Pub Date : 2026-04-15Epub 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":"2026-04-15","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 : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-01-20DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123531
Martyna Lasek , Bartosz Łabiszak , Witold M. Wachowiak
Climate change poses a significant threat to the sustainability of European forests, emphasizing the urgent need for informed selection of reproductive material and the conservation of genetic resources in key tree species. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), one of Europe's most widespread and economically important conifers, exhibits broad phenotypic and ecological variation, making it a priority for adaptive forest management. In this study, we investigated the genetic variation of 56 populations comprising Poland’s best-performing registered seed stands (PL_RSS), ecologically distinct mountain populations (PLM), and reference populations from Northern, Southern, and Western Europe. A total of 1269 individuals were genotyped using mitochondrial DNA markers and over 37,000 genome-wide SNPs to infer demographic history, migration, and potential signatures of historical gene flow. Our analyses revealed high genetic diversity and weak population structure within PL_RSS, consistent with a history of admixture among divergent European lineages, as supported by TreeMix, F-statistics, and spatial migration modelling (FEEMS). In contrast, PLM populations were strongly differentiated, carried unique mtDNA haplotypes, and exhibited signs of long-term isolation, suggesting a glacial refugial origin. These findings provide the first genomic-scale evidence that historical admixture has enhanced the genetic diversity and potential adaptive capacity of Polish Scots pine seed stands. The admixed and genetically rich PL_RSS populations represent valuable resources for breeding programs, including assisted migration and resilience testing under drought and biotic stress conditions. At the same time, the genetically distinct PLM populations warrant conservation priority due to their unique evolutionary legacy. Together, our results advocate a dual forest management strategy combining the use of high-diversity, well-connected seed sources for adaptive forestry with targeted conservation of isolated mountain populations. This approach is essential for preserving genetic diversity, supporting climate-resilient forestry, and maintaining the long-term productivity of Scots pine forests in a rapidly changing environment.
{"title":"Admixture-driven genetic diversity supports adaptive potential in Scots pine: Implications for climate-resilient forest management","authors":"Martyna Lasek , Bartosz Łabiszak , Witold M. Wachowiak","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123531","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123531","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change poses a significant threat to the sustainability of European forests, emphasizing the urgent need for informed selection of reproductive material and the conservation of genetic resources in key tree species. Scots pine (<em>Pinus sylvestris</em> L.), one of Europe's most widespread and economically important conifers, exhibits broad phenotypic and ecological variation, making it a priority for adaptive forest management. In this study, we investigated the genetic variation of 56 populations comprising Poland’s best-performing registered seed stands (PL_RSS), ecologically distinct mountain populations (PLM), and reference populations from Northern, Southern, and Western Europe. A total of 1269 individuals were genotyped using mitochondrial DNA markers and over 37,000 genome-wide SNPs to infer demographic history, migration, and potential signatures of historical gene flow. Our analyses revealed high genetic diversity and weak population structure within PL_RSS, consistent with a history of admixture among divergent European lineages, as supported by TreeMix, F-statistics, and spatial migration modelling (FEEMS). In contrast, PLM populations were strongly differentiated, carried unique <em>mt</em>DNA haplotypes, and exhibited signs of long-term isolation, suggesting a glacial refugial origin. These findings provide the first genomic-scale evidence that historical admixture has enhanced the genetic diversity and potential adaptive capacity of Polish Scots pine seed stands. The admixed and genetically rich PL_RSS populations represent valuable resources for breeding programs, including assisted migration and resilience testing under drought and biotic stress conditions. At the same time, the genetically distinct PLM populations warrant conservation priority due to their unique evolutionary legacy. Together, our results advocate a dual forest management strategy combining the use of high-diversity, well-connected seed sources for adaptive forestry with targeted conservation of isolated mountain populations. This approach is essential for preserving genetic diversity, supporting climate-resilient forestry, and maintaining the long-term productivity of Scots pine forests in a rapidly changing environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123531"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036177","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 : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-01-17DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123529
Sarah L. Hettema , Camille Stevens-Rumann , Hannah Van Dusen , Mike A. Battaglia , Anthony G. Vorster , Jens Stevens
As extreme wildfire events become more frequent, understanding how forest treatments interact with wildfire is increasingly critical. However, assessing wildfire-treatment outcomes is challenging due to interactions among treatments, weather, topography, and fuels. We investigated wildfires from southern Wyoming to northern New Mexico to evaluate under what conditions treatments reduce the ecological impacts of fire, as measured by remotely sensed burn severity. We determined (1) factors influencing the relationship between treatments and burn severity, (2) how burn severity differed across forest and treatment types, and (3) how extreme burning conditions influenced outcomes. Treatment effects varied by forest types, with generally lower burn severity outcomes in lower elevation, frequent fire forest types compared to spruce - fir and lodgepole pine (higher elevation, infrequent fire) forests. Areas that previously burned at low to moderate severity or with prescribed fire had the lowest burn severity outcomes across forest types and even during extreme burning conditions. In contrast, treatments without fire (tree removal and/or surface fuels reduction) had mixed effects across forest types and had equivalent burn severity to untreated areas in infrequent fire forests during extreme burning conditions.
