Forest Ecology and Management最新文献

{"title":"Do Pinus radiata hybrids represent a solution to forestry’s wilding conifer problem?","authors":"Sarah V. Wyse ,&nbsp;Robert D. Gibson II ,&nbsp;Daniel C. Raikes ,&nbsp;Philip E. Hulme","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122618","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122618","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Afforestation by non-native pines has led to substantial conifer invasions globally, damaging ecosystems and resulting in substantial ongoing control costs. Any further new non-native conifers being introduced to forestry programmes must therefore be assessed from the perspective of spread risk prior to their widespread establishment. <em>Pinus radiata</em> × <em>attenuata</em> is a hybrid taxon that has been trialled for forestry suitability in New Zealand. The taxon performs favourably compared to <em>Pinus radiata</em> at higher elevation sites due to its greater cold tolerance, and as such is now beginning to be planted by the forestry industry at higher elevation sites that are typically unsuitable for <em>P. radiata</em> afforestation. It has been assumed that the likelihood of invasive spread by <em>P. radiata</em> × <em>attenuata</em> from areas of afforestation is low, however this has not been formally assessed. Here, we undertook assessments of cone production, cone opening, seed viability, seed dispersal, seedling establishment, and sapling survival for <em>P. radiata</em> hybrids with <em>P. attenuata</em>. In addition, we undertook analogous assessments of <em>P. radiata</em> to provide a baseline for comparison, given its propensity to establish outside of cultivation. Our results indicate that while cone production and seedling survival are higher for the hybrids than <em>P. radiata</em> at high elevation sites, cone opening requires significantly higher temperatures. On average, only 3.6 % of ripe cones on mature (26-year-old) trees opened on the <em>P. attenuata</em> × <em>radiata</em> trees in field conditions suggesting that the strong cone serotiny may present a barrier to invasion for this taxon. Based on our current data, we suggest that the spread risk from these <em>P. radiata</em> hybrids is likely to be lower than that from <em>P. radiata</em>. Future work should examine the longevity of seed in aerial seed banks and include field surveys to assess for wilding spread from mature <em>P. radiata</em> with <em>attenuata</em> hybrid stands. We emphasise, however, that the high temperatures required to break cone serotiny appears to be the only factor limiting the spread of <em>P. radiata</em> hybrids with <em>P. attenuata</em>. Any back-crossing of these hybrids with <em>P. radiata</em> in future breeding programmes may lower the cone-opening temperatures and remove this barrier to spread. Further, the high temperatures generated by forest fires will lead to more extensive release of seed from the aerial seed banks and should thus be treated as incursion events. The likelihood of such fires is expected to increase in predicted future climate scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"585 ","pages":"Article 122618"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143610495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hotter drought increases population levels and accelerates phenology of the European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus","authors":"Mária Potterf ,&nbsp;Tobias Frühbrodt ,&nbsp;Dominik Thom ,&nbsp;Hannes Lemme ,&nbsp;Andreas Hahn ,&nbsp;Rupert Seidl","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122615","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122615","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bark beetle-induced tree mortality has increased strongly in Europe in recent years. Bark beetle populations are highly sensitive to temperature, and drought weakens tree defenses against beetle attacks. Yet, the compound effects of drought and heat (termed hotter drought) remain poorly quantified, even though climate change increases their joint occurrence. Here, we analyzed data from a regional-scale network of pheromone-baited <em>Ips typographus</em> traps (158 traps across 7 Mha in southeast Germany, with 67.5·million beetles caught between 2015 and 2021), contrasting the unprecedented hotter drought period of 2018–2020 with non-drought years. Our objectives were (i) to assess the effect of hotter drought on bark beetle population dynamics, (ii) to quantify changes in spatial patterns during hotter drought, and (iii) to investigate how well trap data can explain observed tree mortality. Bark beetle population levels were strongly driven by temperature and drought, with an annual increase of approximately 2000 beetles per trap per °C under drought conditions (SPEI = −1). Furthermore, critical phenological thresholds were reached 7 days earlier for aggregation and 4 days earlier for peak swarming timing per °C increase in temperature. In drought years, <em>I. typographus</em> population levels were autocorrelated