Long-term forest fire ecology and dynamics in southern Switzerland

1 Pollen and charcoal analysis at two lakes in southern Switzerland revealed that fire has had a prominent role in changing the woodland composition of this area for more than 7000 years.
2 The sediment of Lago di Origlio for the period between 5100 and 3100  bc cal. was sampled continuously with a time interval of about 10 years. Peaks of charcoal particles were significantly correlated with repeated declines in pollen of Abies , Hedera , Tilia , Ulmus , Fraxinus excelsior t., Fagus and Vitis and with increases in Alnus glutinosa t., shrubs (e.g. Corylus , Salix and Sambucus nigra t.) and several herbaceous species. The final disappearance of the lowland Abies alba stands at around 3150  bc cal. may be an example of a fire-caused local extinction of a fire-intolerant species.
3 Forest fires tended to diminish pollen diversity. The charcoal peaks were preceded by pollen types indicating human activity. Charcoal minima occurred during periods of cold humid climate, when fire susceptibility would be reduced.
4 An increase of forest fires at about 2100  bc cal. severely reduced the remaining fire-sensitive plants: the mixed-oak forest was replaced by a fire-tolerant alder–oak forest. The very strong increase of charcoal influx, and the marked presence of anthropogenic indicators, point to principally anthropogenic causes.
5 We suggest that without anthropogenic disturbances Abies alba would still form lowland forests together with various deciduous broadleaved tree taxa.     

Persistence of tree related patterns in soil nutrients following slash-and-burn disturbance in the tropics

Individual trees are known to influence soil chemical properties, creating spatial patterns that vary with distance from the stem. The influence of trees on soil chemical properties is commonly viewed as the agronomic basis for low-input agroforestry and shifting cultivation practices, and as an important source of spatial heterogeneity in forest soils. Few studies, however, have examined the persistence of the effects of trees on soil after the pathways responsible for the effects are removed. Here, we present evidence from a Mexican dry forest indicating that stem-related patterns of soil nutrients do persist following slash-and-burn removal of trees and two years of cropping. Pre-disturbance concentrations of resin extractable phosphorus (P), bicarbonate extractable P, NaOH extractable P, total P, total nitrogen (N) and carbon (C), KCl extractable nitrate (NO₃ ^-), and net N mineralization and nitrification rates were higher in stem than dripline soils under two canopy dominant species of large-stemmed trees with contrasting morphologies and phenologies (Caesalpinia eriostachys Benth. and Forchhammeria pallida Liebm.). These stem effects persisted through slash burning and a first growing season for labile inorganic and organic P, NaOH inorganic P, and plant-available P, and through a second growing season for labile organic P, NaOH organic P, and plant-available P. While stem effects for extractable NO₃ ^-, net nitrification rates, total N and C disappeared after felling and slash burning, these stem effects returned after the first growing season. These results support the view that tree-influenced patterns of soil nutrients do persist after tree death, and that trees contribute to the long-term spatial heterogeneity of forest soils. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

中国北方蒙古栎林起源和发展的初步探讨

古生态学的研究显示 ,栎林 (包括蒙古栎林 )在华北地区和东北地区的分布在地质历史时期不是一成不变的 ,其优势度也呈现上下波动 ,栎树优势度的增减是由于地质历史时期气候的变化造成的 ;蒙古栎的起源时间可能不早于上新世中期 ,蒙古栎林的起源也应不早于上新世中期。蒙古栎林的起源原因有 2种 ,即火与人类的反复砍伐。火是原生性质蒙古栎林在地质历史时期存在和扩散的根本原因 ,过度的人类活动 (主要是反复砍伐 )是促成现在蒙古栎次生林占优势地位的主要原因 ,这是由蒙古栎这个树种的生物学特性决定的 ,在没有外界因素的干扰和火减少的情况下 ,蒙古栎在演替过程中逐渐被耐荫的树种所取代 ,但是在中国北方 ,由于人类活动的加剧 ,蒙古栎林的优势度有增加的趋势。     

