as retention/source areas that seed adjacent young forests and thereby support ongoing restoration approaches.
{"title":"Does forest stand age matters in Mediterranean forests? Bryophyte richness and composition in the endemic Spanish fir woodlands","authors":"Laura Santamaria-Gozalo , Aida Calvo-Torralbo , Sergio Pérez-Ortega , Jesús Muñoz","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123561","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123561","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest continuity is often assumed to increase bryophyte diversity, yet in Mediterranean Spanish fir (<em>Abies pinsapo</em>) forests we found no effect of stand age on richness, composition, or assemblage structure. Across paired old and young stands, generalized linear mixed models showed that age (a proxy for temporal continuity) was not a significant predictor of species richness, and no age-by-environment interactions altered this result. Community structure was instead explained by atmospheric water availability and microtopographic context. Distance-based redundancy analyses identified cloud probability (horizontal rain) as the main driver of epiphyte richness, whereas terrain roughness additionally influenced terricolous and saxicolous species. Turnover (β) depended on spatial proximity rather than age, and no bryophyte species or species combinations were identified as indicators of stand age. Older Spanish fir stands lack much of the bryoflora typical of old-growth forests, likely reflecting centuries of intensive management; therefore, assessments of forest continuity in Mediterranean systems should explicitly account for historical land use. From a conservation perspective, current old-growth trees host few specialists of dead wood or of microniches on old trunks and branches. Nevertheless, the similarity of assemblages between old and young stands indicates functional connectivity and rapid colonization of regenerating patches, with older stands acting as retention/source areas that seed adjacent young forests and thereby support ongoing restoration approaches.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123561"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146074932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123565
Khanh Ton , Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur , Natalie L. Cleavitt , Abigail Powell , Heidi Asbjornsen
Northern red oak (Quercus rubra) is predicted to expand northward in the northeastern United States with climate change and could increase functional diversity of northern forests. However, red oak regeneration currently faces many challenges including herbivory, pathogens, and consequences of forest mesophication such as light insufficiency and competition with more mesic species. Prescribed burns may address some of these challenges to oak recruitment and establishment. In the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, we studied pairs of stands harvested within the past decade, with one stand in each pair receiving a prescribed burn of low-moderate intensity. We surveyed and measured naturally regenerated oak seedlings along transects over two years. Seedling density in burned stands was three times the density in paired unburned controls. Seedlings in burned stands had larger root collar diameters, greater extension growth, and more leaves, likely due to greater light availability in burned stands. Additionally, in a mesocosm experiment, seedlings grown in burned soil developed faster and had thicker root collars by the end of the first season than those grown in unburned soil, suggesting additional soil-mediated benefits. Our study demonstrates positive effects of burning for red oak regeneration via both aboveground and belowground mechanisms and affirms prescribed fire as a potentially beneficial silvicultural management tool for northern red oak at and near its northern range limit. However, in stands where advance regeneration of oak is lacking, a single prescribed burn may not be sufficient to regenerate mature oaks without additional silvicultural intervention.