across hundreds of kilometers. Trap data explained between 37 % and 49 % of observed bark beetle mortality, highlighting that pheromone trap networks are a useful tool for monitoring and managing forest risk. We conclude that hotter drought intensifies and extends mass outbreaks of the European spruce bark beetle, suggesting the emergence of novel patterns of disturbance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"585 ","pages":"Article 122615"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143601517","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanical site preparation and use of non-invasive cover crops influences early-successional forest vegetation composition of a reclaimed airstrip in the Boreal Forest","authors":"Nicholas Harper ,&nbsp;Amanda L. Schoonmaker ,&nbsp;Andrés G. Rolhauser ,&nbsp;Mark Baah-Acheamfour ,&nbsp;Ann Smreciu ,&nbsp;Erin C. Fraser-Reid","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122621","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122621","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rebuilding native forest ecosystems after industrial disturbance is key to sustainable resource development. However, self-sustaining forests do not always result from current reclamation practices, mostly due to grass-driven arrested succession. Here we assessed the interactive effects of soil treatment and cover cropping on forest succession in a recently reclaimed airstrip in western Canada. Three surface soil treatment techniques were applied in five block replicates following asphalt removal, soil decompaction, site recontouring and topsoil placement with dozers: no surface treatment (smooth), discing with agricultural disc harrows (disc), or plowing with a RipPlow™ (plow). Within each soil treatment, subplots were then either seeded with <em>Secale cereale</em> (fall rye), a non-invasive annual grass, or left without a cover crop. In the first 5 years after treatment, soil treatment had a much greater impact on the vegetation than cover cropping. Plowing favored tree growth while both plowing and discing treatments supported natural regeneration of seed-banking shrub species and native forb cover when compared to the smooth treatment. The smooth treatment favored grass species (mostly non-native), presumably by allowing them to spread horizontally though it also encouraged higher rates of establishment of wind-dispersed <em>Salix</em> species. In general, the discing soil treatment had intermediate effects on tree growth and vegetation community composition. <em>Secale cereale</em> suppressed non-native weeds during the early stages and disappeared towards the end of the experiment, without hindering the establishment of desirable woody species. We conclude that increasing soil surface variability through the plow treatment tested in the present investigation, and potentially aided by the addition of a non-invasive cover crop, represent a combination of reclamation strategies to promote forest development in heavily disturbed industrial sites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"585 ","pages":"Article 122621"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143601515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of exogenous and endogenous Mn on litter decomposition at different stages under continuous N addition in a subtropical forest","authors":"Shijia Wang ,&nbsp;Qi Zhong ,&nbsp;Wei Ma ,&nbsp;Xueru Li ,&nbsp;Liting Zhang ,&nbsp;Shixing Zhou ,&nbsp;Junxi Hu ,&nbsp;Xinglei Cui ,&nbsp;Congde Huang ,&nbsp;Yang Liu ,&nbsp;Lin Xu ,&nbsp;Hongling Hu ,&nbsp;Haiyan Yi ,&nbsp;Lihua Tu","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122614","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122614","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Manganese (Mn) plays a critical role in the litter continuum decomposition during long-term nitrogen (N) deposition. Both endogenous Mn (present in fresh litter) and exogenous Mn (from the litter layer and soil) may be affected by chronic N deposition, potentially intensifying as N deposition continues. To investigate the effects of continuous N addition, prior N addition, exogenous Mn, endogenous Mn, and decomposition stage on litter decomposition, we utilized six types of fresh leaf litter with varying initial endogenous Mn concentrations, along with four types of unbroken and semi-decomposed litter collected from natural and prior N addition plots, in a litter decomposition experiment treated with continuous N addition and exogenous Mn. Continuous N addition significantly inhibited the decomposition of all ten litter types, while simultaneously enhancing Mn release in treatments without exogenous Mn. Initial endogenous Mn, combined with continuous N addition and exogenous Mn, jointly influenced litter decomposition. Exogenous Mn mitigated, rather than reversed, the inhibitory effect of continuous N addition on litter decomposition, despite a significant and nonlinear negative relationship between the effects of exogenous Mn and continuous N addition. Prior N addition substantially amplified the inhibitory effects of continuous N addition, particularly at 1.5-years of decomposition. Litter decomposition rates slowed as the decay progressed, showing significant differences between unbroken and semi-decomposed litter. Our findings recommend that exogenous Mn could be considered as a mitigation strategy for negative effects of N addition om litter decomposition. Forest management should take into account the various stages of litter decomposition when designing interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"585 ","pages":"Article 122614"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143601516","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}

