Tomicus yunnanensis Kirkendall and Faccoli and Tomicus minor Hartig have caused serious shoot damage in Yunnan pine (Pinus yunnanensis Faranch) forests in the Yunnan province of China. However, very few remote sensing studies have been conducted to detect the different shoot damage ratios of individual trees. The aim of the study was to evaluate the suitability of eight-band WorldView-3 satellite image

Storms are the main abiotic disturbance in European forests, effects of which are expected to intensify in the future, hence the importance of forest stand stability is increasing. The predisposition of Norway spruce to wind damage appears to be enhanced by pathogens such as Heterobasidion spp., which reduce stability of individual trees. However, detailed information about the effects of the root

Nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) are a key factor in the physiological regulation of plants and can reflect buffering capacity of plants under diverse environmental conditions. The effects of diverse environmental conditions on plant NSCs and tissue or organ scales have been thoroughly studied, but their effects on fine root (root diameter < 2 mm) NSC concentrations are still not completely understood

The general objective of the study was to assess the main drivers for visiting the forest and the frequency of the visits in the Czech Republic. A nationwide collection of data of the sociological research as part of The Market & Media & Lifestyle Research Project was carried out every year in the Czech Republic under the licensed cooperation with Kantar Media. The project is unique by the large scope

The fine-scale spatial patterns of trees and their interactions are of paramount importance for controlling the structure and function of forest ecosystems; however, few management techniques can be employed to adjust the structural characteristics of uneven-aged mixed forests. This research provides an accurate, efficient, and impersonal comprehensive thinning index (P-index) for selecting candidate

Hardwood-dominated forests in south-central Chile have shade-tolerant and mid-tolerant tree species capable of regenerating and growing well in partial shade. To test the potential for using an uneven-aged silviculture in these forests, we established single-tree selection treatments at two mid-elevation sites within the Evergreen forest type in the Coastal range (Llancahue and Los Riscos, 40–42° S

Research Highlights: Landscape approach principles were developed to address competing claims on resources at local scales. We used the principles to address agricultural expansion in Ghana’s forest reserves. Background and Objectives: Agricultural expansion is a major cause of Ghana’s forest-cover loss. Cultivation has totally deforested some forest reserves. The situation in Ghana illustrates the

The economic valuation of goods that do not have a market, like services offered by natural parks, provide a lot of information for the purpose of policy making on the conservation and protection of the natural environment, as well as for establishing park use strategies for potential park visitors. In this respect, this paper aims to analyse visitor preferences for Cornalvo Natural Park, which has

In many countries, National Forest Inventory (NFI) data is used to assess the variability of forest growth across the country. The identification of areas with similar growths provides the foundation for development of regional models. The objective of the present study is to identify areas with similar diameter and basal area growth using increment cores acquired by the NFI for the three main Romanian

We carried out morphological and dimensional analysis of the detritic elements deposited in the galleries of two termite species of the Kalotermitidae family present in Spain known as drywood termites (Cryptotermes brevis (Walker, 1853) and Kalotermes flavicollis (Fabricius, 1793)). This was in order to gauge the possibility of differentiating the species only on the basis of debris observation and

Canopy cover is an important vegetation attribute used for many environmental applications such as defining management objectives, thinning and ecological modeling. However, the estimation of canopy cover from high spatial resolution imagery is still a difficult task due to limited spectral information and the heterogeneous pixel values of the same canopy. In this paper, we compared the capacity of

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are new platforms that have been increasingly used in the last few years for forestry applications that benefit from the added value of flexibility, low cost, reliability, autonomy, and capability of timely provision of high-resolution data. This special issue (SI) collects nine papers reporting research on different forestry applications using UAV imagery. The special

Stem tapers are mathematical functions modelling the relative decrease of diameter (rD) as the relative height (rH) increase in trees and can be successfully used in precision forest harvesting. In this paper, the diameters of the stem at various height of 202 Pinus nigra trees were fully measured by means of an optical relascope (CRITERION RD 1000) by adopting a two-steps non-destructive strategy

Understanding the spatial variation of forest productivity and its driving factors on a large regional scale can help reveal the response mechanism of tree growth to climate change, and is an important prerequisite for efficient forest management and studying regional and global carbon cycles. Pinus massoniana Lamb. is a major planted tree species in southern China, playing an important role in the

Community forest management (CFM) is often a field of encounter between knowledge systems, where a conventional forestry blueprint is frequently applied in contexts rich in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). This is the case in Mexico, a bioculturally diverse country and a reference of community forestry. Based on a review of laws, policies, literature, and empirical examples, we explore technical

