In general, genetic improvement programs for Eucalyptus seek to increase productivity. Diallelic methods are commonly used in crossbreeding designs, but few studies use this methodology to assess competitive ability. The aim of this study was to estimate the competitive capacity and effects of intra- and inter-genotypic in Eucalyptus spp. clones and identify combinations that support increased productivity

Tropical forests are suffering several changes due to human activities. Among these, selective logging may represent a less damaging alternative, although it may alter species compositions of animals and plants in forest ecosystems. Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) are used as bioindicators as they respond quickly to environmental changes. Thus, in this study, we tested the effects of time after

Forest age structures have been reported to be substantially influenced by natural and anthropogenic disturbances worldwide. However, related biophysical feedback to climate is not well understood. This study aims to investigate the biophysical impact of changes in forest age on surface temperature and illustrate the mechanisms underlying such temperature differences. To this end, we use data from

Forest management increases the amount of edges or ecotones on the landscape. Ecotones are important transition zones, representing a rapid change in landscape physiognomy and can support greater biodiversity than the adjacent habitats. It is therefore essential to understand how species respond to such habitat transitions. The Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) provide numerous important ecosystem

It is particularly important to select the provenance with better adaptability in the context of the counteracting potential adverse effects of climate change. However, the growth environment of trees and the length of breeding cycle determine the uncertainty of early selection. Thereby, it is advisable to provide information for provenance selection by analyzing the relationship between young, middle

Ungulate browsing has been studied for several decades in the northern hemisphere. However, studies have mainly focused on just one or two ungulate species, while rarely contrasting the relative effects of summer and winter browsing. This limits our understanding of the dynamics and effects of browsing in landscapes where ungulate species diversity is increasing. We conducted a seasonal exclosure experiment

Invasion by non-native species is a consequence of previous anthropogenic disturbance that can be expected to differ between land-use histories with contrasting impacts on the physical and biotic environment. Mining, agriculture, and logging all alter environmental character in different ways through their different effects on soils and surrounding vegetation. We used second-growth forests with histories

Increasing the prevalence of broadleaf trees in conifer-dominated production forests is a recommended means of improving habitat availability for broadleaf and mixed-forest species. The implications for biodiversity are often measured by contrasting broadleaf-conifer mixtures with conifer-dominated stands. However, few studies include broadleaf-dominated stands in these assessments. Here we contrasted

Silviculture systems and associated forest harvesting practices that affect the level of soil compaction and organic matter retained on a site will cause changes to soil properties and processes that may affect the growth of planted trees. We present results for soil conditions and tree growth after 15 years for 6 Long-term Soil Productivity Study (LTSP) installations in 2 distinct regions of the Interior

This study investigates the long-term effects of vegetation management on nutrient concentration of various tissues and ecosystem components of 16 to 18 year-old Douglas-fir (DF), western hemlock (WH), western redcedar (WRC), and grand fir (GF) stands growing in Oregon’s central Coast Range (CR) and DF and WRC growing in Oregon’s Cascade mountain foothills (CF) under two contrasting vegetation management

The forest understory is often densely covered by dwarf bamboo Sasa spp. in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Dwarf bamboo is an important winter forage for sika deer Cervus nippon, and dwarf bamboo inhibits forest regeneration by preventing seedling establishment. Although percentages of browsed seedlings are a useful index of deer browsing pressure, dwarf bamboo is also expected to affect browsing on seedlings

The Cassia crossbill (Loxia sinesciuris) feeds exclusively on seeds held in serotinous cones of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta latifolia). Its population, confined to 67 km2 of pine in southern Idaho, declined by ~ 80% between 2003 and 2011 apparently because an increase in the occurrence of hot summer days (≥32 °C) caused the serotinous cones to open and shed their seeds. We hypothesized that the

Soil stoichiometry (C:N:P ratio) is an important indicator of soil fertility and plant nutrient status. To understand the impacts of the long-term restoration of degraded subtropical broadleaved mixed forests on soil stoichiometry, we employed a chronosequence to examine the responses of soil nutrient and C-N-P stoichiometry at three soil depths (0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm) over time (0 to 35 years)