{"title":"Degradation of tree plantations increases soil erosion risk through changes in aggregate stability and vegetation traits","authors":"Dong Ge ,&nbsp;Xiaodong Gao ,&nbsp;Li Zhang ,&nbsp;Shuyi Zhou ,&nbsp;Yaohui Cai ,&nbsp;Xining Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122591","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122591","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Inappropriate afforestation combined with frequent extreme events has led to degradation of tree plantations globally, which may increase the risk of soil erosion. In this study we evaluated the impact of tree plantation degradation on soil erodibility. To this end, we conducted a study at three sites (Baotaqu, Zichang, and Mizhi) distributed in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China, where the dominant tree species was black locust (<em>Robinia pseudoacacia</em> L.). We evaluated the degrees of degradation of tree plantations by standing dead trees index and set three different levels: T1 level (Standing dead trees index = 9 n ha⁻¹), T2 level (Standing dead trees index = 92 n ha⁻¹), and T3 level (Standing dead trees index = 272 n ha⁻¹). Here, we examined the changes in soil aggregate stability and erodibility index (<em>K</em> factor) under varying degrees of degradation of tree plantations. The results showed that the increase in degradation intensity led to a reduction in the mean weight diameter and geometric mean diameter, along with an increase in the <em>K</em> factor. Soil properties and vegetation traits were strong drivers of soil aggregate stability and the <em>K</em> factor, with soil organic carbon content having the highest explanatory power, accounting for 49.5 % of the variance. The degradation of tree plantations weakened both vegetation traits (σ = −0.45) and soil characteristics (σ = −0.73). This degradation indirectly controls the extent of soil susceptibility to erosion (R² = 0.93). This study provides insights into the assessment of soil erosion risk related to the degradation of tree plantations, which would be further aggravated by ongoing and future climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"585 ","pages":"Article 122591"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143601514","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}

{"title":"Dissecting the roles of seed nutrient content and coat thickness in seed dispersal and fate mediated by rodents: A field experiment using artificial seeds","authors":"Xifu Yang ,&nbsp;Kunming Zhao ,&nbsp;Feng Ma ,&nbsp;Zhijie Hou ,&nbsp;Jiebin Guo ,&nbsp;Lili Fu ,&nbsp;Huijun Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122650","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122650","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Seed traits such as nutrient content and coat thickness significantly influence the foraging behavior of scatter-hoarding rodents and the fate of plant seeds. However, isolating the effects of these traits is challenging due to their covariance. This study aims to disentangle these effects using artificial seeds with varying levels of coat thickness and nutrient content to simulate natural seeds in a subtropical forest ecosystem in the Dujiangyan region, China. These seeds were deployed in the field to assess rodent foraging behavior, including harvest preferences, likelihood of consumption, probability of scatter-hoarding, and dispersal distance. We found seed coat thickness and nutrient content independently influenced rodent foraging behavior. Thicker seed coats reduced harvest preferences and consumption likelihood, but increased the dispersal distance; the probability of scatter-hoarding was the highest for seeds with a medium-thick seed coat. Higher nutrient contents increased both harvest preferences and scatter-hoarding probability but reduced consumption likelihood. When both traits were considered together, an optimal trait combination emerged: seeds with medium coat thickness and higher nutrient content had a higher probability of being scatter-hoarded and longer dispersal distances. Our findings highlight the significant impact of seed coat thickness and nutrient content on seed fates and dispersal distance through their influence on rodent foraging behavior. This study provides a novel insight into the complex interactions between plants and animals, as well as offers vital evidence for understanding seed ecology and plant population dynamics in forest ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"585 ","pages":"Article 122650"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143592264","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}

