ABSTRACT Dispersal flight is an essential component of the life history of bark and ambrosia beetles. Previous studies have shown considerable variation in flight distance between individual beetles; however, different factors drive this variation between species. Furthermore, when the ecological role of dispersal flight differs between sexes (i.e., males locate hosts and females follow), influencing

ABSTRACT Amendment by biochar made by thermal degradation of biomass is expected to enhance carbon sequestration through stimulating carbon assimilation by plants. We clarified the effect of biochar amendment on the photosynthesis of trees in forest ecosystems. Biochar was applied to young oak trees (Quercus serrata) in temperate deciduous forest at rates of 0, 5, 10 and 20 Mg ha−1 in four plots (C0

ABSTRACT Degradation of old-growth forests is an important issue for global biodiversity conservation. Robust indicator species greatly facilitate the identification of old-growth forests requiring protection. Understanding why particular species are associated with priority forests is necessary for assessing the reliability of indicator species. Here, we surveyed the vegetation of 69 sites in Yambaru

ABSTRACT Japanese oak wilt is caused by the pathogen, which is introduced into oaks by the ambrosia beetle Platypus quercivorus of which male initiates to bore. In the field, the entrance holes of beetles have been observed primarily in bark crevices. We hypothesized that male P. quercivorus initially distinguish the bark surface structure and then determine the hole boring site. To test this hypothesis

ABSTRACT Mercury (Hg) is a pollutant that can affect human and ecosystem health. The transport and fate of Hg in the environment are dynamic and complex, but our understanding remains unclear for Japanese forest ecosystems. Here, we report the first country-wide survey of Hg concentrations in litter and surface mineral soil layers in 42 forest stands across Japan. The median concentrations of Hg in

ABSTRACT Despite their potential usefulness as a natural resource, wild edible bamboos tend to be ignored or neglected by foresters, and we know little about how environmental factors determine the productivity of edible culms. Here, to examine determinants for the productivity of edible culms of Sasa kurilensis, 60 survey plots were established in a northern Japanese forest, and annual field surveys

ABSTRACT BES1/BZR1s are plant-specific transcription factors and play crucial roles in plant growth, development and response to environmental stress. The Ammopiptanthus nanus (A. nanus) is a relict-xerophyte shrub and tolerates various of abiotic stimuli. However, few genes are identified from A. nanus. To date, the information and function of the AnBES1/BZR1s remains unknown. In the present study

ABSTRACT An ambrosia beetle, Platypus quercivorus, is the vector of Japanese oak wilt, one of the most serious forest diseases in Japan. P. quercivorus is widely distributed in the main islands of Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku, but there have been no records of P. quercivorus in Hokkaido, the northernmost main island in Japan. Because the mass mortality of oak trees caused by Japanese oak wilt is spreading

ABSTRACT Windswept Sasa grasslands are stable communities but may have the potential to change into other vegetation such as forests through germination of the soil seed bank. I investigated the compositions of the vegetation and soil seed banks in two windswept Sasa grasslands in the Tanzawa Mountains, eastern Japan: Ryugababa (RGB) and Fudonomine (FDM). Tall tree and sub-tall tree seedlings were

ABSTRACT Differences in dominant tree species affect ecosystem carbon budgets in forests, but their independent impacts have not been fully recognized. We aimed to clarify the interannual variation in net primary production (NPP) in three different forest types and the effects of dominant tree species on this. We calculated NPP excluding belowground litter fall using a biometric-based approach for

ABSTRACT We studied the latitudinal and altitudinal variations in composition and species richness of trees in 24 plots across temperate to subtropical regions from southern Kyushu to the northern Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. Cluster analysis based on presence/absence of species in 0.25-ha segments of the plots identified three forest zones reflecting climate and geohistory: cool-temperate mixed conifer-broadleaf

ABSTRACT To investigate the effect of expanded property rights and, in particular, village democracy under China’s Collective Forest Tenure Reform (CFTR) on household forestry income, we employ quantile regression, drawing on the survey data from 658 rural households in three provinces belonging to China’s southern collective forest regions. The results indicate that: (1) both the expansion of household

ABSTRACT We explored the dynamics of dwarf bamboo populations in a beech forest 11 years before and 30 years after clear-cutting. Repeated weeding or herbicide application (sodium chlorate) was used experimentally to reduce or eliminate dwarf bamboo prior to clear-cutting. At the beginning of the study, the understory comprised dense populations of two Sasa species, the dominant S. palmata and the

ABSTRACT To explore how and to what extent repeated thinning at different intensities affects the recovery of species diversity, we investigated the recruitment patterns of hardwoods (height ≥1.5 m) from 2003 to 2017 after first (2003) and second (2008) thinnings in 67% (Intensive), 33% (Weak), and 0% (Control) thinning treatments in a Cryptomeria japonica plantation in northern Japan. With intensive