随着气候变化，北方红橡树（Quercus rubra）预计将在美国东北部向北扩张，并可能增加北方森林的功能多样性。然而，红橡树的再生目前面临着许多挑战，包括草食、病原菌和森林中植化的后果，如光照不足和与更多中植物种的竞争。处方烧伤可以解决橡树招募和建立的一些挑战。在新罕布什尔州的白山国家森林（White Mountain National Forest），我们研究了过去10年里收获的几对林分，每对林分中有一处接受了规定的低、中等强度的焚烧。我们在两年多的时间里沿着样带对自然再生的橡树幼苗进行了调查和测量。燃烧林分的幼苗密度是未燃烧对照的3倍。燃烧林分的幼苗具有较大的根颈直径、较大的伸长生长和更多的叶片，这可能是由于燃烧林分的光利用率较高。此外，在一个中生态实验中，在烧焦的土壤中生长的幼苗比在未烧焦的土壤中生长的幼苗在第一季结束时生长得更快，根圈更粗，这表明了额外的土壤介导的好处。我们的研究通过地上和地下两种机制证明了燃烧对红橡树再生的积极影响，并确认了规定的火灾是一种潜在的有益的北方红橡树的造林管理工具。然而，在橡树缺乏提前再生的林分中，如果没有额外的造林干预，单一的规定燃烧可能不足以再生成熟的橡树。
{"title":"Effects of prescribed fire on Quercus rubra regeneration near its northern range limit","authors":"Khanh Ton , Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur , Natalie L. Cleavitt , Abigail Powell , Heidi Asbjornsen","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123565","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123565","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Northern red oak (<em>Quercus rubra</em>) is predicted to expand northward in the northeastern United States with climate change and could increase functional diversity of northern forests. However, red oak regeneration currently faces many challenges including herbivory, pathogens, and consequences of forest mesophication such as light insufficiency and competition with more mesic species. Prescribed burns may address some of these challenges to oak recruitment and establishment. In the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, we studied pairs of stands harvested within the past decade, with one stand in each pair receiving a prescribed burn of low-moderate intensity. We surveyed and measured naturally regenerated oak seedlings along transects over two years. Seedling density in burned stands was three times the density in paired unburned controls. Seedlings in burned stands had larger root collar diameters, greater extension growth, and more leaves, likely due to greater light availability in burned stands. Additionally, in a mesocosm experiment, seedlings grown in burned soil developed faster and had thicker root collars by the end of the first season than those grown in unburned soil, suggesting additional soil-mediated benefits. Our study demonstrates positive effects of burning for red oak regeneration via both aboveground and belowground mechanisms and affirms prescribed fire as a potentially beneficial silvicultural management tool for northern red oak at and near its northern range limit. However, in stands where advance regeneration of oak is lacking, a single prescribed burn may not be sufficient to regenerate mature oaks without additional silvicultural intervention.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123565"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123550
Adrian Pascual , Juan Guerra-Hernández
The temporal harmonization of Earth Observation datasets into numerical embeddings at the global scale and at high resolution over time is ground-breaking. Using Google’s Alpha Earth Foundations (AEF) product over Spain we estimate and predict biomass comparing the performance of two reference datasets: estimates from GEDI at the footprint level and enhanced-geolocated field inventory plots. These measurements, biomass estimates from GEDI and AEF reference year matched in time for out study area - the largest region in Spain. Biomass estimates for AEF showed moderate-low errors (mean % RMSE in calibrations = 0.31) when using inventory plots although. For the GEDI-based calibration strategy, errors were larger (0.38) but for some sub-jurisdictions the performance was nearly identical. We found a ∼20 % error increase in the interval validation in both cases. The embeddings that most contributed to explain biomass were common in the two alternatives, showing consistency across the experiment and reference results for upcoming studies. Our biomass predictions were further validated using independent estimates from canopy height information – airborne lidar and imputed waveforms. Calibrating AEF with inventory plots matched the accuracy of biomass predicted from on-orbit GEDI biomass models and precise lidar-simulated canopy structure used as predictor. Our results showed that AEF trained with field plots can be a promising solution to maximize NFI datasets for large-scale biomass mapping at yearly periodicities. Where biases in GEDI biomass models are low - or where field plot data is not available - biomass estimates from GEDI are can train AEF with sufficiency and over time - increasing the limited temporal range that NFI measurements offer – expanding the ability of GEDI data users to generate carbon biomass to support forest management and conservation among other many GEDI data applications.