{"title":"Drought and fire affect soil CO2 efflux and use of non-structural carbon by roots in forests of southern Amazonia","authors":"Wanderley Rocha ,&nbsp;Divino Vicente Silvério ,&nbsp;Leonardo Maracahipes-Santos ,&nbsp;Susan Trumbore ,&nbsp;Yadvinder Malhi ,&nbsp;Lucieta Guerreiro Martorano ,&nbsp;Paulo Monteiro Brando","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122584","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122584","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Drought and fire events reduce the ability of tropical forests to cycle and store carbon. However, the combined effects of drought and fire on soil CO₂ efflux and subsurface carbon cycling remain poorly understood, particularly in the Amazon. Here we evaluated how multiple burns and extreme drought events affect soil CO₂ efflux and the use of non-structural carbon (NSC) in the roots of forest species in southern Amazonia. We studied one intact forest (control) and another burned annually from 2004 until 2010 (burned). We monitored: a) soil CO₂ efflux every three months between 2009 and 2012 (n = 25); b) the litterfall (n = 21); c) the fine roots production (n = 16); and d) estimated the age of NSC used in the production of fine roots from radiocarbon (samples from 2009 to 2011; n = 15). Multiple fires in the burn plot reduced soil CO₂ efflux by 18.7 % compared to the control plot, and altered the relationships between litter production, soil temperature and soil CO₂ efflux. After the 2010 drought, soil CO₂ efflux in 2011 in the control plot was reduced by 17 %. Relatively freshly fixed C was used to produce new fine roots in 2009 (&lt;2 years), but the age of C used to grow new roots in 2010 and 2011 increased to 2–4 years old, especially in the burned plot. Our results suggest that fire and drought events reduce soil CO₂ efflux and root growth, with post-disturbance root growth likely relying on stored non-structural carbohydrates (NSC).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"585 ","pages":"Article 122584"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143578090","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}

{"title":"Cattle grazing facilitates the species richness and abundance of temperate understory birds and alters their activity patterns","authors":"Jiawei Feng ,&nbsp;Xiang Gao ,&nbsp;Yongchun Hu ,&nbsp;Tianming Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122644","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122644","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding free-ranging livestock-wildlife interactions in shared forest landscapes is critical for balancing the conflict between human exploitation of natural resources and wildlife conservation. However, little is known about the responses of ground-dwelling birds to grazing in temperate forests. We compiled a camera-trapping dataset of 1446 detections of 22 bird species over 6363 trap days from June to October 2020 at 25 cattle-grazed forest sites and 22 ungrazed sites, from which we assessed the relative impacts of cattle grazing, vegetation and predator (red fox <em>Vulpes vulpes</em> and leopard cat <em>Prionailurus bengalensis</em>) presence on the richness, site use, and diel activity patterns of understory birds (including frugivores and insectivores) in Northeast China. Our results revealed that ground-dwelling forest bird community assemblages were similar in both forest habitats; however, bird species richness was significantly greater in grazed forests than in ungrazed forests. The bird species richness increased with increasing plant diversity (Shannon index) in grazed forests and was positively associated with fox and leopard cat presence. The site use intensity of both frugivorous and insectivorous birds was positively associated with plant diversity in grazed forests, but negatively in ungrazed forest. Compared with insectivorous birds, frugivorous bird activities were significantly and positively associated with fox and leopard cat presence and an increase in leaf area index. Temporally, we found that diel activity significantly changed with increasing cattle grazing pressure for frugivorous birds. In contrast, insectivorous birds had similar daily activity patterns but shifted their activity peaks toward dawn in grazed forests. This work highlights that managing grazing practices and their effects on vegetation can positively affect temperate forest bird species richness and abundance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"585 ","pages":"Article 122644"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143592265","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}