In recent decades, grazing by wild and domestic ungulates has become a strategy for conservation management to restore or maintain open landscapes. One of the species playing an increasing role in ecological restoration is the European bison – the largest terrestrial mammal in Europe. We studied the impact of this large herbivore and other ungulates (moose, red deer, and roe deer) on tree encroachment

The world's forests are being affected by a changing climate. Recently, patches of dead trees have been found in forests of the Patagonian endemic species Nothofagus pumilio, which could not be related to insects or pathogenic fungi acting as primary agents. This study aimed to analyze environmental variables associated with N. pumilio mortality at a landscape scale. Dead patches were recorded from

Afforestation made great contributions to ecological benefits across China. Robinia pseudoacacia is widely used in the Grain-for-Green Program. The responses of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) to afforestation with R. pseudoacacia on cropland depend on plantation attributes, climatic factors, topographic features, and edaphic variables, thus making a synthesis of these studies

The long-lived five-needle pines, Pinus flexilis (limber pine) and Pinus longaeva (Great Basin bristlecone pine) can co-occur and may form symbiotic partnerships with the same species of ectomycorrhizal fungi. These shared symbiotic relationships may facilitate the persistence of these pine species. Throughout their lives, P. flexilis and P. longaeva may also assemble unique belowground fungal communities

With intensification of forest management, there has been increasing focus on the impacts of harvest residue removal on tree growth and long-term site productivity. The intensity of harvest removals, which has a direct impact on the available nutrient pools, influences tree growth and are also likely to impact the quality of wood formed. This study focused on the effects of harvesting residue removal

Bryophytes and lichens are two main components of the forest floor vegetation. They provide essential ecosystem services, including nutrient recycling and water regulation. Here, we contrast the species richness, cover and community composition of forest floor bryophytes and lichens in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) dominated production forests. The study sites were located

Accurate estimates of seed production are central for understanding mast seeding mechanisms at tree and forest scales, and for designing sustainable management strategies. As trees are long-lived organisms, a long-term perspective is required to understand how reproduction acts during the life cycle of a tree. However, long-term series of seed production are challenging to obtain, as the available

Wildlife management entails the manipulation of bottom-up and top-down forces that affect populations. For bear management in North America, both food availability (bottom-up) and hunting pressure (top-down) can limit population growth. Whereas seasonal and year-to-year variation in production of fruits and nuts (i.e., primary bear foods) has been widely recognized, long-term trends in natural food

The natural regeneration of 27 commercial and potentially commercial timber species was studied on experimental clearings in managed forests on three ‘ejidos’ and one private property in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Eight ½ ha clear-cuts had been created 11 years earlier using each of three different clearing treatments: slashing, felling and leaving (felled); slashing, felling and burning (burned); and machine-clearing

The most severe global warming is predicted to occur in the Amazon region of Brazil, with an estimated temperature increase of 4 to 8 °C between 2071 and 2100. Our study evaluated the effects of increased temperatures on germination success of seeds in the soil seed bank of secondary forests in Central Amazonia. Soil samples (3-cm depth) were collected in six secondary forests with different land-use

Common allometric patterns have been reported across the tropics and good performance on independent data was retrieved for the most recent pantropical model predicting tree aboveground biomass (AGB) from stem diameter, wood density and total height. General models are undoubtedly useful for the estimation and monitoring of biomass and carbon stocks in tropical forests, however specific allometry,

Tropical Secondary Forests (SFs) are vulnerable forest systems growing in areas that have been subject to unsustainable human activities leading to deforestation. SFs account for swathes of tropical forest landscapes that have lost their capacity to provide a high level of goods and services. They are also located in highly dynamic and human-pressured landscapes and are vulnerable to natural and human-induced

Increasing drought and changing temperatures drive researchers to seek more efficient and effective means to aid management of coniferous forests across the western United States. Thinning allows for effective removal of biomass, but with few options to remove the residual slash from the treatment unit after saleable timber is taken away, pile burning has become a favored method of debris removal.