多气候情景下中国森林火灾风险评估

森林火灾风险主要取决于致灾因子、承灾体以及防灾减灾能力,综合评估和预测森林火灾风险是制定科学的林火管理政策的基础.本文基于经典自然灾害风险模型和可获取数据构建森林火灾风险评估模型与指标体系,评估过去和未来的森林火灾风险.未来气候情景数据包括RCP 2.6、RCP 4.5、RCP 6.0和RCP 8.5下5个全球气候模式(GFDL-ESM2M、HadGEM2-ES、IPSL-CM5A-LR、 MIROC-ESM-CHEM和NorESM1-M)日值数据.根据最高温度、最小相对湿度、平均风速和每日降水量分别计算1987—2050年历史观测数据和未来气候情景下各格点每日火险天气指数系统中各个指数.结果表明: 1987—2010年,森林火灾风险高和很高的区域分别占21.2%和6.2%,主要分布在大兴安岭和长白山地区、云南大部分区域和南方零散分布的区域.森林火灾可能性高和很高的区域主要分布在东北和西南地区,分别占森林面积的13.1%和4.0%.与观测时段相比,2021—2050年RCP 2.6、RCP 4.5、RCP 6.0和RCP 8.5情景下森林火灾可能性高和很高的区域分别增加0.6%、5.5%、2.3%和3.5%,华北地区增幅明显.气候变化引起的森林火灾高风险区域有些增加,RCP 8.5情景下增幅最明显(+1.6%).     

大兴安岭北坡火烧迹地森林郁闭度恢复及其影响因子

1987年发生在大兴安岭北坡的特大森林火灾,总过火面积达1.33×106hm2,形成了各种火烧强度区与未火烧区构成的异质镶嵌体。火烧强度、地形以及火后人类的恢复干预都不同程度地对火后森林恢复产生了影响。研究目的有二：一是为了揭示火后森林恢复状况;二是探寻火烧强度、地形以及火后更新措施等因素对火后森林恢复的影响程度。选取了位于火烧区的图强林业局中部的育英和图强两林场为研究区,选取反映森林景观质量的郁闭度指标作为研究对象,利用地理信息系统软件,将1987年火前与2000年的郁闭度等级分布图叠加,分析火后森林质量的恢复状况;利用多元线性回归法对火烧强度、海拔、坡度、坡向、坡位等地形因子以及各种更新方式对郁闭度恢复的影响程度进行了定量研究。结果显示,2000年郁闭度等级与火前相比发生了明显变化,2000年各林型郁闭度优势等级均由较高的等级4,5降为等级3;而等级1的比重也有所降低。表明,火后森林总体生长状况良好,无林地比重降低,但由于恢复时间较短,具有较高郁闭度的森林所占比重仍较低。多元线性回归显示,各因子均对火后郁闭度恢复产生了显著性影响。其中,海拔影响最大,与郁闭度等级呈正相关;其次是火烧强度,呈负相关;其它地形因子以及更新方式影响较小。     

1957-2007年云南省森林火险变化

当前以变暖为主要特征的气候变化已对全球林火的发生产生重要影响.本文基于日气象数据(气温、降水量、空气相对湿度、风速),按照加拿大火险天气指数的计算方法,计算了云南省1957-2007年间每日的森林火险天气指数,分析了该省50年来森林火险的变化趋势.结果表明:云南省的火险期为上年11月至当年6月,持续期约8个月;林火数据(林火数量、过火面积和受害森林面积)与火险天气指数的相关性显著,半腐层湿度码(DMC)的火险期平均值和火险期严峻度(SSR)可作为不同火险期火险状况比较的良好指标.1957-2007年云南省森林火险状况呈现2种变化趋势:1)总体上周期性变化趋势明显,在周期性变化的同时呈上升趋势,表现为1991-2007年的火险状况比1961-1990年的火险状况略有升高;2)1991-2007年各火险期火险状况的波动性下降,火险状况异常严峻的火险期数量比1961-1990年减少.

Abstract：

Climate warming has already made great impact on forest fires. Based on the daily me-teorological data (temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, and wind speed), and by using the Canadian Fire Weather Index calculation formula, the daily forest fire weather indices (FWIs) of Yunnan Province in 1957-2007 were calculated, and through the statistical analysis of FWIs, the forest fire trends in this province over the past 50 years were studied. In the past 50 years, the forest fire season in Yunnan Province was from previous year November to current year June, lasting 8 months. Fire data (fire numbers, burned area, and burned forest area) had sig-nificant relationships with fire weather indices. The average daily duff moisture code (DMC) in whole fire season and the seasonal severity rating (SSR) were the good indices to evaluate the fire danger conditions among different fire seasons. The forest fire danger in Yunnan Province in 1957-2007 showed two change trends. One showed a clear cyclical change and a weak upward trend, i. e. , the fire danger conditions in 1991-2007 was slightly severer than that in 1961-1990 ; and the another was that the fluctuation of forest fire danger conditions among different fire seasons decreased in 1991-2007, and the number of abnormal severe fire seasons was less than that in 1961-1990.     