ABSTRACT Tricholoma matsutake is an ectomycorrhizal fungus found in Pinaceae forests in Japan. It produces the “matsutake” mushroom, which has been consumed as an important part of Japanese cuisine since ancient times. Domestic matsutake are among the most valuable special forest products; however, their production in Japan has decreased over the past several decades. In the present study, to facilitate

ABSTRACT Teratosphaeria stem canker is one of the most important diseases to have emerged on non-native plantation-grown Eucalyptus trees cultivated globally. The study assessed the pathogenicity of two Teratosphaeria species associated with Teratosphaeria stem canker and the susceptibility of Eucalyptus grandis and six commonly grown Eucalyptus hybrids to these fungal species in Uganda. The inoculation

ABSTRACT To clarify the mechanisms underlying the maintenance of genetic diversity in long-lived forest tree populations, it is important to understand the influence of temporal variation in regeneration sites and its effect on population structure (i.e., nonrandom distribution of trees in spatial location and size) and the spatial genetic structure. Features of population structure in four different

ABSTRACT Stem surface area (S) plays an important role in the eco-physiological processes of trees or forests such as stem respiration, self-thinning mortality, and rainfall interception. As the direct measurement of S is time-consuming and labor-intensive, models for predicting S from commonly measured tree attributes have been developed for coniferous trees grown in plantations. However, there have

ABSTRACT Montezuma cypress (Taxodium. mucronatum) is an ecological, cultural and economically valuable riparian tree species. Two experiments evaluating the effectiveness of various seed treatments were conducted to identify germination best practices and to evaluate the dynamics of the germination process. Seeds were collected on two occasions, one year apart, from the only remaining natural T. mucronatum

ABSTRACT Star magnolia, Magnolia stellata, is an endemic rare subcanopy tree species in the Pacific Ocean side of central Japan and an important component of Satoyama coppice forests in the area. This species is now faced with possible extinction due to the abandonment of Satoyama forests. To understand sprouting regeneration patterns of this species, to assist in its conservation, we defined four

ABSTRACT Regional forest planning does not often progress as desired because it involves multiple decision-makers who tend to manage their own forest stands individually. This study aimed to propose a licnear programming model to maximize the integrated net present value (NPV) of forest ecosystem services at a regional scale with multiple decision-makers. The model uses a matrix comprising forest state

ABSTRACT Belowground ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal communities are affected by the dominant tree species of aboveground vegetation. We investigated ECM-fungal communities in the boundary between secondary broad-leaved forests dominated by ECM trees and cypress plantations consisting of arbuscular trees. ECM root tips were collected from soil cores and seedlings at a small scale within 20 m of the boundary

ABSTRACT Fine root is a significant component in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics in temperate forests. Winter processes affect plant growth and nutrient concentration, however, the effect of reduced snowpack on fine root remains unclear. Here, we conducted snow removal manipulation and investigated the fine root biomass and necromass, dynamics (production, mortality and disappearance) and the

ABSTRACT Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) seeds are very vulnerable with longevity amounting to only 2–3 years of storage. The study presents three mechanical treatment methods for acorns, a crucial process in seed storage. Four acorn samples were examined: untreated acorns, acorns scarified by cutting off part of the seed on the cup side using pruning shears, crushed acorns, and acorns with a hole

ABSTRACT Sasa kurilensis is a popular wild edible bamboo in Japan. Productivity (density) of edible culms can be enhanced by human harvesting, but we know little about how long the enhanced productivity is sustained after repeated annual harvesting. Here, demography and productivity of this edible bamboo were examined in field experiments conducted following experimental harvesting of edible bamboo

ABSTRACT Some prey species use hiding tactics and thus select areas that provide greater visual obstruction for predator avoidance, and vegetative characteristics that provide greater obstruction should be selected. To investigate vegetative characteristics selected by adult male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), we compared vegetation between heavily used and unused areas within home ranges

ABSTRACT In intensively managed plantations, it is important to select the ideal planting density and clone to optimize on productivity. In a 9-year Populus tomentosa plantation in North China Plain, we examined the growth and wood volume (stem and stand) of four superior P. tomentosa clones (1316, BT17, S86, and B331) at seven different planting densities to establish if there are an optimal planting

ABSTRACT Bark stripping damages of conifer trees by Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) are confirmed in most areas inhibited by them in Japan. In this study, we conducted a field survey in Shirakawa Village, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, from 2008 to 2016 to investigate the seasonal and annual variation of bark-stripping of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) by Asiatic black bears in relation to mast

ABSTRACT Over the past few decades, many Japanese forest owners and communities have suffered from the outcomes of anticommons (parcelization) phenomenon. Since the Edo Era (17th through 19th centuries), many Japanese commons forests have been subdivided and placed under private ownership. Individual owners of the subdivided small forests (carved out from former commons forests) have lost interest

(2020). Recent topics of our publication in 2020. Journal of Forest Research: Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 203-203.