Carbon starvation and hydraulic failure are considered important factors in determining the mechanisms associated with tree mortality. In this study, iso/anisohydric classification was used to assess drought resistance and mortality mechanisms in two contrasting poplar species, as it is generally believed that isohydric species are more susceptible to carbon starvation, while anisohydric species are

Raulí (Nothofagus alpina (Poepp. & Endl.)) and Ulmo (Eucryphia cordifolia Cav.) are mid-tolerant tree species in the Coihue-Raulí-Tepa (ca. 0.55 mill ha) and Evergreen (ca. 4.1 mill ha) forest types in south-central Chile, respectively. These species have been selectively logged in old-growth forests especially during the 20th century, Raulí mostly for its highly valuable timber, and Ulmo for its highly

Magnitude–frequency (M–F) relationships represent important information on slope deformation and are used in hazard assessment or as supporting data for urban planning. Various approaches have been used to extract such relationships in the past, but most of these methods drove at the problem of exact events´ frequency determination. Dendrogeomorphic (tree ring-based) approaches are actually thought

The expansion of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plantations has been a critical driver for the rapid transformation of tropical forests, especially in Thailand. Rubber plantation mapping provides basic information for surveying resources, updating forest subplot information, logging, and managing the forest. However, due to the diversity of stand structure, complexity of the forest growth environment

The objective of this research was to detect changes in forest areas and, subsequently, the potential forest area that can be extended in the South Sumatra province of Indonesia, according to the Indonesian forest resilience classification zones. At first, multispectral satellite remote sensing datasets from Landsat 7 ETM+ and Landsat 8 OLI were classified into four classes, namely urban, vegetation

Three systems of additive biomass models were developed and the effects of tree components, tree sizes, and tree growing regions on the carbon concentration were analyzed for Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb.) in the natural forests of Northeastern China. The nonlinear seemingly unrelated regression (NSUR) method was used to fit each of the three systems simultaneously; namely, aggregated

Wood supply chain performance suffers from risks intensified by more frequent and extreme natural calamities such as windstorms, bark beetle infestations, and ice-break treetops. In order to limit further damage and wood value loss after natural calamities, high volumes of salvage wood have to be rapidly transported out of the forest. In these cases, robust decision support and coordinated management

Forest ecosystems are frequently exposed to abiotic stress, which adversely affects their growth, resistance and survival. For silver fir (Abies alba), the physiological and biochemical responses to water and salt stress have not been extensively studied. Responses of one-year-old seedlings to a 30-day water stress (withholding irrigation) or salt stress (100, 200 and 300 mM NaCl) treatments were analysed

Forests are a large carbon sink with an additional substitution effect in the merchantable timber compartment of harvested trees, where carbon stored within the same volume of wood varies depending on wood density. Here, we investigated mean annual air-dry wood density variations depending on cambial age, annual radial increment, and two different stem heights of Larix gmelinii (Rupr.), Quercus mongolica

The scientific debate over how to make visible the connections between the standard System of National Accounts (SNA) and its ongoing satellite Environmental Economic Ecosystem Accounting–Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA–EEA) is a challenge that is still pending. The literature on environmental accounting of agroforestry and silvopastoral landscapes rarely values the multiple ecosystem services

Research Highlights: The present study case investigates the differences occurring when tree’s biophysical parameters are extracted through single and multiple scans. Scan sessions covered mountainous and hill regions of the Carpathian forests. Background and Objectives: We focused on analyzing stems, as a function of diameter at breast height (DBH) and the total height (H), at sample plot level for

Research Highlights: Technology advances have allowed for a new approach to research the decline of the Korean fir (Abies koreana E.H.Wilson). This study provides insights into the exact causes leading to this decline. Background and Objectives: Various factors could lead to the decline of fir trees around Mt. Halla, Korea, but these have not yet been verified. Here, the Korean fir across Mt. Halla

To explore the response of nitrogen metabolism in Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) to high CO2 concentrations, needles from one-year-old seedlings were used as materials to detect key enzyme activities, gene expression and different forms of nitrogen metabolites after CO2 stress for different durations (0 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h). The results show that elevated CO2 affected the efficiency of nitrogen metabolism

Chestnuts are popular edible nuts that are rich in starch. In order to enhance the transcriptomic resources and further understand starch and sucrose metabolism in maturing chestnuts, a comparative transcriptomic study of Chinese chestnut kernels was conducted at three ripening stages (70, 82, and 94 DAF). At 82 and 94 days after flowering (DAF), starch continued to accumulate, and the amylopectin/amylose

Various nontimber forest products (NTFPs) are produced from the forests and woodlands of Yemen. Dragon’s blood tree resin is one of the commercial NTFPs in Yemen and is produced by tapping Dracaena cinnabari trees, which are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List. By applying a forest resource assessment, the present study inventoried the D. cinnabari

