Travelling to a former sea floor: colonization of forests by understorey plant species on land recently reclaimed from the sea

Questions: What are important forest characteristics determining colonization of forest patches by forest understorey species? Location: Planted forests on land recently reclaimed from the sea, the Netherlands. Methods: We related the distribution of forest specialist species in the understorey of 55 forests in Dutch IJsselmeer polders to the following forest characteristics: age, area, connectivity, distance to mainland (as a proxy for distance to seed source) and path density. We used species of the Fraxino‐Ulmetum association for the Netherlands as reference for species that could potentially occur in the study area. Results: Area and age of the surveyed forests explained a large part of the variation in overall species composition and species number of forest plant species. The importance of connectivity and distance to the mainland of forest habitats became apparent only at a more detailed level of dispersal groups and individual species. The importance of forest parameters differed between dispersal groups and also between individual species. After 60 years, 75% of the potential pool of wind‐dispersed species has reached the polders, whereas this was only 50% for species lacking specific adaptations to long‐distance dispersal. However, the average percentage of successful colonizing species present per forest was substantially lower, ranging from 15 to 37%. Conclusions: The data strongly suggest that the colonization process in polder forests is still in its initial phase, during which easily dispersed species dominate the vegetation. Colonization success of common species that lack adaptations to long‐distance dispersal is affected by spatial configuration of the forests, and most rare species that could potentially occur in these forests are still absent. Implications for conservation of rare species in fragmented landscapes are discussed.     

The spatial relationship between post‐crop remaining trees and the establishment of saplings in Pinus sylvestris stands in Spain

Question: What is the spatial relationship between remaining trees and the establishment and development of recruited saplings? Location: The Pinus sylvestris forest Pinar de Valsaín, in the Sistema mountain range (central Spain). Methods: Three 0.5 ha plots have been analysed. The saplings were located in a 2 m x 2 m grid, characterizing their spatial pattern through a nested ANO VA. The spatial pattern of stems was analysed using the L(d) function. To analyse the spatial relationship between stems belonging to different cohorts, the intertype L_rs(d) function was used. Finally a new function K_rx(d) is presented as a method to analyse the relationship between the spatial distribution of stems and the sapling density (a sampled continuous variable). Results: The mother trees show cluster pattern at scales of ca. 12 m ‐ 22 m, leading to a spatial pattern at 14 m–16 m for the saplings during the regeneration period. At the beginning of the shelter phase, saplings less than 1.30 m in height show spatial repulsion from the old crop at distances above 10 m, whereas taller saplings show repulsion at shorter distances, due to the suppression of sapling development near the mother trees. At the end of the regeneration period, saplings < 1.30 m appear under the last remaining mother tree canopies. Conclusions: In the stands analysed, located at the southern limit of Pinus sylvestris distribution, this species behaves as half‐shade tolerant. This study shows that the K_rx(d) function might be widely applied to analyse the relationship between patterns that occur at different scales or between a point pattern and a continuous variable, being a useful tool for analysing some forest processes.     

Researching the potential of forest tree mycorrhizae

Summary During the last century important ecological and physiological principles in mycorrhizal associations were discovered. Effects of litter extracts on the microflora, nutrient uptake and translocation; hormonal relations, the M factor, and physiogical requirements of ectomycorrhizal fungi and metabolite exchanges are among those of particular significance. Reconsideration of this era of mycorrhizal research is worthy of current consideration since progress particularly in physiology has been slow. To derive the potentially vast benefits from mycorrhizal associations in field applications and to achieve genetic alteration to improve physiological benefits derived from mycorrhizas, fundamental characteristics and biochemical mechanisms in the fungus-root complex must be better understood.     

Factors involved in the degradation of mangrove forests in Iran: A mixed study for the management of this ecosystem

In Iran, mangroves are located in the south of the country, where they fulfill essential ecosystem functions, but some parts of them have been destroyed for various reasons in recent years so that it seems necessary to have a management plan consistent with the conservation of this ecosystem. But, it needs knowledge of the trend of and reasons for the degradation of these forests. So, the primary idea of this research was to discover the factors involved in the degradation of these forests and how to manage them. So, the research first used the remote sensing technique to determine the rate of their degradation over the last 20 years. Then, using the Delphi technique, 45 factors were identified for the degradation of these forests and they were classified into five categories including climatic and environmental, anthropogenic, socioeconomic, psychological, and policymaking and legal. Finally, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to rank these factors within two management paradigms of remediability and preventability so that the ecosystem can be soundly managed by classifying these factors. Overall, the results can provide policymakers with new insights into forest management and the policies presented here can contribute to the sustainability of this ecosystem.     