Using the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) curve number (CN) procedure for estimating runoff volume on an ungauged forest watershed remains controversial because little guidance has been provided for defining appropriate CN values. In this study, alternative methods for assigning CN values (CNs) were assessed to determine whether these methods provide acceptable estimates of runoff on forested watersheds

Exotic species plantations are increasing for timber production and other economic benefits. However, evaluation of species adaptation to local climates requires long-term research and the information is still limited. This study was conducted to understand the growth response of three exotic tree species, Abies firma, Cryptomeria japonica, and Chamaecyparis obtusa, to regional moisture conditions

Insects in the tropics usually have continuous generations throughout the year. We reanalyzed published data of wood-boring beetles, belonging to three taxonomic groups (Bostrichidae; Curculionidae: Scolytinae, Platypodinae), that were captured by ethanol-baited traps continuously set for three years and collected every two weeks in the lowland montane forest in northern Thailand. Because trap captures

Quantifying individual tree growth of economically high-value timber species is important for the simulation and development of forest management options. Long-term permanent plot data provides crucial information of forest stand dynamics that can be used to predict individual tree growth. In this study, we developed individual tree basal area growth models of three high-value timber species: monarch

In this study, we evaluate the relationships between the standing stock, field-measured LAI, and NDVI from remotely sensed images and in situ measurements at plantation forests in the subtropics–tropics region of southern Taiwan. The purpose is to facilitate assessing the biomass of reforestation sites in large areas applying the possible stock-LAI-NDVI relationships analyzed in this study. 15–16 years

ABSTRACT The permanent forest estate (PFE) is a tool for maintaining forest areas in perpetuity. The PFE can have several different land-use zones based on different purposes. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of the PFE in reducing deforestation using country-scale datasets of forest cover change between 2006 and 2017 in Myanmar. We also evaluated the effectiveness of PFE land-use zones such as

ABSTRACT Investigating the level of inbreeding depression is essential to understanding population viability and extinction risk. Albino or chlorophyll-deficient mutants are one of the strongest manifestations of inbreeding depression in plant species, although it is rare to encounter them in a tropical forest. However, during January 2014, we observed a high frequency of albino seedlings in a natural

(2020). Special feature Long-term monitoring and research in Asian university forests: towards further understanding of environmental changes and ecosystem responses. Journal of Forest Research: Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 134-135.

From 1994 to 2003, bark and ambrosia beetles were captured from April to November at 12 sites in the University of Tokyo Chichibu Forest, central Japan, using flight-barrier traps with alpha-pinene and ethanol as a lure. Additional trapping was conducted between July 2013 and November 2014 at the same sites using Lindgren’s funnel traps with ethanol. Factors influencing trap captures were investigated

ABSTRACT Soil microbes’ response to sudden environmental changes is very complicated and has been lively debated. There are a handful of questions yet to answer: are there any succession rules for different soil microbial species to fit in the suddenly changed environment? And what is the correlation between the community succession and the habitat recovery? These questions remain unanswered yet. Nematode-trapping

ABSTRACT Plantations in southern China are important components of forest ecosystems. However, the distribution of the native tree species is fragmented. Accurate tree species classification can provide scientific support for forest management and measurement. In this study, Gaofeng forest farm in Guangxi Province was selected as the research area, and hyperspectral image combining with LiDAR was used

Abstract: An inclusive and transparent participatory process in the Balkan region can facilitate information’s exchange between decision-makers and local community, and increase social acceptance of forest management outcomes. The study – developed in the “FOR Balkans” project – has two main objectives: stakeholders’ engagement in forest management scenarios’ development and implementation of a Spatial

Microsatellite markers were newly isolated for Sarcandra glabra (Chloranthaceae), an ecologically important species in the evergreen broad-leaved forests of East Asia. On the Korean Peninsula, S. glabra is endangered, being extremely restricted to a few habitats on Jeju Island, which is the northern edge of their distribution range with evolutionary potential. Recently, populations have been rapidly

An understanding of epiphyte richness and the factors controlling it is fundamental for conserving the diversity of natural mesic forests. Host tree size is a determinant of epiphyte occurrence; however, previous studies have produced opposing results regarding the spatial distribution (patchy or random) of diversity. This study assessed the relationship between host tree size preference and the distribution

Climate change can alter and disrupt the phenology and phenological interaction between organisms from various trophic levels in forest ecosystems. In temperate forests, the breeding phenology of birds is correlated to local microclimate, especially spring temperature to match the timing of food availability. Recent studies revealed that the temperature warming is more pronounced in high-elevation