{"title":"Integration of Google’s Alpha Earth Foundations into biomass estimation combined with GEDI spaceborne lidar and field inventory data","authors":"Adrian Pascual , Juan Guerra-Hernández","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123550","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123550","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The temporal harmonization of Earth Observation datasets into numerical embeddings at the global scale and at high resolution over time is ground-breaking. Using Google’s Alpha Earth Foundations (AEF) product over Spain we estimate and predict biomass comparing the performance of two reference datasets: estimates from GEDI at the footprint level and enhanced-geolocated field inventory plots. These measurements, biomass estimates from GEDI and AEF reference year matched in time for out study area - the largest region in Spain. Biomass estimates for AEF showed moderate-low errors (mean % RMSE in calibrations = 0.31) when using inventory plots although. For the GEDI-based calibration strategy, errors were larger (0.38) but for some sub-jurisdictions the performance was nearly identical. We found a ∼20 % error increase in the interval validation in both cases. The embeddings that most contributed to explain biomass were common in the two alternatives, showing consistency across the experiment and reference results for upcoming studies. Our biomass predictions were further validated using independent estimates from canopy height information – airborne lidar and imputed waveforms. Calibrating AEF with inventory plots matched the accuracy of biomass predicted from on-orbit GEDI biomass models and precise lidar-simulated canopy structure used as predictor. Our results showed that AEF trained with field plots can be a promising solution to maximize NFI datasets for large-scale biomass mapping at yearly periodicities. Where biases in GEDI biomass models are low - or where field plot data is not available - biomass estimates from GEDI are can train AEF with sufficiency and over time - increasing the limited temporal range that NFI measurements offer – expanding the ability of GEDI data users to generate carbon biomass to support forest management and conservation among other many GEDI data applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123550"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123556
Estrella Conde-Raposo , Francisco M. Azcárate , Jesús López-Angulo , F. Javier Jiménez-López , David S. Pescador , Victoria Calvo-Donate , Manuel Rojo-Valencia , Nínive Navas-Golmar , Adrián Escudero , Ana I. García-Cervigón
Restoring forests is a global priority action for reverting biodiversity loss and sustaining essential ecosystem services. Among the most widespread strategies, tree planting dominates efforts worldwide, but its capacity to recover biodiversity and ecosystem processes remains uncertain. In this context, ants are increasingly recognized as key indicators of ecological conditions due to their sensitivity to environmental change and their role in multiple ecosystem functions. In this study, we evaluated the ecological value of pine plantations by examining ant biodiversity and community composition in comparison with mature well-conserved reference forests in Mediterranean ecosystems. We specifically assessed how forest structure, soil properties, management practices and vegetation composition influence ant communities. Our results showed that mature forests host more forest-associated ant species, while plantations are dominated by widespread generalists. Structural heterogeneity and forest management favored forest species but reduced overall richness, abundance and Simpson diversity. In plantations, taller trees and older stands were associated with fewer widespread species, suggesting changes in the dominance structure of ant assemblages. Ant community composition was influenced by forest type, vegetation composition, and tree height. These findings indicate that pine plantations form different ant assemblages that do not fully replicate those of mature forests, even after a century. We highlight the importance of conserving existing native forests and the need to incorporate faunal metrics into success restoration assessments.
{"title":"The value of old pine plantations in ants' conservation in the Mediterranean: a comparison with well-conserved forests","authors":"Estrella Conde-Raposo , Francisco M. Azcárate , Jesús López-Angulo , F. Javier Jiménez-López , David S. Pescador , Victoria Calvo-Donate , Manuel Rojo-Valencia , Nínive Navas-Golmar , Adrián Escudero , Ana I. García-Cervigón","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123556","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123556","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Restoring forests is a global priority action for reverting biodiversity loss and sustaining essential ecosystem services. Among the most widespread strategies, tree planting dominates efforts worldwide, but its capacity to recover biodiversity and ecosystem processes remains uncertain. In this context, ants are increasingly recognized as key indicators of ecological conditions due to their sensitivity to environmental change and their role in multiple ecosystem functions. In this study, we evaluated the ecological value of pine plantations by examining ant biodiversity and community composition in comparison with mature well-conserved reference forests in Mediterranean ecosystems. We specifically assessed how forest structure, soil properties, management practices and vegetation composition influence ant communities. Our results showed that mature forests host more forest-associated ant species, while plantations are dominated by widespread generalists. Structural heterogeneity and forest management favored forest species but reduced overall richness, abundance and Simpson diversity. In plantations, taller trees and older stands were associated with fewer widespread species, suggesting changes in the dominance structure of ant assemblages. Ant community composition was influenced by forest type, vegetation composition, and tree height. These findings indicate that pine plantations form different ant assemblages that do not fully replicate those of mature forests, even after a century. We highlight the importance of conserving existing native forests and the need to incorporate faunal metrics into success restoration assessments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123556"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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