F. Xystrakis, Dimitrios Mitsios-Antonakos, E. Eleftheriadou, P. Dimopoulos, K. Theodoropoulos
This study aimed to estimate and explain the compositional differentiation and observed beta-diversity (partitioned as turnover and nestedness) patterns of woody species in Greece. Specifically, the 13 phytogeographical regions of Greece were compared at three taxonomic levels: family, genus, and (sub-) species. In Greece, 565 woody taxa have been identified, which are classified into 224 genera and 85 families. Phytogeographical regions were grouped according to their similarity in floristic composition using cluster analysis. Dominant beta diversity gradients were detected using Mantel directional correlation tests applied at the three taxonomic levels. The 13 phytogeographical regions formed three groups; namely, the northern, central, and southern (Aegean Islands) regions. The taxonomic variation among the phytogeographical regions at the species level was related to a gradient of richness of widespread taxa and Balkan endemic taxa. Analysis at the taxonomic levels of species and genus produced similar results, yet, at the family level, floristic differences were less pronounced, with phytogeographical regions being aggregated in two groups: the southernmost island regions versus all other regions. Beta diversity was higher along a northwestern to southeastern gradient, which was related to a dominant climatic gradient throughout Greece. The partitioning of beta diversity between neighboring phytogeographical regions showed that species turnover was the dominant component; yet, some phytogeographical regions (e.g., Kiklades) were characterized by high nestedness. In conclusion, analysis of woody taxa provides different insights regarding the floristic variation of phytogeographical regions.
{"title":"Inter-regional beta-diversity patterns of the woody flora of Greece","authors":"F. Xystrakis, Dimitrios Mitsios-Antonakos, E. Eleftheriadou, P. Dimopoulos, K. Theodoropoulos","doi":"10.15287/AFR.2018.1077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15287/AFR.2018.1077","url":null,"abstract":"This study aimed to estimate and explain the compositional differentiation and observed beta-diversity (partitioned as turnover and nestedness) patterns of woody species in Greece. Specifically, the 13 phytogeographical regions of Greece were compared at three taxonomic levels: family, genus, and (sub-) species. In Greece, 565 woody taxa have been identified, which are classified into 224 genera and 85 families. Phytogeographical regions were grouped according to their similarity in floristic composition using cluster analysis. Dominant beta diversity gradients were detected using Mantel directional correlation tests applied at the three taxonomic levels. The 13 phytogeographical regions formed three groups; namely, the northern, central, and southern (Aegean Islands) regions. The taxonomic variation among the phytogeographical regions at the species level was related to a gradient of richness of widespread taxa and Balkan endemic taxa. Analysis at the taxonomic levels of species and genus produced similar results, yet, at the family level, floristic differences were less pronounced, with phytogeographical regions being aggregated in two groups: the southernmost island regions versus all other regions. Beta diversity was higher along a northwestern to southeastern gradient, which was related to a dominant climatic gradient throughout Greece. The partitioning of beta diversity between neighboring phytogeographical regions showed that species turnover was the dominant component; yet, some phytogeographical regions (e.g., Kiklades) were characterized by high nestedness. In conclusion, analysis of woody taxa provides different insights regarding the floristic variation of phytogeographical regions.","PeriodicalId":48954,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Forest Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2019-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41513896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lana L. Narine, S. Popescu, T. Zhou, Shruthi Srinivasan, K. Harbeck
The assessment of forest aboveground biomass (AGB) can contribute to reducing uncertainties associated with the amount and distribution of terrestrial carbon. The Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) was launched on September 15th, 2018 and will provide data which will offer the possibility of assessing AGB and forest carbon at multiple spatial scales. The primary goal of this study was to develop an approach for utilizing data similar to ICESat-2’s land-vegetation along track product (ATL08) to generate wall-to-wall AGB maps. Utilizing simulated daytime and nighttime ICESat-2 data from planned ICESat-2 tracks over vegetation conditions in south-east Texas, we investigated the integration of Landsat data and derived products for AGB model and map production. Linear regression models were first used to relate simulated photon-counting lidar (PCL) metrics for 100 m segments along ICESat-2 tracks to reference airborne lidar-estimated AGB over Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF) in south-east Texas. Random Forest (RF) was then used to create AGB maps from predicted AGB estimates and explanatory data consisting of spectral metrics derived from Landsat TM imagery and land cover and canopy cover data from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). Using RF, AGB and AGB uncertainty maps produced at 30 m spatial resolution represented three data scenarios; (1) simulated ICESat-2 PCL vegetation product without the impact of noise (no noise scenario), (2) simulated ICESat-2 PCL vegetation product from data with noise levels associated with daytime operation of ICESat-2 (daytime scenario), and (3) simulated ICESat-2 PCL vegetation product from data with noise levels associated with nighttime operation of ICESat-2 (nighttime scenario). The RF models exhibited moderate accuracies (0.42 to 0.51) with RMSE values between 19 Mg/ha to 20 Mg/ha with a separate test set. The adoption of a combinatory approach of simulated ICESat-2 and Landsat data could be implemented at larger spatial scales and in doing so, ancillary data such as climatic and topographic variables may be examined for improving AGB predictions.