{"title":"Burn severity across forest types and burning conditions for forest treatments on the southern rockies Front Range","authors":"Sarah L. Hettema , Camille Stevens-Rumann , Hannah Van Dusen , Mike A. Battaglia , Anthony G. Vorster , Jens Stevens","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123529","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123529","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As extreme wildfire events become more frequent, understanding how forest treatments interact with wildfire is increasingly critical. However, assessing wildfire-treatment outcomes is challenging due to interactions among treatments, weather, topography, and fuels. We investigated wildfires from southern Wyoming to northern New Mexico to evaluate under what conditions treatments reduce the ecological impacts of fire, as measured by remotely sensed burn severity. We determined (1) factors influencing the relationship between treatments and burn severity, (2) how burn severity differed across forest and treatment types, and (3) how extreme burning conditions influenced outcomes. Treatment effects varied by forest types, with generally lower burn severity outcomes in lower elevation, frequent fire forest types compared to spruce - fir and lodgepole pine (higher elevation, infrequent fire) forests. Areas that previously burned at low to moderate severity or with prescribed fire had the lowest burn severity outcomes across forest types and even during extreme burning conditions. In contrast, treatments without fire (tree removal and/or surface fuels reduction) had mixed effects across forest types and had equivalent burn severity to untreated areas in infrequent fire forests during extreme burning conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123529"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145986699","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 : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-01-26DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123557
Beatrice Thumb von Neuburg , Christian Eder , Mohsen Zarebanakouki , Isabelle Pfeiffer , Wolfgang Falk , Dominik Thom
The potential of altering forest management strategies to support the European Union’s (EU) climate-mitigation goals has been widely debated. However, evidence is particularly scarce for direct comparisons between alternative management strategies under comparable site conditions, making it challenging to design robust forest management recommendations. In this study, we investigated mixed oak forests in a dry region of Bavaria, Germany, (i) to evaluate how fundamentally different management strategies effect the in situ carbon balance and (ii) to identify possible drivers of carbon storage and sequestration. We assessed total ecosystem carbon storage and aboveground carbon sequestration in 93 plots (31 stands), comparing High Forests (HF), Coppice-with-Standards (CWS) and an unmanaged Nature Reserve (NR). Using a model averaging approach for multiple linear regressions, we assessed the drivers of carbon storage and sequestration. Total carbon storage differed only marginally and was not statistically significant (p > 0.05) among the three management strategies with, on average, 173.8 t C ha⁻¹ in HF, 191.4 t C ha⁻¹ in CWS, and 192.1 t C ha⁻¹ in NR. Aboveground carbon sequestration was, on average, highest in CWS (3.51 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) compared to HF (2.40 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and NR (2.16 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹), yet these differences were also not statistically significant. Indicators of structural diversity, including maximum tree height, and variation in diameter at breast height, were significantly positively associated with carbon storage. We did not identify any statistically significant variables explaining carbon sequestration. Our results indicate that a fundamental shift in management from HF to CWS or ceasing management entirely (NR) is unlikely to yield large mid-term carbon benefits in mixed oak forests. We conclude that even a fundamental change in the management of mixed oak forests is unlikely to substantially contribute to achieving national and EU climate targets.