Bark stripping by the Bennett’s wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus (Desmarest) subsp. rufogriseus) from the lower stems of 3–6-year-old radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) causes significant damage in Tasmanian plantations. The usual diet of this generalist herbivore is mainly grasses and broadleaved forbs. As the factors that attract a wallaby to supplement its diet by eating the bark of plantation pine

Enrichment planting is often suggested as a means of enhancing the productivity of logged rainforest. However, little is known about the long-term survival and growth of these trees. In this study, we used historical data from enrichment planting trials ranging from 15 to 32 years old to examine the survival and growth of 16 tree species across different sites in north Queensland, Australia. The results

The balance of production activities at the landing is pivotal to the success of any forest harvesting operation and has a direct impact on the cost and efficiency of the enterprise. The primary objective of this study was to understand the operational characteristics of the loader in a hot operation (handling both sawlog and biomass components concurrently) and cold operation (handling biomass and

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-protein coding RNAs of ~20–24 nucleotides in length that play an important role in many biological and metabolic processes, including the regulation of gene expression, plant growth and developmental processes, as well as responses to stress and pathogens. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize novel and conserved microRNAs expressed in methyl jasmonate-treated

Research Highlights: The novelty of this study is the development of an accurate wood density estimation method based on a relatively brand new semi-destructive testing technique (drilling chips extraction). This method is especially crucial in the assessment of existing timber structures. Background and Objectives: Probing, drilling, and coring are non-destructive and semi-destructive techniques commonly

The research objective was to demonstrate the economic impact of using, in afforestation, forest reproductive materials (FRMs) obtained from seed trees selected in the most valuable Norway spruce populations of the FGRs’ (forest genetic resources’) category. The values obtained for the main growth traits (diameter at breast height (Dbh), tree height (Th), and tree volume (Tv)), both in the FGR and

Secondary succession that occurs on abandoned farmlands is an important source of biomass carbon stocks. Both direct and indirect tree biomass estimation methods are applied on forest lands. Using empirical data from 148 uprooted trees, we developed a seemingly unrelated mixed-effects models system for the young silver birch that grows on post agricultural lands in central Poland. Tree height, biomass

Global warming and the sharp rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations have a profound impact on forest ecosystems. To better manage these changes, a comprehensive understanding of forest ecosystem responses to global change is essential. There is a lack of knowledge about the growth response of Schrenk spruce (Picea schrenkiana Fisch. et Mey)—an endemic tree species found in the arid Central Asian region—to

Fluctuations in climatic conditions during the growing season are recorded in Mediterranean tree-rings and often result in intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs). Dendroecology and quantitative wood anatomy analyses were used to characterize the relations between the variability of IADF traits and climatic drivers in Pinus pinaster Aiton and Quercus ilex L. growing at sites with different water

State-of-the-art forest management requires an adequate opening-up in terms of forest roads. In addition to the increased efficiency of harvesting operations, a higher road density may trigger other positive and negative side-effects. Austria has a long tradition of forestry, and also of monitoring the economic performance of forest enterprises by means of forest accountancy data networks. Using these

Litter decomposition plays a critical role in regulating biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial ecosystems and is profoundly impacted by increasing atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. Here, a N manipulation experiment was conducted to explore the effects of N additions (0 kg N ha−1 yr−1, 20 kg N ha−1 yr−1 and 40 kg N ha−1 yr−1) on decay rates and nutrients release of two contrasting species, the evergreen

This study aims to estimate the total biomass aboveground and soil carbon stocks in a Mediterranean riparian forest and identify the contribution of the different species and ecosystem compartments to the overall riparian carbon reservoir. We used a combined field and object-based image analysis (OBIA) approach, based on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) multispectral imagery, to assess C stock of three

Phytophthora root rot is considered one of the main factors associated with holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) mortality. The effectiveness and accuracy of soilborne pathogen and management could be influenced by soil spatial heterogeneity. This factor is of special relevance in many afforestation of southwestern Spain, which were carried out without phytosanitary control of the nursery seedlings. We selected

For sustainable production of wood in short-rotation coppices and agroforestry systems, it is necessary to optimize the storage processes to achieve low dry matter losses together with low-cost drying. The harvesting of the trees can be carried out very efficiently with modified forage harvesters or tractor-powered mower-chippers. The wood chips produced can be dried naturally at low cost in open-air

The rising throughput of log-yards imposes new constraints on existing equipment and increases the complexity of delivering an optimal and uninterrupted supply of pulpwood to pulp mills. To find ways of addressing these problems by reducing log cycle times, this work uses a discrete-event mathematics model to simulate operations at a log-yard and study the impact of three different log-yard inventory