{"title":"Mapping forest aboveground biomass with a simulated ICESat-2 vegetation canopy product and Landsat data","authors":"Lana L. Narine, S. Popescu, T. Zhou, Shruthi Srinivasan, K. Harbeck","doi":"10.15287/AFR.2018.1163","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15287/AFR.2018.1163","url":null,"abstract":"The assessment of forest aboveground biomass (AGB) can contribute to reducing uncertainties associated with the amount and distribution of terrestrial carbon. The Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) was launched on September 15th, 2018 and will provide data which will offer the possibility of assessing AGB and forest carbon at multiple spatial scales. The primary goal of this study was to develop an approach for utilizing data similar to ICESat-2’s land-vegetation along track product (ATL08) to generate wall-to-wall AGB maps. Utilizing simulated daytime and nighttime ICESat-2 data from planned ICESat-2 tracks over vegetation conditions in south-east Texas, we investigated the integration of Landsat data and derived products for AGB model and map production. Linear regression models were first used to relate simulated photon-counting lidar (PCL) metrics for 100 m segments along ICESat-2 tracks to reference airborne lidar-estimated AGB over Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF) in south-east Texas. Random Forest (RF) was then used to create AGB maps from predicted AGB estimates and explanatory data consisting of spectral metrics derived from Landsat TM imagery and land cover and canopy cover data from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). Using RF, AGB and AGB uncertainty maps produced at 30 m spatial resolution represented three data scenarios; (1) simulated ICESat-2 PCL vegetation product without the impact of noise (no noise scenario), (2) simulated ICESat-2 PCL vegetation product from data with noise levels associated with daytime operation of ICESat-2 (daytime scenario), and (3) simulated ICESat-2 PCL vegetation product from data with noise levels associated with nighttime operation of ICESat-2 (nighttime scenario). The RF models exhibited moderate accuracies (0.42 to 0.51) with RMSE values between 19 Mg/ha to 20 Mg/ha with a separate test set. The adoption of a combinatory approach of simulated ICESat-2 and Landsat data could be implemented at larger spatial scales and in doing so, ancillary data such as climatic and topographic variables may be examined for improving AGB predictions.","PeriodicalId":48954,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Forest Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2019-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41983878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
María Vanessa Lencinas, J. M. Cellini, J. Benitez, P. Peri, G. M. Pastur
Variable retention is an alternative harvesting system that could be implemented instead the more traditional ones (e.g. shelterwood cut for N. pumilio forests in southern Patagonia), because it was designed not only for timber purpose, but also for conservation. However, the impact of different retention types on diversity is not clear, e.g. stenotopic and eurytopic bird species. The objective of this work was to analyse the habitats (inside, edge or outside of aggregated retention) and the use of strata (canopy, stem, debris and floor) for different bird species under two different variable retention harvesting types (aggregated + dispersed retentions, or ggregated retention + clear-cuts). We analysed four years of bird observation data in variable retention harvested and unharvested forest permanent plots located in Tierra del Fuego province (Argentina) belonging to PEBANPA (Parcelas de Ecologia y Biodiversidad de Ambientes Naturales en Patagonia Austral) network, also with understory and crown cover data. Statistical analysis included uni- and multivariate tests, and comparisons with unharvested forests. We inventoried nine bird species, six of which showed significantly different habitat preference in variable retention types (Carduelis barbata, Phrygilus patagonicus and Tachycineta leucopyga in aggregated + dispersed retentions, and Enicognathus ferrugineus, P. patagonicus, T. leucopyga, Troglodytes aedon and Zonotrichia capensis in aggregated retention + clearcuts). Likewise, all evaluated species presented differential use of strata, and some species changed comparing harvested and unharvested forests. DCA (Detrended Corresponded Analysis) highlighted association between species and habitats (e.g. P. patagonicus is more related to outside aggregated retentions) as well as differences between variable retention types, showing that bird species move toward edges when clear-cuts were carried out, among aggregated retention, instead of dispersed retention. These results support the effectiveness of the variable retention to conserve habitat of bird species inside managed forests, which satisfy both stenotopic and eurytopic species requirements.