改变森林管理战略以支持欧盟（EU）气候缓解目标的可能性一直备受争议。然而，在可比较的场地条件下，直接比较备选管理战略的证据特别少，因此很难提出有力的森林管理建议。在这项研究中，我们调查了德国巴伐利亚干旱地区的混合栎林，(i)评估了根本不同的管理策略如何影响原位碳平衡，（ii）确定了碳储存和固存的可能驱动因素。研究了93个样地（31个林分）的生态系统总碳储量和地上碳固存量，并对阔叶林（HF）、带标准灌木林（CWS）和无管理自然保护区（NR）进行了比较。利用多元线性回归的模型平均方法，我们评估了碳储存和固存的驱动因素。总碳储存略微不同,无统计学意义(p 祝辞 0.05)三个管理策略中,平均173.8 t C ha⁻¹ 在高频,191.4 t C ha⁻¹ 水煤浆,和192.1 t C ha⁻¹ NR。地上碳封存,平均而言,最高的水煤浆(3.51 t C 公顷⁻¹年⁻¹)相比,高频(2.40 t C 公顷⁻¹年⁻¹)和NR (2.16 t C 公顷⁻¹年⁻¹),然而,这些差异也不显著。结构多样性指标，包括最大树高和胸径变化，与碳储量呈显著正相关。我们没有发现任何统计学上显著的变量来解释碳固存。我们的研究结果表明，从HF到CWS管理的根本转变或完全停止管理（NR）不太可能在混合栎林中产生很大的中期碳效益。我们的结论是，即使对混合栎林的管理进行根本性的改变，也不太可能对实现国家和欧盟的气候目标做出实质性的贡献。
{"title":"Can a fundamental change in forest management improve the forest carbon balance of mixed oak forests in Central Europe?","authors":"Beatrice Thumb von Neuburg , Christian Eder , Mohsen Zarebanakouki , Isabelle Pfeiffer , Wolfgang Falk , Dominik Thom","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123557","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123557","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The potential of altering forest management strategies to support the European Union’s (EU) climate-mitigation goals has been widely debated. However, evidence is particularly scarce for direct comparisons between alternative management strategies under comparable site conditions, making it challenging to design robust forest management recommendations. In this study, we investigated mixed oak forests in a dry region of Bavaria, Germany, (i) to evaluate how fundamentally different management strategies effect the <em>in situ</em> carbon balance and (ii) to identify possible drivers of carbon storage and sequestration. We assessed total ecosystem carbon storage and aboveground carbon sequestration in 93 plots (31 stands), comparing High Forests (HF), Coppice-with-Standards (CWS) and an unmanaged Nature Reserve (NR). Using a model averaging approach for multiple linear regressions, we assessed the drivers of carbon storage and sequestration. Total carbon storage differed only marginally and was not statistically significant (p > 0.05) among the three management strategies with, on average, 173.8 t C ha⁻¹ in HF, 191.4 t C ha⁻¹ in CWS, and 192.1 t C ha⁻¹ in NR. Aboveground carbon sequestration was, on average, highest in CWS (3.51 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) compared to HF (2.40 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and NR (2.16 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹), yet these differences were also not statistically significant. Indicators of structural diversity, including maximum tree height, and variation in diameter at breast height, were significantly positively associated with carbon storage. We did not identify any statistically significant variables explaining carbon sequestration. Our results indicate that a fundamental shift in management from HF to CWS or ceasing management entirely (NR) is unlikely to yield large mid-term carbon benefits in mixed oak forests. We conclude that even a fundamental change in the management of mixed oak forests is unlikely to substantially contribute to achieving national and EU climate targets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123557"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075262","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 : 2026-04-15Epub 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":"2026-04-15","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 : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-01-17DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123536
Marsh Hlavka, Marlyse Duguid, Mark Ashton
The characteristic shrubland of regenerating temperate mixed hardwood forests provide habitat for many early successional specialist species. The irregular shelterwood is a silvicultural method for regenerating a forest that promotes young complex shrubland landscapes for a period of 15–25 years. In this study, we surveyed bird diversity across an irregular shelterwood chronosequence of a southern New England oak-mixed hardwood forest. We measured the variation in diversity across a chronosequence comprising 31 stands and 30 years of growth as of 2022, with particular focus on nesting guilds. Secondly, we conducted a longitudinal analysis of bird diversity in each stand over a period of 16 years to assess the reliability of the shelterwood chronosequence as a within-year proxy for long-term study. Similar to many prior studies, we found that overall diversity and bird abundance decrease as the regenerating shelterwood ages. Over a 30-year period after harvest, Shannon diversity decreased by over 10 %, species richness decreased by over 20 %, and relative abundance decreased by 50 %. Shrub-nesting birds are particularly sensitive to the loss of young regenerating and shrubland habitat and decrease sharply in abundance as a forest ages, from 51 % of the population to 12 % after 30 years. Ground-nesting birds increase in abundance with young regenerating forests and tree-nesting birds are unaffected by stand age, from 8 % to 40 % over 30 years. However, most importantly, we show these trends occurred both longitudinally and within a single year, indicating that the use of a chronosequence is an effective method of measuring trends in bird abundance and diversity over a period of forest regeneration. This is the first study demonstrating the validity of this method for estimating breeding birds in temperate forests and allows for a more widespread application of its use, particularly where long-term monitoring has not been done.