The Value of Opinion in Science and the Forest Service Research Organization

ABSTRACT There is confusion about conflicts of interest between sources of funding and the extent to which Forest Service researchers are free to publish their findings. Forest Service Research is an independent entity with no administrative accountability to policy makers up to the office of the Chief of the Forest Service. Congressional mandate ensures that research will be free from the influence of politics that land management necessarily entails. Because politics involves opinions, it is important to note that opinions per se are not scientific and must be appropriately compared with empirical data before they can be considered so. It is the quantitative test of an opinion that renders it scientific, not the opinion itself.     

Statistical analysis for the spatial validity of a model to forecast the daily number of forest fires

In earlier papers a qualitative and quantitative model was developed for predicting the number of forest fires occurring per day. This model permits the forecast at 00.00 hours Universal Time Convention (UTC) of any day (d), the number of forest fires per day for a range of several days (d tod+5) over a particular region. Input data are the number of forest fires in the region during two preceding days (d–2 andd–1) and the type of day (real and evaluated from radiosonde ford–2,d–1,d and predicted from meteorological medium-range forecasts, i.e. of European Centre, ford+1,d+2,d+3,d+4 andd+5. As this model requires data obtained by radiosonde, particularly temperatures and geopotentials at 850 and 700 hPa and dew points (or specific humidity) at 850 hPa, this study investigates the spatial validity of the model in relation to the distance from the radiosonde station (RS). The highest quality forecast is obtained for the region immediately surrounding the RS, and diminishes with increasing distance from it, this being due to the data obtained from the RS not being representative of the atmospheric column over the region. Hence, the derivation of the critical distance for a particular quality level of measurement. Conversely, fixed quality level implies a specific separation between RS and the region for the prediction, with a higher predictive quality implying a shorter distance.     

森林对水文过程影响研究进展

根据森林对水文过程的影响,森林水文学研究可以分为3个相互关联的方面：森林植被变化影响水量和水质定位试验研究;森林植被变化对水文循环机制的影响;旨在为资源管理和工程建设提供决策依据的基于物理过程分布式参数森林水文模型开发,定位试验研究不仅可以为森林水文模型参数化提供第一手资料,同时也可以揭示森林植被影响径流形成机制和进行径流成份的分割,径流形成机机制的研究则有助于改善基于物理过程模型的开发,模型研究反过来又可以为改进试验研究和径流形成机制研究提供指导。本文对以上3个方面的国内外研究进展进行了较为系统的概括。     

Temporal instability in tree-growth/climate response in the Lower Bavarian Forest region: implications for dendroclimatic reconstruction

This paper explores the temporal stability of growth/climate relationships in ring-width chronologies of Norway spruce [ Picea abies (L.) Karst] and silver fir ( Abies alba Mill) in the Lower Bavarian Forest region in southern Germany. These chronologies were compiled, using both historic and living tree-ring data, with the main aim of developing a dendroclimatic reconstruction for the region covering the last 500 years. Moving window correlation analysis shows that prior to the twentieth century, both species co-vary in a similar way (1480–1899 mean r =0.66). There is no significant correlation between the species chronologies since ca. 1930, which partly reflects anomalous growth trends in the fir chronology since ca. 1960. Multiple regression analysis was utilised to assess the ability of both species chronologies to model March–August precipitation. The precipitation signal of the spruce data was found to be both stronger than the fir data (1872–1930 calibration: r ²=0.45 vs 0.25) and more time stable. After ca. 1930, the fir chronology loses it ability to model March–August precipitation until there is no climate signal at all in the fir data in recent decades. The spruce data also express a later weakening in their climate signal in the mid 1970s. We present compelling evidence indicating that the anomalous trends observed in the fir data, since the mid 1960s, appear to be predominantly related to local SO₂ emissions from power plants and refineries. It is also likely that this local anthropogenic forcing is the cause of the weakening of the climate signal in the spruce data since the mid 1970s. The conclusions from this study are: (1) The fir tree-ring data cannot be used for traditional dendroclimatic calibration, although prior to the twentieth century the decadal variability in the fir data is very similar to spruce and so these data could be used to extend potential reconstructions in the future; (2) The recent decline and recovery event in the fir data appears to be unique to the twentieth century and is not part of a natural episodic phenomenon; (3) Traditional dendroclimatic calibration of March–August precipitation will be made using solely the spruce ring-width data. However, due to SO₂ forcing in recent decades, the calibration period will be shortened to the 1871–1978 period.     