可变保留是一种替代性的采伐系统,可以取代更传统的采伐系统(例如为巴塔哥尼亚南部的N.pumilio森林砍伐的防护林),因为它不仅是为了木材目的,也是为了保护。然而,不同保留类型对多样性的影响尚不清楚,例如狭窄鸟类和广食性鸟类。这项工作的目的是分析不同鸟类在两种不同的滞留收获类型(聚集+分散滞留,或聚集滞留+清除切口)下的栖息地(聚集滞留的内部、边缘或外部)和地层(树冠、树干、碎片和地面)的使用。我们分析了PEBANPA(Parcelas de Ecologia y Biodiversidad de Ambientes Naturales en Patagonia Austral)网络位于火地岛省(阿根廷)的可变保留收获和未收获森林永久地块四年的鸟类观测数据,以及林下和树冠覆盖数据。统计分析包括单因素和多因素检验,以及与未开垦森林的比较。我们盘点了9种鸟类,其中6种在不同的滞留类型中表现出显著不同的栖息地偏好(Carduelis barbata、Phrygilus patagonicus和Tachycineta leucopyga在聚集+分散滞留中,Enicognatus ferrogineus、P.patagonius、T.leucopyga、Troglodytes aedon和Zonotrichia capensis在聚集+清除中)。同样,所有被评估的物种都表现出对地层的不同利用,一些物种在收获森林和未收获森林之间发生了变化。DCA(Detrended Corresponded Analysis)强调了物种和栖息地之间的关联(例如,P.patagonicus与外部聚集滞留物更相关),以及不同滞留类型之间的差异,表明当在聚集滞留物中进行清晰切割时,鸟类物种会向边缘移动,而不是分散滞留物。这些结果支持了可变保留的有效性,以保护管理森林中鸟类物种的栖息地,这既满足了狭窄物种的要求,也满足了广食性物种的要求。
{"title":"Variable retention forestry conserves habitat of bird species in Patagonian Nothofagus pumilio forests","authors":"María Vanessa Lencinas, J. M. Cellini, J. Benitez, P. Peri, G. M. Pastur","doi":"10.15287/AFR.2018.1186","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15287/AFR.2018.1186","url":null,"abstract":"Variable retention is an alternative harvesting system that could be implemented instead the more traditional ones (e.g. shelterwood cut for N. pumilio forests in southern Patagonia), because it was designed not only for timber purpose, but also for conservation. However, the impact of different retention types on diversity is not clear, e.g. stenotopic and eurytopic bird species. The objective of this work was to analyse the habitats (inside, edge or outside of aggregated retention) and the use of strata (canopy, stem, debris and floor) for different bird species under two different variable retention harvesting types (aggregated + dispersed retentions, or ggregated retention + clear-cuts). We analysed four years of bird observation data in variable retention harvested and unharvested forest permanent plots located in Tierra del Fuego province (Argentina) belonging to PEBANPA (Parcelas de Ecologia y Biodiversidad de Ambientes Naturales en Patagonia Austral) network, also with understory and crown cover data. Statistical analysis included uni- and multivariate tests, and comparisons with unharvested forests. We inventoried nine bird species, six of which showed significantly different habitat preference in variable retention types (Carduelis barbata, Phrygilus patagonicus and Tachycineta leucopyga in aggregated + dispersed retentions, and Enicognathus ferrugineus, P. patagonicus, T. leucopyga, Troglodytes aedon and Zonotrichia capensis in aggregated retention + clearcuts). Likewise, all evaluated species presented differential use of strata, and some species changed comparing harvested and unharvested forests. DCA (Detrended Corresponded Analysis) highlighted association between species and habitats (e.g. P. patagonicus is more related to outside aggregated retentions) as well as differences between variable retention types, showing that bird species move toward edges when clear-cuts were carried out, among aggregated retention, instead of dispersed retention. These results support the effectiveness of the variable retention to conserve habitat of bird species inside managed forests, which satisfy both stenotopic and eurytopic species requirements.","PeriodicalId":48954,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Forest Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2018-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46416092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) is widely distributed in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. It has also been introduced to Europe, where it has become an economically important plantation species now. Despite growing genomic resources, the number of available EST-SSR (expressed sequence tag – simple sequence repeat) markers for Q. rubra is still limited. Here, we used existing sequence information to provide a new set of EST-SSRs for northern red oak. In total, we report 20 polymorphic EST-SSRs, for which performance was evaluated in three Q. rubra populations from different regions in Michigan. We further tested the transferability of these markers to six additional oak species of section Lobatae (Quercus ellipsoidalis E.J. Hill, and Quercus georgiana M.A. Curtis) and Quercus (Quercus robur L., Quercus alba L., Quercus pedunculiflora K. Koch, and Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.), as well as to European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). The reported markers can be used in future population genetic studies.