{"title":"Testing the validity of a chronosequence: Breeding bird diversity and abundance in regenerating oak-hardwood shelterwoods","authors":"Marsh Hlavka, Marlyse Duguid, Mark Ashton","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123536","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123536","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The characteristic shrubland of regenerating temperate mixed hardwood forests provide habitat for many early successional specialist species. The irregular shelterwood is a silvicultural method for regenerating a forest that promotes young complex shrubland landscapes for a period of 15–25 years. In this study, we surveyed bird diversity across an irregular shelterwood chronosequence of a southern New England oak-mixed hardwood forest. We measured the variation in diversity across a chronosequence comprising 31 stands and 30 years of growth as of 2022, with particular focus on nesting guilds. Secondly, we conducted a longitudinal analysis of bird diversity in each stand over a period of 16 years to assess the reliability of the shelterwood chronosequence as a within-year proxy for long-term study. Similar to many prior studies, we found that overall diversity and bird abundance decrease as the regenerating shelterwood ages. Over a 30-year period after harvest, Shannon diversity decreased by over 10 %, species richness decreased by over 20 %, and relative abundance decreased by 50 %. Shrub-nesting birds are particularly sensitive to the loss of young regenerating and shrubland habitat and decrease sharply in abundance as a forest ages, from 51 % of the population to 12 % after 30 years. Ground-nesting birds increase in abundance with young regenerating forests and tree-nesting birds are unaffected by stand age, from 8 % to 40 % over 30 years. However, most importantly, we show these trends occurred both longitudinally and within a single year, indicating that the use of a chronosequence is an effective method of measuring trends in bird abundance and diversity over a period of forest regeneration. This is the first study demonstrating the validity of this method for estimating breeding birds in temperate forests and allows for a more widespread application of its use, particularly where long-term monitoring has not been done.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123536"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145986698","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 : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-01-23DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123553
John C. Maerz , Jade A. Samples , Danielle R. Bradke , Cheyana Bassham , James A. Martin , Jeffrey Hepinstall-Cymerman , Anthony F. Lagalante , Elizabeth McCarty
<div><div>When considering the use of pesticides, forest managers need to make decisions about potential trade-offs between conserving target species and negatively affecting non-target species. To aid those decisions, estimates of non-target effects should contextualize effect sizes relative to other drivers of variation in non-target species abundance or fitness. Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) has decimated eastern and Carolina hemlock populations in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide, is currently used to suppress HWA populations and conserve hemlock trees and the habitats they create. Recent concerns have emerged about possible non-target impacts of imidacloprid use on amphibians including salamander populations in managed hemlock forests. Robust estimates of the impacts of imidacloprid application on salamander populations are needed to inform decisions on hemlock conservation in sensitive areas. We conducted repeated depletion samples among 15 replicate plots at each of 15 imidacloprid-treated and 9 untreated reference sites across north Georgia, western North Carolina, and eastern Tennessee. We used a hierarchical N-mixture model in a Bayesian framework to estimate any potential association between imidacloprid application and the terrestrial abundances of two direct-developing plethodontid salamander groups (<em>Plethodon</em> spp. and <em>Desmognathus</em> aeneus/<em>D. wrighti</em>) and a stream-breeding plethodontid salamander guild. We also estimated the relationship between hydroclimate and plethodontid salamander abundance because climate is a known driver of plethodontid salamander ecology and provides a comparative scale for any potential effect of imidacloprid use on salamander abundance. Mean <em>Plethodon</em>, <em>D. aeneus</em>/<em>D. wrighti</em>, and stream-breeding plethodontid abundances among all sites varied by factors of 20, 15, and 2 respectively. Mean daily vapor pressure deficit from 2011 to 2020, a measure of hydroclimate, was negatively associated with abundance of all three salamander groups. For <em>Plethodon</em> and <em>D. aeneus</em>/<em>D. wrighti</em> we found no evidence of an association between salamander abundance and imidacloprid dose within a 15 m radius of a plot; however, we did find evidence for a small, positive association between <em>Plethodon</em> abundance and imidacloprid dose within a plot. For stream-breeding species, we also found evidence for a positive association between salamander abundance and imidacloprid dose within a plot, but also a negative association between salamander abundance and imidacloprid dose within a 15 m radius. The estimated negative relationship between imidacloprid use and stream salamander abundance was comparable to the effect of climate on natural variation. Our results suggest any measurable effect of hemlock management with imidacloprid on the abundance of fully terrestrial plethodontid salamanders is trivially small co
{"title":"Estimated effects of climate and imidacloprid use on the abundances of woodland salamanders","authors":"John C. Maerz , Jade A. Samples , Danielle R. Bradke , Cheyana Bassham , James A. Martin , Jeffrey Hepinstall-Cymerman , Anthony F. Lagalante , Elizabeth McCarty","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123553","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123553","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>When considering the use of pesticides, forest managers need to make decisions about potential trade-offs between conserving target species and negatively affecting non-target species. To aid those decisions, estimates of non-target effects should contextualize effect sizes relative to other drivers of variation in non-target species abundance or fitness. Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) has decimated eastern and Carolina hemlock populations in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide, is currently used to suppress HWA populations and conserve hemlock trees and the habitats they create. Recent concerns have emerged about possible non-target impacts of imidacloprid use on amphibians including salamander populations in managed hemlock forests. Robust estimates of the impacts of imidacloprid application on salamander populations are needed to inform decisions on hemlock conservation in sensitive areas. We conducted repeated depletion samples among 15 replicate plots at each of 15 imidacloprid-treated and 9 untreated reference sites across north Georgia, western North Carolina, and eastern Tennessee. We used a hierarchical N-mixture model in a Bayesian framework to estimate any potential association between imidacloprid application and the terrestrial abundances of two direct-developing plethodontid salamander groups (<em>Plethodon</em> spp. and <em>Desmognathus</em> aeneus/<em>D. wrighti</em>) and a stream-breeding plethodontid salamander guild. We also estimated the relationship between hydroclimate and plethodontid salamander abundance because climate is a known driver of plethodontid salamander ecology and provides a comparative scale for any potential effect of imidacloprid use on salamander abundance. Mean <em>Plethodon</em>, <em>D. aeneus</em>/<em>D. wrighti</em>, and stream-breeding plethodontid abundances among all sites varied by factors of 20, 15, and 2 respectively. Mean daily vapor pressure deficit from 2011 to 2020, a measure of hydroclimate, was negatively associated with abundance of all three salamander groups. For <em>Plethodon</em> and <em>D. aeneus</em>/<em>D. wrighti</em> we found no evidence of an association between salamander abundance and imidacloprid dose within a 15 m radius of a plot; however, we did find evidence for a small, positive association between <em>Plethodon</em> abundance and imidacloprid dose within a plot. For stream-breeding species, we also found evidence for a positive association between salamander abundance and imidacloprid dose within a plot, but also a negative association between salamander abundance and imidacloprid dose within a 15 m radius. The estimated negative relationship between imidacloprid use and stream salamander abundance was comparable to the effect of climate on natural variation. Our results suggest any measurable effect of hemlock management with imidacloprid on the abundance of fully terrestrial plethodontid salamanders is trivially small co","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123553"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036231","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}