Comparison of an aquatic invertebrate assemblage between an old-growth natural forest and planted coniferous forest basins in a Japanese temperate region: the Kuroson stream in the Shimanto River basin

The purpose of this study is to clarify the differences in the aquatic invertebrate assemblage between the two basins that have the most common types of Japanese headstream forests – an old-growth natural forest (ONF) and a planted coniferous forest (PCF) – in the Kuroson stream of the Shimanto River basin and to find the groups that tend to inhabit either the ONF basin or PCF basin. Abundance, the number of families and -diversity were not different between the two basins. However, a cluster analysis of similarity showed differences in aquatic invertebrate assemblages between the ONF and PCF basins and that this difference was brought about by specific characteristics of some families, such as the Taeniopterygidae and Athericidae. We suggest that differences in the aquatic invertebrate assemblages between the two basins are a reflection of differences in the composition of the forest vegetation.     

Genetic structure and conservation of Mountain Lions in the South-Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest

The Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems worldwide, is also among the most important hotspots as regards biodiversity. Through intensive logging, the initial area has been reduced to around 12% of its original size. In this study we investigated the genetic variability and structure of the mountain lion, Puma concolor. Using 18 microsatellite loci we analyzed evidence of allele dropout, null alleles and stuttering, calculated the number of allele/locus, PIC, observed and expected heterozygosity, linkage disequilibrium, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, F(IS), effective population size and genetic structure (MICROCHECKER, CERVUS, GENEPOP, FSTAT, ARLEQUIN, ONESAMP, LDNe, PCAGEN, GENECLASS software), we also determine whether there was evidence of a bottleneck (HYBRIDLAB, BOTTLENECK software) that might influence the future viability of the population in south Brazil. 106 alleles were identified, with the number of alleles/locus ranging from 2 to 11. Mean observed heterozygosity, mean number of alleles and polymorphism information content were 0.609, 5.89, and 0.6255, respectively. This population presented evidence of a recent bottleneck and loss of genetic variation. Persistent regional poaching constitutes an increasing in the extinction risk.     

Belowground ectomycorrhizal communities in three Norway spruce stands with different degrees of decline in the Czech Republic

We investigated the ectomycorrhizal communities on the roots of adult trees and seedlings associated with three Norway spruce stands in the Czech Republic using morphological and molecular tools. The stands had different degrees of forest decline due to air pollution. The aims of the study were to obtain information about the belowground ectomycorrhizal community in a heavily damaged spruce forest and to assess whether missing ectomycorrhizal fungal partners could be one of the reasons for the observed lack of regeneration. The ectomycorrhizal species richness on the roots of adult trees was significantly lower in the heavily damaged site Mumlavska hora than in the other two, but less drastically so than that found in a fruitbody survey. The roots of adult trees and seedlings were fully mycorrhizal at this site although they were less species-rich. The most abundant ectomycorrhizal species on the root system of adult trees in all three forest stands was Tylospora fibrillosa, a member of the athelioid clade. It made up over 60% of root tips in Mumlavska hora and its proportion was at least twice that in the other two sites. This species was also an efficient colonizer of roots from seedlings, in particular, in the most damaged site. The different soil properties in this site may have caused the observed differences in the ectomycorrhizal species richness and composition. For example, cation exchange capacity and soil base saturation were lower and the soil more often saturated. However, the number of living trees and their defoliation status may well directly impact the ectomycorrhizal species composition by presumably affecting the amount of carbon delivered to the symbiotic fungal partners. Athelioids and thelephoroids are an important component of the belowground ectomycorrhizal community in most temperate and boreal forests, but the role they play might even be more crucial in stressed forest ecosystems. Based on our results, we suggest that factors other than missing ectomycorrhizal inoculum constrain natural regeneration in the heavily damaged site Mumlavska hora.     