Dragon’s blood that is extracted from Dracaena plants has been widely used as traditional medicine in various ancient cultures. The application of dragon’s blood has a cherished history in China, even though the original plants were not discovered for some period. Dracaena cochinchinensis and Dracaena cambodiana were successively discovered in southern China during the 1970s–1980s. In the last half

Ozone is a phytotoxic gaseous air pollutant and its negative effects on forest production are a major concern. To understand the effects of ozone on forest production, it is important to clarify the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) for tree growth under elevated ozone conditions, because nitrogen is a primal limiting factor of forest production in many cool-temperate forests. Soil nutrient conditions

The paper deals with analysis of the forest business sector in Slovakia and the evaluation of profitability and efficiency of forest contractors, with special focus on mountain and lowland regions. Evaluation of profitability was done by using selected indicators of financial analyses for a period of five years. Data envelopment analyses (DEA) was used as non-parametric approach for the assessment

Process-based terrestrial ecosystem models are increasingly being used to predict carbon (C) cycling in forest ecosystems. Given the complexity of ecosystems, these models inevitably have certain deficiencies, and thus the model parameters and simulations can be highly uncertain. Through long-term direct observation of ecosystems, numerous different types of data have accumulated, providing valuable

Agroforestry is an intensive land management system that integrates trees into land already used for crop and animal farming. This provides a diverse range of ecosystem services by bridging the gaps between agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry. It is an important approach to improve the environmental, economic, and social benefits of complex social–ecological systems in the Asia-Pacific region

Wood is susceptible to swelling deformation and decay fungi due to moisture adsorption that originates from the dynamic nanopores of the cell wall and the abundant hydroxyl groups in wood components. This study employed as a modifier maleic anhydride (MAn), with the help of acetone as solvent, to diffuse into the wood cell wall, bulk nanopores, and further chemically bond to the hydroxyl groups of

This study analyzed the variability of truckloads of large-sized pine logs transported to a furniture manufacturing mill, depending on the origin of the timber, delivery period, length of the transported logs, volume of the load and its mass. It was assumed that the volume and mass of the transported timber load depends on the season of the year and the origin of the timber, which has a significant

Birch sap is colourless or slightly opalescent and is traditionally drunk in spring. Currently, birch sap is becoming more important in the market sector as well as to pharmacy companies due to its biochemical composition and use in a wide variety of products. To extract good quality sap using birch resources in a sustainable way, there is a need to investigate the influence of the dendrometric parameters

Leaf habits (e.g., evergreen or deciduous) can reflect strategies of species adapting to varied environmental conditions. However, how species with different leaf habits coexist within a plant community is still poorly understood. Trait gradient analysis is a new approach to partition plant functional trait variations into alpha (within-community) and beta (among-community) components to quantify the

Carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus (C:N:P) stoichiometry plays a critical role in nutrient cycling, biodiversity, and ecosystem functionality. However, our understanding of the responses of C:N:P stoichiometry to elevation and forest management remains elusive. Here we sampled 18 Larix principis-rupprechtii sites along altitudinal gradients (1700-2300 m) on Guandishan Mountain in the Loess Plateau, China.

Spatial information about disturbance driven patterns of forest structure and ages across landscapes provide a valuable resource for all land management efforts including cross-ownership collaborative forest treatments and restoration. While disturbance events in general are known to impact stand characteristics, the agent of change may also influence recovery and the supply of ecosystem services.

Climate change may lead to alterations in tree growth and carbon cycling. Interpreting the response of forest growth to climate change requires an understanding of the temporal and spatial patterns of seasonal climatic influences on the growth of tree species. However, the effects of climate change on pine forest dynamics in tropical region of Thailand remain poorly understood. This study develops

This study discusses penetration resistance (PR) of forested Pumice-Andosol sites. PR, a key soil property influencing root growth and elongation, exerts a substantial influence on ecological site quality and tree growth. Andosols were expected to show low PR because of their unique characteristics (low bulk density, loose soil matrix). Five sites, two undisturbed and three backfilled, were sampled

Background and Objectives: Drought occurs more frequently in Northern China with the advent of climate change, which might increase the mortality of tree seedlings after afforestation due to hydraulic failure. Therefore, investigating water relations helps us understand the drought tolerance of tree seedlings. Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is widely used to assess the responses of plant tissues

The short legacy effects of growing season nitrogen (N) addition and reduced precipitation on nongrowing season soil respiration (Rs), autotrophic respiration (Ra), and heterotrophic respiration (Rh) are still unclear. Therefore, a field manipulative experiment to determine the responses of nongrowing season Rs and its components to growing season N addition and reduced precipitation was conducted