The annual growth cycle of boreal trees is synchronized with seasonal changes in photoperiod and temperature. A warmer climate can lead to an earlier bud burst and increased risk of frost damage caused by temperature backlashes. In this study we analysed site- and provenance specific responses to interannual variation in temperature, using data from 18 Swedish and East-European provenances of Norway

Long-term investigations revealing the effects of a decay fungus, Chondrostereum purpureum (Pers. Ex Fr.) Pouzar on competition between deciduous and conifer tree species in young forests are missing. Therefore, the effects of three different sprout control treatments were tested in young Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands by evaluating sprouting

With large mammals in Southeast Asia facing a host of threats such as forest loss and poaching, one important strategy in supporting conservation interventions is to understand local trends in species distributions. In Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, selective logging has both historically (conventional selective logging) and currently (reduced impact logging) impacted large areas of forest. Furthermore,

Understanding rhizosphere processes in relation to the aboveground productivity of bamboo stands may shed new light on the optimization of management practices and the ecological functions of belowground components in forest ecosystems. In this paper, Moso bamboo stands under intensive management with high-intensity (deep plowing plus biennial fertilization, T1) and low-intensity (deep plowing plus

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) is an important component of western U.S. forests, however knowledge concerning processes of aspen seedling establishment, survival, and growth is limited and frequently anecdotal. Following a widespread post-fire establishment event in southern Utah, we explored spatial establishment patterns of >1000 aspen seedlings and tracked their survival and growth for two

Riparian buffers are the primary tool in forest management for protecting the habitat structure and function of streams. They help protect against biogeochemical perturbation, filter sediments and nutrients, prevent erosion, contribute food to aquatic organisms, regulate light and hence water temperature, contribute deadwood, and preserve biodiversity. However, in production forests of Sweden and Finland

We compiled data from several independent, long-term silvicultural studies on USDA Forest Service experimental forests across a latitudinal gradient in the northeastern and north-central U.S.A. to evaluate factors influencing aboveground live-tree carbon sequestration and mortality. Data represent five sites with more than 70,000 repeated tree records spanning eight decades, five ecoregions, and a

Wood productivity in plantation forests depends on successful choices of genetic materials and silvicultural practices. Wisely defining the intitial tree spacing according to edaphoclimatic conditions is important as spacing influences the amount of water, nutrients and light available for each tree. Resource availability, in turn, influences some important processes controlling wood production such

Deadwood is a habitat for numerous biota and serves as an indicator of forest biodiversity. Bryophytes significantly contribute to deadwood communities and epixylic bryophytes are particularly threatened. Additional to deadwood volumes, their occurrence depends on climatic conditions. However, the interactive effects of deadwood and climate on epixylic bryophytes have hardly been assessed. Here, we

The past century witnessed a dramatic increase in deer abundance in North America, Western Europe, and Japan, that triggered profound changes in the vegetation structure of temperate forests. Considering the effects large herbivores can have on soil properties and organisms, it is likely that such increased deer abundance will have consequences belowground. Current studies in temperate forests, however

Deadwood contains a sizeable proportion of total forest C, and its decomposition transfers organic C to the atmosphere, other organisms and soils. Microbes have traditionally been thought to be the primary drivers of wood decomposition worldwide, but few studies have tested the relative importance of termites to this process. The aim of this study was to compare the relative contributions of microbes

Litterfall is an indicator of ecosystem function and its temporal dynamics can be used to evaluate self-organizing ecosystems on a recovery trajectory following restoration. Few studies have evaluated the recovery trajectories of forest litterfall by simultaneously monitoring forest restoration strategies and reference ecosystems. The general objective of our study was to determine the functional recovery

Although fires have occurred in the Brazilian savannas (Cerrado) without human influence, current human activities are changing the fire regimes and negatively affects the vegetation resilience and recovery rates. Contrasting effects of fire on biodiversity and structure of vegetation in the Cerrado are dependent on fire frequency. Some anthropogenic fire regimes have increased fire frequency with

Broad-scale forest restoration projects are implemented across the western United States to restore seasonally dry, frequent-fire-adapted ecosystems to improve ecological function and enhance resilience by increasing resistance to crown fire and climatic stressors. Despite the widespread use of restoration treatments that center on tree thinning and application of prescribed fire, the longevity of

Throughout North America, prescribed fire is becoming a common technique to manage natural landscapes. How this management tool affects wildlife remains poorly understood by land managers and biologists. Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are an economically important upland game bird that thrive in forests with a diverse understory structure. Diversity in forest understory structure and composition

