Some meteorological conditions associated with forest fires in Galicia (Spain)

The present paper offers data on the effect of certain meteorological parameters on the outbreak of forest fires in Galicia (Spain). In a day-to-day analysis, the values of the stability of the air column and the saturation deficit at the lower levels are related to the number of fires occurring in the following 24 h.     

我国浙江与日本和我国台湾森林植物区系的联系

作者在“试论浙江省森林植物区系”一文中对我国浙江与日本和我国台湾森林植物区系的联系已作了扼要的说明,本文就是在此基础上作更详尽的论述。浙江省东濒大海,隔海相望,东北方向有日本,其本部岛屿的南端为九州,和浙江北部的纬度相近,具有亚热带气候特征,出现了和浙江相类似的常绿阔叶林和竹林,九     

Forest-level analysis of stability under exploitation: depensation responses and catastrophe theory

Stability analysis of whole forests is proposed as a qualitative tool for the study of forest responses to partial or patchy harvests or mortality. Instead of modeling every tree or stand, aggregate tree biomass is modeled. In order to aggregate stands, spatial effects must be incorporated. It is shown that depensation growth responses (reduced growth at low biomass) are common because forests often modify harch environments to be more suitable for their growth. Depensation can result from thinning, partial mortality, patchy cutting, or clearcutting, depending on forest type and abiotic factors. Examples of these types of behaviors are given. Stability analysis of different growth regimes under exploitation are related to catastrophe theory and to optimal harvesting policies. Such qualitative analysis is shown to be applicable to data-poor regions such as the tropics where there is great concern over responses of forests to exploitation.     

The gap theory in forest dynamics

Since the late 1970s, ecologists interested in forest dynamics have focused their attention to the responses of individuals, populations and communities to “gaps” which are openings created in the forest canopy. This review intended to introduce some collective knowledge on major subjects of the gap theory in forest dynamics, in relation to gap-disturbance regimes, tree regeneration behaviour and community structure.     

Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in different compartments of a healthy and a declining Picea abies forest in the Fichtelgebirge,NE Bavaria

Summary Natural carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were measured in different compartments (needles and twigs of different ages and crown positions, litter, understorey vegetation, roots and soils of different horizons) on 5 plots of a healthy and on 8 plots of a declining Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) forest in the Fichtelgebirge (NE Bavaria, Germany), which has recently been described in detail (Oren et al. 1988a; Schulze et al. 1989). The ¹³C values of needles did not differ between sites or change consistently with needle age, but did decrease from the sun-to the shade-crown. This result confirms earlier conclusions from gas exchange measurements that gaseous air pollutants did no long-lasting damage in an area where such damage was expected. Twigs (¹³C between-25.3 and-27.8) were significantly less depleted in ¹³C than needles (¹³C between-27.3 and-29.1), and ¹³C in twigs increased consistently with age. The ¹⁵N values of needles ranged between-2.5 and-4.1 and varied according to stand and age. In young needles ¹⁵N decreased with needle age, but remained constant or increased in needles that were 2 or 3 years old. Needles from the healthy site were more depleted in ¹⁵N than those from the declining site. The difference between sites was greater in old needles than in young ones. This differentiation presumably reflects an earlier onset of nitrogen reallocation in needles of the declining stand. ¹⁵N values in twigs were more negative than in needles (-3.5 to-5.2) and showed age- and stand-dependent trends that were similar to the needles. ¹⁵N values of roots and soil samples increased at both stands with soil depth from-3.5 in the organic layer to +4 in the mineral soil. The ¹⁵N values of roots from the mineral soil were different from those of twigs and needles. Roots from the shallower organic layer had values similar to twigs and needles. Thus, the bulk of the assimilated nitrogen was presumably taken up by the roots from the organic layer. The problem of separation of ammonium or nitrate use by roots from different soil horizons is discussed.     