Identifying spatial patterns in the tropical rain forest structure using hemispherical photographs

This work emphasises the usefulness of hemispherical photography for identifying spatial patterns in the tropical rain forest structure. Structural variability was investigated at a local (intra-site) scale, in relation to the forest mosaic, and at a regional (inter-sites) scale, for its implication in forest typology. Four primary forest sites, from 0.6 to 1 ha, were investigated in Central Sumatra, Indonesia.In a first instance, a qualitative analysis of the forest 3-D structure was found to be very helpful in the interpretation of quantitative results related to forest dynamics. The quantitative analysis was undertaken through the assessment of three structural characteristics: (1) the canopy openness (CO), or visible sky as seen from all directions of the hemisphere, (2) the spherical variance (SV), which quantifies the spatial dispersion of gaps and, (3) the plant area index (L_p), defined as half the surface area of canopy elements per unit ground area. At the local scale, maps of the CO values gave an indication about disturbance location and extent, providing an interesting document for studies on forest dynamics. At the regional scale, between-sites comparisons of CO, SV and L_p values added new information on forest structural differences when compared to dendrometric measurements. These results emphasised the fact that rain forest may exhibit high structural variability, even within a same bioclimatic region and a narrow altitude range. Hemispherical photographs could be a quick means of further investigating this spatial variability and it's relation to physical environment, thus providing information that is crucial for the refining of forest typology in the area.     

Sustainable forest management in China; the basic principles and practices

ABSTRACT

Sustainable forest management is described, in theory and in practice, especially in the regions where the forest resources have been damaged seriously for economic development. It emphasizes the need to exert the multifunctions of forest ecosystems. The paper analyses the main benefits and constraints of sustainable forest management with regard to the special natural and economic conditions of China. According to the basic principles of sustainable forest management, China has been taking the relevant actions. Six national programmes and participatory forest management for forest resources utilisation and conservation are operative as regional implementation strategies. Demonstrations, with 13 sample sites in different typical regions, and 8 Criteria and 80 Indicators based on the Montreal Process for monitoring and assessment of sustainable forest management at the national level, have been established and tested. Biological diversity conservation, plantation management for timber production, natural forest protection, non-wood products and technical training will become the priorities for sustainable forest management in China.     

Herb layer changes (1954-2000) related to the conversion of coppice-with-standards forest and soil acidification

Question: Did the composition of the herb layer of a deciduous forest on loamy soils sensitive to soil acidification change between 1954 and 2000? How are these change related to the abandonment of traditional coppice-with-standards forest management and increased soil acidification? Location: Central Belgium (Europe). Methods: Twenty semi-permanent phytosociological quadrats from an ancient deciduous forest (Meerdaal forest) were carefully selected out of a total of 70 plots dating from 1954 and were revisited in 2000. Species composition and soil pH H₂O were recorded using an analogous methodology. The studied period coincides with a period of forest conversion from coppice-with-standards towards a high forest structure and with an increase in acidifying and eutrophying deposition. Results: Between 1954 and 2000, species composition of the herb layer changed significantly. Redundancy analysis pointed to increased shade resulting from shifts in cover and species composition of the shrub and tree layer as the main driving force. Soil acidity increased and the majority of plots entered the aluminium buffer range, which potentially affected herb layer composition. Observations at the species level, especially a strong decrease in cover of the vernal species Anemone nemorosa supported this hypothesis. Conclusions: Our results show significant shifts in the forest herb layer in less than five decades. These shifts were related to an alteration in the traditional forest management regime and increased soil acidity. Whereas the effect of a changed management regime can be mitigated, soil acidification is less reversible. Testing the generality of these patterns on more extensive data sets is certainly needed.     