{"title":"Characterization of 20 new EST-SSR markers for northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and their transferability to Fagus sylvatica L. and six oak species of section Lobatae and Quercus","authors":"Martin Müller, O. Gailing","doi":"10.15287/AFR.2018.1191","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15287/AFR.2018.1191","url":null,"abstract":"Northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) is widely distributed in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. It has also been introduced to Europe, where it has become an economically important plantation species now. Despite growing genomic resources, the number of available EST-SSR (expressed sequence tag – simple sequence repeat) markers for Q. rubra is still limited. Here, we used existing sequence information to provide a new set of EST-SSRs for northern red oak. In total, we report 20 polymorphic EST-SSRs, for which performance was evaluated in three Q. rubra populations from different regions in Michigan. We further tested the transferability of these markers to six additional oak species of section Lobatae (Quercus ellipsoidalis E.J. Hill, and Quercus georgiana M.A. Curtis) and Quercus (Quercus robur L., Quercus alba L., Quercus pedunculiflora K. Koch, and Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.), as well as to European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). The reported markers can be used in future population genetic studies.","PeriodicalId":48954,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Forest Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2018-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46441269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
B. Apostol, S. Chivulescu, Albert Ciceu, Marius Petrila, Ionuț-Silviu Pascu, E. Apostol, Ș. Leca, A. Lorenț, M. Tanase, O. Badea
This study aims to present a comparison analysis of two data collection methods that can be used in order to obtain reference ground truth data for forestry – a conventional method that uses specific equipment such as Field Map system, caliper and vertex inclinometer and a modern method based on terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) technology. The research was conducted in six circular Permanent Plots (PPs) with an area of 500 square meters each, within thinning and selected cuttings stands of sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.), common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.), all situated in the Southern Carpathians (Mihăești, Mușeteși and Vidraru Forest Districts). Using the conventional method, the dendrometric tree characteristics such as height, diameter at breast height (dbh) and tree position were directly recorded in the field. As a modern method for data collection, a Faro Focus3D X 130 HDR terrestrial laser scanning device was used to scan each plot and to extract the dbh and height of the trees. In this regard, two scanning approaches were used - single scan (SS) and multiple scan (MS). In order to compare the two data acquisitions methods, we applied a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis on the basis of which we could establish the pros and cons of using the two methods. Therefore, one can choose the most advantageous method for obtaining the reference data for forestry, in terms of equipment acquisition cost, personnel skills and qualifications, data collection working time, accuracy of the data recorded, post processing time, labor costs. Although the use of TLS in forest inventory is a technology with high potential, further investigations need to be done, especially in the case of automatic extraction of the tree height. For accurate reference ground data for forest inventory purposes, we still recommend using the conventional methods although they are time consuming.