Phosphorus deficiency induced by nitrogen input in Douglas fir in the Netherlands

Summary A re-examination of earlier NPK fertilization experiments in Douglas fir stands on sandy soils shows the effects of high nitrogen input by air pollution during the last 10–15 years on plant nutrition at these sites. In 1960, experimental plots showed a positive growth reaction to nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilization. All suffered from severe phosphorus deficiency in 1984, low phosphorus in the needles was invariably accompanied by a high nitrogen content, with all N/P ratios between 20 and 30. The same conclusion emerges from an independent investigation of nutrient status of a selection of Douglas fir stands. Hence, if stand productivity and a balanced nutrient status of the trees is to be maintained, the increase in atmospheric input of nitrogen calls for supplementary fertilization. Given the current N/P ratios in the needles, a positive growth response to phosphorus fertilization is to be expected.     

元江干热河谷山地五百年来植被变迁探讨

元江河谷是云南省最干热地区之一,在海拔800—900米以下的山地上广泛分布着稀树灌草丛。根据《元江府志》(1714年编纂)、《元江州志》(1826年编纂)、《元江志稿》(1922年编篡)及对现存植被的考察,本文探讨了元江干热河谷山地五百年来植被的变迁。 元江县森林复盖率的减少与人口的增加有密切关系,十七世纪中期以前,森林复盖率在75％以上,十八、十九世纪时为70％左右,1958年为61.5％,1975年为27.3％,至1982年则为19.3％。研究表明,在十九世纪以前,这个地区分布的主要植被是热带季雨林,甚而热带季节雨林,以后热带稀树灌草丛则迅速发展。植被的历史变化与土壤流失密切相关。植物群落的演变是由以乔木树种为优势演变为以灌木种类为优势,再演变为以多年生草木植物为优势,而最后则成为裸地。本文也讨论了这个地区植被恢复的方法。     

Nutrients and mass in litter and top soil of ten tropical tree plantations

The importance of litter to nutrient and organic matter storage and the possible influence of species selection on soil fertility in ten stands each consisting of a separate tree species were examined in this study. The plantations had been grown under similar conditions in an arboretum in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. The species involved were: Anthocephalus chinensis, Eucalyptus × patentinervis, E. saligna, Hernandia sonora, Hibiscus elatus, Khaya nyasica, Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis, P. elliottii var. densa, Swietenia macrophylla, and Terminalia ivorensis. After 26 yr, litter mass ranged from 5 mg ha^-1 in the H. sonora stand to 27.2 Mg ha^-1 in the P. caribaea stand. Nutrients in the litter (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg) also varied widely, but stands were ranked in different order when ranked by nutrients in the litter than then ranked according to accumulation of mass. Only E. saligna and A. chinensis stands were ranked similarly in accumulation of both nutrients and mass, and the stand of H. elatus was ranked higher with respect to nutrient accumulation than to accumulation of mass. The nutrient concentration in standing leaf litter generally increased in the order of recently fallen <old intact< fragmented. Nutrient concentration of standing leaf litter appears to increase with age and depth in the litter layer. The amount of nutrients stored in the litter compartment of these plantations was in the same order of magnitude as the quantity of available nutrients in the top 10-cm of mineral soil. Total litter mass was negatively correlated with the mass-weighted concentration of N, K, and Mg. The same relationship was found for Ca in the leaf litter and N in the fine wood litter compartments. In some stands (notably P. caribaea, P. elliottii, and E. saligna), leaf litter derived from species other than the species planted in that particular stand had higher nutrient concentration than leaf litter from the planted species. Soils of the 10 stands were classified in the same soil series and had similar texture (clay soils). However, significantly different chemical characteristics were found. Results obtained by analysis of covariance and by limiting comparisons to adjacent stands with similar soil texture, indicate that different species have had different influences on the concentration of available nutrients in soil.     

Ancient dominance of the Quercus calliprinos - Pistacia palaestina association in mediterranean Israel

Abstract. The natural Mediterranean maquis and forest vegetation of Israel is commonly considered to be composed mainly of four, roughly equal components: Pinus halepensis, deciduous oak, evergreen oak, and Ceratonia - Pistacia communities. They represent the past climax and subclimax of this region. Evidence accumulated from pollen analysis and wood remnant research in geological and archaeological excavations, as well as from written historical sources, shows that this view is wrong: the ancient vegetation in this area was dominated by Quercus calliprinos.     

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.