Tree roots underpin key ecosystem functions, including carbon, water, and nutrient cycling, yet national-scale information on their spatial distribution remains limited. Here, we present the first nationwide assessment of root intersection density (RID; the number of roots intersecting a unit area of soil profile) across Japanese forests, based on 3236 soil horizons from 829 soil profiles collected in the National Forest Soil Carbon Inventory. RIDs of fine (≤ 2 mm), medium-sized (2–20 mm), and coarse (≥ 20 mm) roots were analyzed across managed and natural forests using ordinal and binary logistic regression models. Fine and medium-sized roots were detected in 73 % and 57 % of soil horizons, respectively, whereas coarse roots were rare (9 %). Based on non-zero observations, maximum rooting depths averaged 64.7 ± 25.0 cm for fine roots, 49.0 ± 27.6 cm for medium-sized roots, and 33.2 ± 27.0 cm for coarse roots, and these depths were further reduced when zero observations were included. Mean annual air temperature showed a consistent positive effect on root occurrence across root-size classes, whereas soil depth primarily constrained root density. Gravel content, slope, precipitation, and forest management produced root-size–specific responses, and the effects of temperature and soil depth on medium-sized roots were weaker in managed forests than in natural forests. These results support revising rooting-depth parameterizations in forest carbon cycle models, particularly for drought assessments, while caution is required when applying RID-derived depths of medium and coarse roots to mechanical models. Overall, this study provides a foundational national-scale RID dataset for improving assessments of root distribution and ecosystem functioning.
{"title":"Root intersection densities in Japanese forests: Insights from a nationwide soil profile survey","authors":"Jumpei Toriyama , Yoshimi Sakai , Masahiro Inagaki , Kyotaro Noguchi , Akihiro Imaya","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123535","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123535","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tree roots underpin key ecosystem functions, including carbon, water, and nutrient cycling, yet national-scale information on their spatial distribution remains limited. Here, we present the first nationwide assessment of root intersection density (RID; the number of roots intersecting a unit area of soil profile) across Japanese forests, based on 3236 soil horizons from 829 soil profiles collected in the National Forest Soil Carbon Inventory. RIDs of fine (≤ 2 mm), medium-sized (2–20 mm), and coarse (≥ 20 mm) roots were analyzed across managed and natural forests using ordinal and binary logistic regression models. Fine and medium-sized roots were detected in 73 % and 57 % of soil horizons, respectively, whereas coarse roots were rare (9 %). Based on non-zero observations, maximum rooting depths averaged 64.7 ± 25.0 cm for fine roots, 49.0 ± 27.6 cm for medium-sized roots, and 33.2 ± 27.0 cm for coarse roots, and these depths were further reduced when zero observations were included. Mean annual air temperature showed a consistent positive effect on root occurrence across root-size classes, whereas soil depth primarily constrained root density. Gravel content, slope, precipitation, and forest management produced root-size–specific responses, and the effects of temperature and soil depth on medium-sized roots were weaker in managed forests than in natural forests. These results support revising rooting-depth parameterizations in forest carbon cycle models, particularly for drought assessments, while caution is required when applying RID-derived depths of medium and coarse roots to mechanical models. Overall, this study provides a foundational national-scale RID dataset for improving assessments of root distribution and ecosystem functioning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123535"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036233","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 : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-01-20DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123554
Spencer C. Quayle, Scott E. Nielsen