The FORMNET‐B database: monitoring the biomass and dynamics of disturbed and degraded tropical forests

The biomass and dynamics of disturbed and degraded tropical forests have mostly been ignored in the recent scientific literature, partly because of a spotlight on old‐growth forests but also due to a lack of long‐term data from degraded forests. There is a pressing need to understand the rates and patterns of growth, mortality and recruitment in degraded forests, not only because they are increasing in area relative to old‐growth forests, but also due to their potential capacity to sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This paper introduces a permanent forest plot network and database, FORMNET‐B (GIVD ID# NA‐BZ‐001), designed to study the long‐term dynamics of disturbed and degraded tropical forests in Belize, Central America.     

On the Forest Flora of Zhejiang Province

1. History of development of the forest flora Since the Cenozoic period, the number of forest tree species has steadily risen. In the course of time, some of the archaic types slowly diminished and perished, and new forms gradually evolved. During the palaeocene, the numher of the gymnosperms (with the exception of conifers) and ferns drastically decreased, and that of conifers, on the contrary, increased significantly, and meantime the broad-leaved tree species also appeared. During the Neocene, the angiosperms expanded rapidly and the vegetation gradually shifted towards the mixed deciduous-evergreen forest. Shortly before the Quaternary, there was a series of world-wide climatic fluctuations, as illustrated by progress and retreat of glaciers, cold-resistant and warm-loving (thermophilic) plants appeared alternately. In the post-glaciation period, the zonal distribution of forest vegetation in Zhejiang Province was essentially similar to that of the present time. Excavations from Homu-tu, Yu-Yao County, reveal a luxuriant subtropical forest which existed 7000 years ago. 2. Characteristics of the flora and vegetation (1) Of ancient origin, with rich relic elements. Archaic gymnosperms such as Ginkgo biloba, Amentotaxus argotaenia, Pseudotaxus chienii, Torreya jackii, T. grandis, Taxus chinensis var. mairei, Podocarpus macrophyllus, P. neriifolia, etc, are all found in the Cretaceous deposits. The occurrence of Ginkgo can be traced hack to the Triassic. Most of the conifers, however, were found in the Jurassic, and they have remained to the present time as the main elements of the needleleaved forests. Among the primitive angiosperms, Magnoliaceae is represented by 19 species of 8 genera; Fagaceae and Lauraceae are the dominant evergreen broad-leaved tree species, the former by 6 genera and 43 species, and the latter by 10 genera and 42 species. Hamamelidaceae is represented by 10 genera and 18 species, while Ulmaceae, Tiliaceae, Elaeocarpaceae, by 21 species of 7 genera, 9 species of 2 genera and 6 species of 2 genera respectively. (2) Rich in species and consisting of diverse geographic elements, but dominated by the tropical ones. Throughout Zhejiang Province, there are over 1300 taxa of woody plants (including varieties and cultivated ones) belonging to 109 families and 423 genera. Among them, 8 families with 25 genera and about 45 species, are gymnosperms, and the rest, 101 families with 398 genera and about 1260 species and varieties, are angiosperms. The major angiospermous families include Mognoliaceae, Fagaceae, Lauraceae, Theaceae, Aquifoliaceae and Bambusoideae. Dominant families and genera are the tropical ones, and next in the order, are the East Asiatic, the E. Asia-N. American, then the temperate, the cosmopolitan, endemic and other elements. (3) Rich in endemic species, in monotypic and oligotypic genera. The endemic species include Abies beshanzuensis, Ostrya rehderiana, Carpinus putoensis, Carpinus tientaiensis, Celtis chekiangensis, Calycanthus chinensis, Machilus minutiloba, M. chekiangensis, Semiliquidambar caudata var. cuspidata, Acer aeutum, A. yangjuechi, A. Changhwaense, A. elegantulum, A. pauciflorum, Ilex qinyuanensis, Styrax zhejiangensis, Photinia zhejiangensis, Actinidia zhejiangensis, etc. The monotypic and oligotypic genera are examplified by Ginkgo, Pseudotaxus, Pseudolarix, Fokienia, Cyclocarya, Parakmeria, Pteroceltis, Sargentodoxa, Decaisnea, Aphananthe, Hemiptelea, Zelkova, Fortunearia, Semiliquidambar, Polithyrsis, Ostrya, Heptacodium, Tapiscia, Bretschneidera, Choerospondias, Kalopanax, Halesia, Hovenia, Emmenopterys, Eucommia, Pileostegia, Platycrater, Alniphyllum, etc. The majority of the species mentioned above are rare and precious ones. (4) Introduced species gaining importance Zhejiang Province is mainly situated in the mid-subtropical zone, and from Yukuan District and the Wenzhou Prefecture southwards it belongs to the evergreen broad-leaved south subtropical forest belt. A number of south subtropical species, such as Eucalyptus spp., Casuarina spp., Acacia mearnsii, have been successfully introduced into this region. The introduction of other species, such as Cinnamomum cassia, Grevillea robusta, Michelia alba, Canarium album, Litchi chinensis, Euphoria longan, Kandelia candel, are successful in certain areas. Small plantations of introduced species from S. W. China e.e. Cinnamomum glanduliferum, C. septentrionale have been established. In addition, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Ulmus pumila, several exotic Pinus species, Carya illinoensis, Robinia pseudoacacia, Amorpha fruficosa, etc. are widely planted throughout Zhejiang Province. In recent years, cold-temperate species such as Chamaecyparis obtusa, Thuja standishii, Thuja occidentalis, Abies firma have been introduced and planted in the mountainous areas. The forest flora of the province is thus being further enriched. 3. Geographical analysis of the forest flora (1) The south part of Zhejiang lies in the transitional belt between the East and South China Floristic Regions, its east part being on the north margin of the South China Floristic Region, and its west part on the south margin of the East China Floristic Region. (2) The north part of the province is weakly influenced by the temperate elements, but the influence may extend to the central part of this province as the elevation there is higher. (3) Diverse floristic elements such as those belonging to Japan, Taiwan (China), C. China and S. W. China regions also occur in the province, especially in its western and eastern parts.     