本研究旨在比较分析两种可用于获取林业参考地物真值数据的数据收集方法-传统的使用特定设备的方法,如野外地图系统,卡尺和顶点倾角仪和基于地面激光扫描(TLS)技术的现代方法。研究在六个圆形永久样地(PPs)中进行,每个样地面积为500平方米,在疏伐和选择的无根栎(栎)扦插林中进行。Liebl.),普通山毛榉(Fagus sylvatica L.)和挪威云杉(Picea abies L. Karst.),均位于南喀尔巴阡山脉(Mihăești, Mușeteși和Vidraru林区)。采用常规方法,直接在野外记录树木的树高、胸径(dbh)和树位等特征。作为一种现代的数据收集方法,使用Faro Focus3D X 130 HDR地面激光扫描设备扫描每个地块并提取树木的胸径和高度。在这方面,采用了两种扫描方法-单扫描(SS)和多次扫描(MS)。为了比较两种数据获取方法,我们应用了优势,劣势,机会,威胁(SWOT)分析,在此基础上,我们可以建立使用这两种方法的优点和缺点。因此,可以从设备购置成本、人员技能和资质、数据采集工作时间、数据记录的准确性、后期处理时间、人工成本等方面选择最有利的方法获取林业参考数据。虽然在森林清查中使用TLS是一项很有潜力的技术,但还需要做进一步的研究,特别是在自动提取树高的情况下。为了获得森林清查所需的准确参考地面数据,我们仍然建议使用传统方法,尽管它们很耗时。
{"title":"Data collection methods for forest inventory: a comparison between an integrated conventional equipment and terrestrial laser scanning","authors":"B. Apostol, S. Chivulescu, Albert Ciceu, Marius Petrila, Ionuț-Silviu Pascu, E. Apostol, Ș. Leca, A. Lorenț, M. Tanase, O. Badea","doi":"10.15287/AFR.2018.1189","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15287/AFR.2018.1189","url":null,"abstract":"This study aims to present a comparison analysis of two data collection methods that can be used in order to obtain reference ground truth data for forestry – a conventional method that uses specific equipment such as Field Map system, caliper and vertex inclinometer and a modern method based on terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) technology. The research was conducted in six circular Permanent Plots (PPs) with an area of 500 square meters each, within thinning and selected cuttings stands of sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.), common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.), all situated in the Southern Carpathians (Mihăești, Mușeteși and Vidraru Forest Districts). Using the conventional method, the dendrometric tree characteristics such as height, diameter at breast height (dbh) and tree position were directly recorded in the field. As a modern method for data collection, a Faro Focus3D X 130 HDR terrestrial laser scanning device was used to scan each plot and to extract the dbh and height of the trees. In this regard, two scanning approaches were used - single scan (SS) and multiple scan (MS). In order to compare the two data acquisitions methods, we applied a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis on the basis of which we could establish the pros and cons of using the two methods. Therefore, one can choose the most advantageous method for obtaining the reference data for forestry, in terms of equipment acquisition cost, personnel skills and qualifications, data collection working time, accuracy of the data recorded, post processing time, labor costs. Although the use of TLS in forest inventory is a technology with high potential, further investigations need to be done, especially in the case of automatic extraction of the tree height. For accurate reference ground data for forest inventory purposes, we still recommend using the conventional methods although they are time consuming.","PeriodicalId":48954,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Forest Research","volume":"838 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2018-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41315889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
O. Badea, E. Apostol, M. Teodosiu, D. Chira, L. Dincă, N. Olenici
Since its establishment in 1933 when, for the first time, the institutionalized scientific research of forests began in Romania, the Research and Experimentation Institute in Forestry at present, “Marin Drăcea” National Research and Development Institute in Forestry (INCDS), named after its founder is an essential unit contributing to the development of forest science in Romania. Despite all the obstacles encountered over time, remarkable achievements in forest science can be attributed to its activity research, scientific debates or publications about forests. Nowadays, the institute is looking to ensure an increased quality and competitiveness in research, to find solutions for the promotion of and experimentation with sustainable development measures in forestry, both in a national and European context. Between the 18th and the 21st of September 2018, the institute celebrated its 85th foundation anniversary with a special event, in a year of great historic importance for Romania Centenarian of the 1918 Great Union of the Romanian historical provinces. This special event The International Scientific Conference “Forest Science for a Sustainable Forestry and Human Well-being in a Changing World” INCDS “Marin Drăcea” 85 Years of Activity, Centenarian of the Great Union in 1918” has been organized under the patronage of the Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation and was supported by prestigious foreign institutions International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), the United Nations International Cooperative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP Forests) or The Romanian Academy, “Gheorghe Ionescu Sisești” Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, The Ministry of Waters and Forests, The Ministry of Environment, all from Romania. ^
{"title":"The anniversary conference “Forest science for a sustainable forestry and human well-being in a changing world” - Bucharest, September 18-21 2018","authors":"O. Badea, E. Apostol, M. Teodosiu, D. Chira, L. Dincă, N. Olenici","doi":"10.15287/AFR.2018.1184","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15287/AFR.2018.1184","url":null,"abstract":"Since its establishment in 1933 when, for the first time, the institutionalized scientific research of forests began in Romania, the Research and Experimentation Institute in Forestry at present, “Marin Drăcea” National Research and Development Institute in Forestry (INCDS), named after its founder is an essential unit contributing to the development of forest science in Romania. Despite all the obstacles encountered over time, remarkable achievements in forest science can be attributed to its activity research, scientific debates or publications about forests. Nowadays, the institute is looking to ensure an increased quality and competitiveness in research, to find solutions for the promotion of and experimentation with sustainable development measures in forestry, both in a national and European context. Between the 18th and the 21st of September 2018, the institute celebrated its 85th foundation anniversary with a special event, in a year of great historic importance for Romania Centenarian of the 1918 Great Union of the Romanian historical provinces. This special event The International Scientific Conference “Forest Science for a Sustainable Forestry and Human