Seismic lines are linear clearings created for petroleum exploration and are common in the western Canadian boreal forest. By favouring the growth of early seral vegetation, they can increase the abundance and palatability of woody browse, a ‘browse subsidy’ that may attract ungulates like moose (Alces alces) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), the main prey of wolves. Peatlands traditionally served as refugia from wolves for boreal woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), but such subsidies may facilitate disturbance-mediated apparent competition, whereby predator activity associated with deer and moose raises incidental predation risk to caribou. We tested this ’browse subsidy’ hypothesis by comparing availability and proportional use of palatable winter browse on seismic lines and adjacent undisturbed forest plots across a gradient from upland to peatland forest in the Athabasca oil sands region of Alberta, Canada. Seventeen seismic lines were sampled, each with four paired plots across an ecological gradient from upland to peatland. Each plot pair compared the seismic line with the adjacent undisturbed forest. Seismic lines averaged 5.0 more highly palatable stems per 10 m2 (61.5 % more) than adjacent forest plots, while the proportion of stems browsed by deer and moose was 59.2 % higher on lines and increased with browse stem density. However, even after accounting for increases in browse availability, browse use remained higher on seismic lines relative to the adjacent forest, indicating selection of seismic lines by deer and moose. These results suggest that browse subsidy on seismic lines may contribute to disturbance-mediated apparent competition and declines in caribou, particularly where subsidies occur in or adjacent to peatland caribou refugia. Targeted restoration of high-subsidy lines could reduce deer and moose activity in these areas and thus potentially reduce predation risk for caribou.
{"title":"Evidence for a browse subsidy on linear disturbances in Alberta’s oil sands region","authors":"Spencer C. Quayle, Scott E. Nielsen","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123554","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123554","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Seismic lines are linear clearings created for petroleum exploration and are common in the western Canadian boreal forest. By favouring the growth of early seral vegetation, they can increase the abundance and palatability of woody browse, a ‘browse subsidy’ that may attract ungulates like moose (<em>Alces alces</em>) and white-tailed deer (<em>Odocoileus virginianus</em>), the main prey of wolves. Peatlands traditionally served as refugia from wolves for boreal woodland caribou (<em>Rangifer tarandus caribou</em>), but such subsidies may facilitate disturbance-mediated apparent competition, whereby predator activity associated with deer and moose raises incidental predation risk to caribou. We tested this ’browse subsidy’ hypothesis by comparing availability and proportional use of palatable winter browse on seismic lines and adjacent undisturbed forest plots across a gradient from upland to peatland forest in the Athabasca oil sands region of Alberta, Canada. Seventeen seismic lines were sampled, each with four paired plots across an ecological gradient from upland to peatland. Each plot pair compared the seismic line with the adjacent undisturbed forest. Seismic lines averaged 5.0 more highly palatable stems per 10 m2 (61.5 % more) than adjacent forest plots, while the proportion of stems browsed by deer and moose was 59.2 % higher on lines and increased with browse stem density. However, even after accounting for increases in browse availability, browse use remained higher on seismic lines relative to the adjacent forest, indicating selection of seismic lines by deer and moose. These results suggest that browse subsidy on seismic lines may contribute to disturbance-mediated apparent competition and declines in caribou, particularly where subsidies occur in or adjacent to peatland caribou refugia. Targeted restoration of high-subsidy lines could reduce deer and moose activity in these areas and thus potentially reduce predation risk for caribou.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123554"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036225","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 : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-01-20DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123532
Haiwen Wang , Chao Chen , Jiahui Zang , Xiaoqiao Xu , Shaojie Zheng , Chun Yang , Xiaorui Zhang , Lihui Wei , Xu Qiao , Dongmei Zhou , Tingting Dai