Monoterpenes emitted from trees play important roles in atmospheric chemistry through the formation of secondary organic aerosols and photochemical oxidants. Because monoterpene emissions from broad-leaved trees have rarely been studied in Japan, we measured the monoterpene emission rates of 20 Acer and 14 Fagaceae species. If a good correlation is found between the monoterpene precursor (geranyl diphosphate

We explore Japanese forest landowners’ characteristics that affect the awareness of the boundaries of their forest lands. Such information can serve as foundational forest management information that will be used in decision making by future generations. We focus on the owners’ awareness of the forest boundaries and examine its relationship with the owners’ characteristics. This is one of the first

Diverse demands for contemporary forest management require greater consideration to cultural ecosystem services. Given the circumstances, understanding how forest elements are perceived can provide valuable information for park managers. Perceptions of visitors have been explored in current studies but research linking these elements with values remains limited. This study revisited perceptions of

Success of clonal tree plantations depends on genotype as well as phenotypic plasticity, which determines acclimation potential of individual trees to different environmental conditions. Short-term acclimation of genotypes to local growing conditions can be tested using clonal trials, but stand productivity and yield depends on the ability of the genotype to acclimate to long-term environmental variation

Although different flower-visiting frequencies and behaviors are known to cause differences in fruit set rates, the effects of different pollinators on the fruit set position are unclear. The climbing vine Mucuna macrocarpa (Fabaceae) needs mammalian pollinators for fruit set. This species is widely distributed in Asia and is pollinated by different mammals in different regions. This study assessed

The phylogenetic origin of endangered species extinct in the wild is not always well understood, as a consequence of limited historical records of the original populations. Magnolia pseudokobus (Magnoliaceae) is one of only a few such woody plants in Japan. This triploid species was described in 1954 on Shikoku Island, but since then, no other individuals have been found in other locations. Currently

Shifting cultivation is a kind of traditional practice which is characterized by a cultivation phase, involving slash and burn of primary or secondary forest, and crop cultivation for one year, followed by a fallow phase. In Myanmar, forest dependent communities, particularly Karen and Chin ethnic groups, have practiced shifting cultivation for a long time and it was observed that their cultivation

Reliable species discrimination remains essential for the management of commercial forests. Therefore, this study sought to evaluate the utility of Partial Least Squares Linear Discriminant Analysis (PLS-LDA) and Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) multivariate techniques for delineating forest species using Landsat 8 OLI. PLS-LDA produced a higher (88.9%) overall accuracy compared

ABSTRACT Coppice management has a long and ancient tradition in Europe, but still comprises over 14% of the forest area despite showing catastrophic declines in the past century. Contemporary trends in forestry towards continuous cover management have major implications for cosmopolitan and early-successional groups of species which rely on short rotations and regular disturbance, such as heliophilous

In the growing degree days (GDD) model for plants, 0°C or 5°C have been empirically used as base temperature (BT) for the GDD model, without experimental determination. In this study, developmental periods for bud break and leaf opening of mizunara oak, Quercus crispula were determined by using samples from locations separated by 900 km, cut branches from central Japan and potted saplings from northern

Many environmental and climatic disturbances can significantly change the magnitude and pattern of litterfall. This study investigated the effects of typhoon disturbances on the seasonal and interannual patterns of litterfall on coniferous and broadleaf plantation stands in Xitou, central Taiwan. Throughout the study period from 2012 to 2018, typhoon disturbances were recorded in 4 of these 7 years

Species diversity and the distribution of forests are closely related to climate, and climate classifications have been used to characterize vegetation distribution for over a century at the global scale. In contrast, climate type and dominant forest species may not be accurately classified at the forestry stand scale due to limited observational data and the influence of terrain. The collaboration

Red deer (Cervus elaphus) and sika deer (C. nippon) are sympatric in certain regions in northeast China, and may have different strategies for obtaining food resources. We studied winter forage selection of sympatric red and sika deer based on their bite diameter and browse intensity in northeast China. The principal winter food items of red and sika deer were Euonymus spp. and Acer spp., and both

Understory vegetation, dominated by dwarf bamboo (Sasa spp.) in Japan, has been damaged by an overabundance of deer. Declining Sasa density may induce a decrease in litter decomposition due to the changes in soil environments. The effect of the environmental changes may also differ among litter from differenttree species. The objective of this study was to examine effects of declining Sasa density

Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) is one of the most commonly consumed mushrooms and an important forest product in Japan. In outdoor log cultivation of shiitake, colonization of logs by wild fungi is an important factor affecting mushroom yield. In this study, we investigated the fungal communities in logs used for shiitake cultivation in three management conditions (two artificial laying yards