Well-being in a Changing World” INCDS “Marin Drăcea” 85 Years of Activity, Centenarian of the Great Union in 1918” has been organized under the patronage of the Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation and was supported by prestigious foreign institutions International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), the United Nations International Cooperative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP Forests) or The Romanian Academy, “Gheorghe Ionescu Sisești” Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, The Ministry of Waters and Forests, The Ministry of Environment, all from Romania. ^","PeriodicalId":48954,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Forest Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2018-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48156306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The concept of plant functional traits has been demonstrated to be very effective in unravelling the ecological mechanisms governing plant community response to disturbance, especially when research is focused on short-term post-disturbance vegetation dynamics. In this study, we established an experiment to quantify how logging intensity affects the trait composition and functional diversity of understory communities in fir-beech forests in the Dinaric Mountains in Slovenia. Three different silvicultural treatments were implemented: control (no logging), 50% of the growing stock removed and 100% of the growing stock removed. Vegetation surveys of vascular plants were made before (in 2012) and two years after (in 2014) logging. Changes in species traits, C-S-R plant strategies (sensu Grime) and community-level functional diversity were analysed. The importance of traits such as small and light diaspores, short life span and anemochory increased with logging intensity. Moreover, species with the ability of both sexual and vegetative reproduction, longer flowering duration and overwintering green leaves increased in abundance after logging. C-S-R strategies mainly shifted from stress-tolerators in pre-logging conditions towards a more ruderal component in post-logging stands. Logging in the short term increased functional diversity, mainly due to newly colonized species being functionally dissimilar from persistent residents. Results suggest that logging intensity strongly influences the magnitude of change in both functional composition and diversity, which also has important implications for biodiversity conservation. At the landscape scale, increasing spatial heterogeneity by creating a mosaic of forest stands subjected to different logging intensities will likely contribute to the enhancement of plant functional diversity.
{"title":"Short-term changes in plant functional traits and understory functional diversity after logging of different intensities: a temperate fir-beech forest experiment","authors":"K. Eler, Janez Kermavnar, A. Marinšek, L. Kutnar","doi":"10.15287/AFR.2018.1192","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15287/AFR.2018.1192","url":null,"abstract":"The concept of plant functional traits has been demonstrated to be very effective in unravelling the ecological mechanisms governing plant community response to disturbance, especially when research is focused on short-term post-disturbance vegetation dynamics. In this study, we established an experiment to quantify how logging intensity affects the trait composition and functional diversity of understory communities in fir-beech forests in the Dinaric Mountains in Slovenia. Three different silvicultural treatments were implemented: control (no logging), 50% of the growing stock removed and 100% of the growing stock removed. Vegetation surveys of vascular plants were made before (in 2012) and two years after (in 2014) logging. Changes in species traits, C-S-R plant strategies (sensu Grime) and community-level functional diversity were analysed. The importance of traits such as small and light diaspores, short life span and anemochory increased with logging intensity. Moreover, species with the ability of both sexual and vegetative reproduction, longer flowering duration and overwintering green leaves increased in abundance after logging. C-S-R strategies mainly shifted from stress-tolerators in pre-logging conditions towards a more ruderal component in post-logging stands. Logging in the short term increased functional diversity, mainly due to newly colonized species being functionally dissimilar from persistent residents. Results suggest that logging intensity strongly influences the magnitude of change in both functional composition and diversity, which also has important implications for biodiversity conservation. At the landscape scale, increasing spatial heterogeneity by creating a mosaic of forest stands subjected to different logging intensities will likely contribute to the enhancement of plant functional diversity.","PeriodicalId":48954,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Forest Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2018-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46102651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Grey wolf actually is immigrating Central Europe from eastern or southern populations, establishing packs and reproducing successfully. This development, starting in the beginning of the 2000s, led to an exponential population increase until today. The present paper analyzes re-colonization of Central Europe by Grey wolf (Canis lupus), considering ecological, socio-economical as well as socio-cultural aspects, and develops basic points for an exemplary management concept. Until today, wolf management especially in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, widely follows a passive “wait and see” strategy. Thus, predations of small livestock, cattle, and horses are quickly increasing. Especially farmers and herdsmen call for a more active way of wolf management. The Central European populations of mouflon (Ovis ammon musimon), being highly endangered in its natural range, are completely disappearing with the occurrence of wolf. Hunting of wild ungulates becomes more difficult whereas forest damages by barking and browsing are not significantly reduced by the influence of wolf predation. Maintaining biodiversity by preserving open landscapes by grazing might become more and more difficult. The present paper shows the need for a more active management concept, developed from a participatory process, locally differentiated and combining different management measures, as e.g. total protection, sustainable utilization, prevention of diseases, herd protection measures and others.