Populus spp, vital fast-growing timber and ecological restoration trees globally, have growth and survival directly linked to forest ecosystem stability. With global warming intensifying heat stress events, Populus often faces growth inhibition, membrane damage, and metabolic disorders, threatening forest resilience. Iron chloride E6, a novel plant growth regulator, shows potential in enhancing stress resistance. This study aimed to improve thermotolerance of “84 K” poplar tissue cultured seedlings by screening optimal ICE6 concentration and elucidating its mechanism. Phenotypic observation initially screened concentrations from 0.01 to 0.08 μg/mL, with 0.04 μg/mL selected. High temperature stress tests measured physiological indices (chlorophyll, root activity, malondialdehyde, osmotic substances, antioxidant enzymes). Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses, along with gene expression profiling, were conducted. Results showed 0.04 μg/mL ICE6 significantly promoted seedling growth. Under stress, it reduced MDA accumulation, slowed relative conductivity increase, and enhanced osmotic and antioxidant capacities. Transcriptomics identified 3789 differentially expressed genes, while metabolomics detected 819 differentially accumulated metabolites. Key genes correlated with dehydroascorbic acid and 2,3-diketo-L-gulonic acid. Mechanistically, 0.04 μg/mL ICE6 maintained membrane integrity, alleviated oxidative damage, boosted antioxidants, and upregulated sugars/proline. Regulation involved hormone signaling, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and flavonoid related antioxidant metabolism. This study represents the first application of ICE6 in the large-scale propagation system of poplar tissue-cultured plantlets, filling a research gap in the use of novel regulators for stress resistance in forest tree tissue-cultured plantlets. By analyzing key targets mediating heat tolerance via ICE6 at transcriptional and metabolic levels, it provides insights for genetic improvement of poplar stress resistance from these dual perspectives. Furthermore, this work lays a theoretical and technical foundation for directional regulation of stress resistance during industrial production of tissue-cultured plantlets, ultimately contributing to enhancing the resilience of forest ecosystems under climate change.
{"title":"Regulation of heat tolerance by iron chlorine E6 in “84 K” poplar tissue culture seedlings: A study coupled with metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis","authors":"Haiwen Wang , Chao Chen , Jiahui Zang , Xiaoqiao Xu , Shaojie Zheng , Chun Yang , Xiaorui Zhang , Lihui Wei , Xu Qiao , Dongmei Zhou , Tingting Dai","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123532","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123532","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Populus</em> spp, vital fast-growing timber and ecological restoration trees globally, have growth and survival directly linked to forest ecosystem stability. With global warming intensifying heat stress events, Populus often faces growth inhibition, membrane damage, and metabolic disorders, threatening forest resilience. Iron chloride E6, a novel plant growth regulator, shows potential in enhancing stress resistance. This study aimed to improve thermotolerance of “84 K” poplar tissue cultured seedlings by screening optimal ICE6 concentration and elucidating its mechanism. Phenotypic observation initially screened concentrations from 0.01 to 0.08 μg/mL, with 0.04 μg/mL selected. High temperature stress tests measured physiological indices (chlorophyll, root activity, malondialdehyde, osmotic substances, antioxidant enzymes). Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses, along with gene expression profiling, were conducted. Results showed 0.04 μg/mL ICE6 significantly promoted seedling growth. Under stress, it reduced MDA accumulation, slowed relative conductivity increase, and enhanced osmotic and antioxidant capacities. Transcriptomics identified 3789 differentially expressed genes, while metabolomics detected 819 differentially accumulated metabolites. Key genes correlated with dehydroascorbic acid and 2,3-diketo-<span>L</span>-gulonic acid. Mechanistically, 0.04 μg/mL ICE6 maintained membrane integrity, alleviated oxidative damage, boosted antioxidants, and upregulated sugars/proline. Regulation involved hormone signaling, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and flavonoid related antioxidant metabolism. This study represents the first application of ICE6 in the large-scale propagation system of poplar tissue-cultured plantlets, filling a research gap in the use of novel regulators for stress resistance in forest tree tissue-cultured plantlets. By analyzing key targets mediating heat tolerance via ICE6 at transcriptional and metabolic levels, it provides insights for genetic improvement of poplar stress resistance from these dual perspectives. Furthermore, this work lays a theoretical and technical foundation for directional regulation of stress resistance during industrial production of tissue-cultured plantlets, ultimately contributing to enhancing the resilience of forest ecosystems under climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123532"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036236","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}
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号