Restoring forests has recently received considerable attention in the context of sequestering carbon and supporting biodiversity. Although considering alien species as a tool for natural forest restoration still remains controversial, harnessing alien species when they are already present in an ecosystem might result in overall benefits for nature and society. In this study we evaluated whether the

The juniper (Juniperus ashei) - oak (Quercus sp.) woodlands of central Texas are susceptible to crown fire due to climate change, land use change, and fire suppression. Low-intensity prescribed fire is one method used to reduce fuel loads and lower the risk of crown fire. Better knowledge of the impacts of prescribed fire on fuel loads, vegetation structure, and the endangered golden-cheeked warbler

The poor natural regeneration of Korean pine represents a substantial hurdle limiting the restoration of secondary forests to mixed broad-leaved Korean pine forests (MBKPFs). Active restoration based on direct seeding or planting seedlings is accordingly considered to be a prerequisite for promoting Korean pine recruitment in secondary forests. To evaluate the most effective practices for restoring

The many different islands of the Pacific provide a natural experiment that is ideal for studying predictors affecting plant cover and habitat-type. Previous research into pre-European deforestation and forest replacement across the Pacific islands detected multiple significant environmental and cultural variables. Here we re-analyse data for 67 islands using modern multivariate non-parametric statistical

Reconciliation of timber production and wildlife conservation is a major challenge in forest ecosystem management. For some protected species impacts of forest management are well documented, but for others such as the Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) (hereafter ‘red squirrel’) they are still largely unknown. In Scotland, red squirrels are protected under national and international law and

The value of leaving tree retention groups (TRGs) in clear-cuts has been verified in the last 30 years on the basis of the responses of various organisms, including carabid beetles. Most such research in Europe has been conducted in the Fennoscandian taiga. However, there is a lack of such studies of TRGs in the lowland temperate pine forests of Central Europe. Therefore I conducted a follow-up of

Forest harvesting practices remove tree biomass and the nutrients that they contain. There is uncertainty around the impact of this nutrient removal on the long-term sustainable production of forests over multiple rotations. To explore the impact of harvest management practices on planted forest sustainability, three long-term trials in Pinus radiata D. Don forests were assessed at the end of their

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) (PIAL) is a proposed threatened species that plays a keystone ecological role in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Its population response to climate change is of high interest to managers because climate-induced declines may adversely affect critical ecosystem services that this species provides. While previous studies of reproductive size classes of the species

In the context of global warming, it is important to study how plants respond to climate change. The carbon isotope composition of tree-ring corrected to the value before the industrial revolution (δ13Cring) is an indicator of intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) that can provide information about the carbon and water balance of plants. However, it is challenging to elucidate the influence of different

To counter increasing CO2 emissions and plant biodiversity loss, ecological restoration has been proposed as a means to sequester carbon as well as to increase species diversity in tropical landscapes. Here we examine how natural regeneration is associated with changing plant diversity and carbon stocks in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil. Aboveground carbon stocks and plant species diversity

Williamson’s Sapsuckers, like most woodpeckers, require live and dead standing trees for foraging and nesting. Forest management plans that include Williamson’s Sapsucker habitat conservation guidelines currently focus on nesting trees because little is known about foraging habitat requirements, but foraging habitat in close proximity is also essential for the survival and reproduction of the species

A range of social and economic factors impact tree species, such as Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra (marula), which provide livelihood sustenance for local communities in the savanna woodlands of southern Africa. As an ecologically important savanna species, valued both culturally and economically, it is imperative to understand if resource use is sustainable. Population stability can be understood

Inonotus obliquus is a pathogenic fungus––known as chaga in Asia and Russia and pakuri in Finland––that grows on broadleaves. Its sterile conks are used as an active ingredient in traditional healthcare products. Due to the higher value of pakuri than the tree it grows on, the cultivation of I. obliquus on living trees is expected to generate new and increased income opportunities for forest owners

Boreal forests account for 30% of the world’s total forest cover and in many places are subject to intensive forest management, which often involves complete removal of overstory vegetation by clear-cutting. However, we still do not fully understand how forest management affects aquatic ecosystems in these landscapes. Here we asked how forest management-induced changes in environmental conditions,