Reduced fire blight susceptibility in apple cultivars using a high‐efficiency CRISPR/Cas9‐FLP/FRT‐based gene editing system

The bacterium Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight disease in apple, triggers its infection through the DspA/E effector which interacts with the apple susceptibility protein MdDIPM4. In this work, MdDIPM4 knockout has been produced in two Malus × domestica susceptible cultivars using the CRISPR/Cas9 system delivered via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Fifty‐seven transgenic lines were screened to identify CRISPR/Cas9‐induced mutations. An editing efficiency of 75% was obtained. Seven edited lines with a loss‐of‐function mutation were inoculated with the pathogen. Highly significant reduction in susceptibility was observed compared to control plants. Sequencing of five potential off‐target sites revealed no mutation event. Moreover, our construct contained a heat‐shock inducible FLP/FRT recombination system designed specifically to remove the T‐DNA harbouring the expression cassettes for CRISPR/Cas9, the marker gene and the FLP itself. Six plant lines with reduced susceptibility to the pathogen were heat‐treated and screened by real‐time PCR to quantify the exogenous DNA elimination. The T‐DNA removal was further validated by sequencing in one plant line. To our knowledge, this work demonstrates for the first time the development and application of a CRISPR/Cas9‐FLP/FRT gene editing system for the production of edited apple plants carrying a minimal trace of exogenous DNA.     

浙江省1991~2006年森林火灾释放黑碳量的估算

黑碳气溶胶不仅造成环境污染危害人的健康,同时通过吸收太阳和大气辐射产生的辐射强迫对全球和区域产生影响,成为影响全球变暖的仅次于CO2的重要成分.在全球变暖及大气中CO2浓度不断升高的趋势下,各国开始采用造林再造林来减缓全球变暖的趋势,随着森林面积和林内生物量的不断增加,以及森林火灾的频发,林火带来的黑碳排放量也不容忽视.然而在世界上大部分地区,这方面的工作却很少被人所关注.根据1991～2006年浙江省森林火灾统计资料和浙江省各种森林类型地上生物量的数据,计算出了浙江省每年的森林火灾导致的生物量损失量.同时采取释放因子法,对1991～2006浙江省每年森林火灾释放的黑碳量进行了估算.其中1995年和2000年森林火灾释放的黑碳总量分别是38.4、97.2 t,占整个浙江省黑碳释放总量中的比重分别是0.12%、0.17%,对于区域大气质量有一定的影响.     

比较逻辑斯蒂与地理加权逻辑斯蒂回归模型在福建林火发生的适用性

林火预测预报是科学有效进行林火管理的前提,是林业管理部门和科研工作者的广泛关注的领域。逻辑斯蒂回归(Logistic Regression,LR)是目前国内外广泛应用于森林火灾预测的模型方法,然而近年来有学者发现该方法没有充分考虑林火影响因子的空间相关性和异质性,从而导致模型拟合结果偏差。地理加权逻辑斯蒂回归(Geographically weighted logistic regression,GWR)模型考虑到了模型变量之间的空间相关性,有效提高的模型的拟合能力。为探讨GWLR模型在福建林火预测上的适用性,本研究应用LR和GWLR两种方法分别建立福建省森林火灾与气象因子的预测模型,通过模型拟合能力对比,判断在GWLR的适用性。研究以2000—2005年福建地区森林火灾卫星火点数据和每日气象因子为基础,将全样本分为60%的建模数据和40%的校验数据,并重复5次,建立5个样本组。选择在5个样本组中3个及以上表现显著的变量进入最终模型。研究结果表明GWLR在模型拟合度、模型残差、空间自相关性以及预测准确率等方面均优于LR模型,说明充分考虑模型变量的空间异质性有助于提高模型的预测精度,同时也验证了GWLR在福建地区林火预测上的适应性。此外,模型参数结果显示,"日最高地表气温"、"日最低地表气温"、"日平均风速"、"24小时降水量"、"日最高本站气压"、"日照时数"、"日最高气温"和"日最小相对湿度"8个因子对福建省林火发生有显著影响,研究结论为福建地区林火预测预报提供了新的方法。