{"title":"Return of grey wolf (Canis lupus) to Central Europe: challenges and recommendations for future management in cultural landscapes","authors":"S. Herzog","doi":"10.15287/AFR.2018.1190","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15287/AFR.2018.1190","url":null,"abstract":"Grey wolf actually is immigrating Central Europe from eastern or southern populations, establishing packs and reproducing successfully. This development, starting in the beginning of the 2000s, led to an exponential population increase until today. The present paper analyzes re-colonization of Central Europe by Grey wolf (Canis lupus), considering ecological, socio-economical as well as socio-cultural aspects, and develops basic points for an exemplary management concept. Until today, wolf management especially in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, widely follows a passive “wait and see” strategy. Thus, predations of small livestock, cattle, and horses are quickly increasing. Especially farmers and herdsmen call for a more active way of wolf management. The Central European populations of mouflon (Ovis ammon musimon), being highly endangered in its natural range, are completely disappearing with the occurrence of wolf. Hunting of wild ungulates becomes more difficult whereas forest damages by barking and browsing are not significantly reduced by the influence of wolf predation. Maintaining biodiversity by preserving open landscapes by grazing might become more and more difficult. The present paper shows the need for a more active management concept, developed from a participatory process, locally differentiated and combining different management measures, as e.g. total protection, sustainable utilization, prevention of diseases, herd protection measures and others.","PeriodicalId":48954,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Forest Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2018-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48437066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In the year 2011 the German Federal Government adopted its Forest Strategy 2020. This strategy includes 60 goal formulations in nine action fields. The present paper analyses to which extent the results of the German National Forest Inventory (BWI) prove achievements of those of the 60 goals, which are quantitatively verifiable. The results reveal that forestry in Germany in general meets its own standard of multi-functionality, securing that forests fulfil manifold demands of the society. However, while the objectives of nature and climate protection are on track for being achieved, the prospects for objectives related to employment, income and value added are less encouraging. Total forest area and forest growth are increasing, forests currently constitute a carbon sink, and the naturalness and structural diversity of forests are growing. Also the high but sustainable use of the wood fosters currently the income of and employment in forest enterprises and timber industries. But the ongoing regeneration of forest stands predominantly with deciduous tree species is expected to cause a long-term lack of faster growing and higher valuated coniferous stands. The resulting lack of highly demanded softwood of small or medium-sized diameters will raise problems to timber industries. Moreover, shrinking timber production due to a decreasing share of coniferous forests has adverse consequences not only from the economic point of view. It will also decrease the climate-friendly use of wood products, in particular due to the foregone substitution effect. The results of the study also show that BWI is an indispensable source of information for forest politics and forest science particularly in view of its long-term time series. The preservations of time series must be kept in mind whenever changes in the methods of BWI are considered.