基于森林资源清查资料的生物量估算模式及其发展趋势

基于森林资源清查资料的森林生物量估算是在景观、区域甚至全球尺度上评估森林碳收支的重要手段。且在陆地生态系统碳循环和全球变化研究中起着十分重要的作用．对3种常见的基于森林资源清查资料估算生物量的方法及其不足进行较为系统概述的基础上,指出了其未来的研究方向：1)综合考虑森林生物学因素与非生物学因素对森林生物量的影响,特别是蓄积量和林龄,以及气候因子在估算生物量中的作用;2)明确森林总生物量与活立木生物量的关系;3)建立基于森林资源清查资料的遥感驱动生物量估算模型,为森林生物量的准确估算提供方法和依据．     

Management of ecosystem services in mountain forests: Review of indicators and value functions for model based multi-criteria decision analysis

The main ecosystem services (ES) central European mountain forests provide are: protection against gravitational hazards, timber production, recreation, biodiversity conservation and carbon storage, which are all in high demand. These demands make managing mountain forests a challenging task, involving manifold synergies and conflicts between the different ES. There is therefore an urgent need for appropriate concepts and tools for support decisions in forest management and planning (FMP) to take into consideration all ES and to manage the wide variety of information types, parameters and uncertainties involved in assessing the sustainability of ES. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) provides a suitable set of methods for sustainability evaluations. In this study sustainability means the persistent fulfilment of the required ES. To address all the phases of the FMP process, MCDA and forest models should be applied together, with indicators providing the main interfaces to combine them. This paper aims to: i) review assessment approaches in order to select appropriate and widely accepted indicators for measuring and assessing the effects of different silvicultural management alternatives on forest ES, and ii) present additional standardisation approaches (value functions) for each indicator. Standardisations are necessary to make the different ES comparable and to study synergies and trade-offs between different management objectives in MCDA. The main ES in central European mountain regions are considered, with a clear focus on those indicators that are directly derivable from forest model outputs and that can refer to sustainable forest management practices. The scales considered are that of the single forest stand and of the larger forest management unit. A holistic indicator-based analysis framework for FMP in mountain forests can be built using the indicators and value functions described. The influence of different management alternatives on ES can then be evaluated, taking into consideration the instruments and information on forest management (forest models, inventory) available. All indicators are selected according to existing and approved approaches that only require data that is normally available in operational forest management. The framework can thus be an important element in developing a decision support system for FMP in mountain forests.