{"title":"A spatial weight sampling method integrating the spatiotemporal pattern enhances the understanding of the occurrence mechanism of wildfires in the southwestern mountains of China","authors":"Wenlong Yang ,&nbsp;Mingshan Wu ,&nbsp;Lei Kong ,&nbsp;Xiaojie Yin ,&nbsp;Yanxia Wang ,&nbsp;Chao Zhang ,&nbsp;Leiguang Wang ,&nbsp;Qingtai Shu ,&nbsp;Jiangxia Ye ,&nbsp;Shenghao Li ,&nbsp;Zhichao Huang ,&nbsp;Mengting Xue ,&nbsp;Bingjie Han ,&nbsp;Shuai He","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122619","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122619","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wildfire risk assessment is crucial for the protection of mountainous ecosystems. While data-driven machine learning algorithms have advanced wildfire modeling, the quality of non-fire sample selection remains a significant limitation for model performance. This study proposes a spatial weight-based sampling method to improve non-fire sample quality, enhance model precision, and provide deeper insights into wildfire occurrence mechanisms. The study area is Yunnan Province, situated in southwest China, is dominated by mountainous landscapes and exhibits a significant susceptibility to wildfires. A spatial weighting model was developed using historical wildfire data (2011–2020), and threshold values were applied to divide different non-fire sample collection ranges. Four machine learning algorithms (KNN, SVM, RF, and DNN) were employed to construct prediction models, and their performance and spatial consistency were analyzed to determine the optimal sampling range and best-performing model. The results showed that (1) the optimal sampling weight range was 0–0.4, with RF achieving the best performance (AUC = 0.90). (2) The key factors influencing wildfire occurrence are population density and elevation. (3) The spatial weight-based sampling method demonstrated significant advantages in prediction accuracy and spatial consistency. This approach offers a novel framework for the collection of non-fire samples, and an improved understanding of wildfire occurrence mechanisms, contributing to more effective risk mitigation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"585 ","pages":"Article 122619"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143578009","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}

{"title":"Understory plant community responses following herbicide application in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands","authors":"Emma L. Briggs ,&nbsp;Daniel U. Greene ,&nbsp;Christine C. Fortuin ,&nbsp;David C. Clabo ,&nbsp;Brittany F. Barnes ,&nbsp;Kamal J.K. Gandhi","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122617","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122617","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Working pine (<em>Pinus</em> spp.) forests rely on herbicides to reduce competing vegetation and promote stand productivity, but the effects of chemical application practices on herbaceous biodiversity are not fully understood. Our objective was to assess the direct short-term (&lt; 3 years post treatment) effects of different herbicide application methods on understory plant communities in early post-establishment and midrotation loblolly pine (<em>P. taeda</em> L.) forests of the Georgia Piedmont region. Early post-establishment stands underwent broad-spectrum herbicide application through either: 1) broadcast chemical site preparation; 2) broadcast chemical site preparation + banded herbaceous weed control; or 3) control with no herbicide. Midrotation stands received either: 1) broadcast woody release treatment; or 2) control with no herbicide. In 2022–2023, we sampled understory vegetation in each stand using twelve 1 m² quadrats (480 quadrats total). Within each quadrat, we documented total percent understory plant cover and percent dominance of all non-graminoid understory plant species. We identified 112 native and 18 non-native understory plant species during the study. Early post-establishment plant communities showed significant increases in richness from the first to second sampling year. Plant species richness increased by 36 % in the broadcast chemical site preparation and 65 % in the broadcast chemical site preparation + banded herbaceous weed control treatments. Herbaceous weed control applications favored herbicide-tolerant, ruderal plant species adapted to disturbed areas. Midrotation herbicide treated stands were dominated by early successional plant species and had a 59 % increase in species richness compared to control stands over two sampling years, but total plant cover remained stable. Our results indicate that species richness increases rapidly (&lt; 3 years) in early post-establishment plant communities following targeted herbicide applications, and that there was a shift in understory plant communities to favor ruderal, herbicide-tolerant species following midrotation woody release treatments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"585 ","pages":"Article 122617"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143578008","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}