{"title":"The German Forest Strategy 2020: Target achievement control using National Forest Inventory results","authors":"M. Lorenz, H. Englert, M. Dieter","doi":"10.15287/AFR.2018.1185","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15287/AFR.2018.1185","url":null,"abstract":"In the year 2011 the German Federal Government adopted its Forest Strategy 2020. This strategy includes 60 goal formulations in nine action fields. The present paper analyses to which extent the results of the German National Forest Inventory (BWI) prove achievements of those of the 60 goals, which are quantitatively verifiable. The results reveal that forestry in Germany in general meets its own standard of multi-functionality, securing that forests fulfil manifold demands of the society. However, while the objectives of nature and climate protection are on track for being achieved, the prospects for objectives related to employment, income and value added are less encouraging. Total forest area and forest growth are increasing, forests currently constitute a carbon sink, and the naturalness and structural diversity of forests are growing. Also the high but sustainable use of the wood fosters currently the income of and employment in forest enterprises and timber industries. But the ongoing regeneration of forest stands predominantly with deciduous tree species is expected to cause a long-term lack of faster growing and higher valuated coniferous stands. The resulting lack of highly demanded softwood of small or medium-sized diameters will raise problems to timber industries. Moreover, shrinking timber production due to a decreasing share of coniferous forests has adverse consequences not only from the economic point of view. It will also decrease the climate-friendly use of wood products, in particular due to the foregone substitution effect. The results of the study also show that BWI is an indispensable source of information for forest politics and forest science particularly in view of its long-term time series. The preservations of time series must be kept in mind whenever changes in the methods of BWI are considered.","PeriodicalId":48954,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Forest Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2018-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45594487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
L. Dincă, O. Badea, G. Guiman, C. Bragă, V. Crisan, V. Greavu, G. Murariu, L. Georgescu
Understanding soil moisture and its relationship with different climatic and soil characteristics is essential for better analysing the interactions between forest and soil water dynamics, allowing us to more precisely predict climatic changes. The present paper investigates the temporal variability of soil moisture in three different forest ecosystems (LTER – long term ecological research site) with the same soil type (Eutric Cambisol). Soil moisture was measured daily from 2011 to 2016 by using three sensors at three different depths (20, 40, 70 cm). We identified the interactions between soil properties, vegetation type, local climatic conditions and soil moisture. In order to establish the temporal variability of the soil moisture content, we have applied two procedures, namely the Fourier series and the neural network fitting. A high variability in time and depth for soil volumetric water content was identified. The highest soil moisture levels were recorded at higher depths (70 cm) for almost all surfaces, with the exception of the Fundata surface because of the occurrence of limestone. In the mountainous areas, with higher precipitation (Fundata and Predeal sites), volumetric soil water content was mainly influenced by soil physical characteristics. Soil moisture levels below the drought level were only recorded for the Stalpeni site from September to October 2012. There was a delay between the precipitation event and soil humidification of 0.4-0.8 time units (days). We also found a significant correlation between soil moisture and soil texture and a weak correlation with vegetation type. Temperature influenced soil moisture levels at almost all depths, while precipitation only had an impact when there was a delay of 1 or 2 days. Our results can serve as a scientific base in the monitoring and analysing of soil moisture against the background of a changing climate.
{"title":"Monitoring of soil moisture in Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites of Romanian Carpathians","authors":"L. Dincă, O. Badea, G. Guiman, C. Bragă, V. Crisan, V. Greavu, G. Murariu, L. Georgescu","doi":"10.15287/AFR.2018.1188","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15287/AFR.2018.1188","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding soil moisture and its relationship with different climatic and soil characteristics is essential for better analysing the interactions between forest and soil water dynamics, allowing us to more precisely predict climatic changes. The present paper investigates the temporal variability of soil moisture in three different forest ecosystems (LTER – long term ecological research site) with the same soil type (Eutric Cambisol). Soil moisture was measured daily from 2011 to 2016 by using three sensors at three different depths (20, 40, 70 cm). We identified the interactions between soil properties, vegetation type, local climatic conditions and soil moisture. In order to establish the temporal variability of the soil moisture content, we have applied two procedures, namely the Fourier series and the neural network fitting. A high variability in time and depth for soil volumetric water content was identified. The highest soil moisture levels were recorded at higher depths (70 cm) for almost all surfaces, with the exception of the Fundata surface because of the occurrence of limestone. In the mountainous areas, with higher precipitation (Fundata and Predeal sites), volumetric soil water content was mainly influenced by soil physical characteristics. Soil moisture levels below the drought level were only recorded for the Stalpeni site from September to October 2012. There was a delay between the precipitation event and soil humidification of 0.4-0.8 time units (days). We also found a significant correlation between soil moisture and soil texture and a weak correlation with vegetation type. Temperature influenced soil moisture levels at almost all depths, while precipitation only had an impact when there was a delay of 1 or 2 days. Our results can serve as a scientific base in the monitoring and analysing of soil moisture against the background of a changing climate.","PeriodicalId":48954,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Forest Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2018-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45469039","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}