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

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

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

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 for tree

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

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

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: 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

It is important to predict the growth of Sugi forest plantations in old age. When predictions about the growth of Sugi forest plantations are made and there is a lack of growth data from older trees, it is possible that the accuracy of these predictions becomes worse. For example, it is known that the growth of Sugi does not get slower at older ages as expected from past growth predictions based on

Bud-burst timing is one of the key factors to determine tree growth. Smaller trees are known to show earlier bud bursts, owing to the ontogeny in temperate forests. Snowpack is one of the factors affecting burst timing, especially that of small trees. Because small individuals were buried under snowpack until late spring, we hypothesized although the smaller individuals require less degree-day accumulation

Extracts obtained from Cryptomeria japonica leaves were tested for growth inhibition activity against Robinia pseudoacacia seeds, which is known as a representative invasive plant in temperate forests. Inhibitory activities against radicle and hypocotyl growth were found in hexane and ethyl acetate extracts but showed no or weak activity on seed germination. The extracts also showed inhibitory activity

The endangered Dipterocarpus dyeri is distributed in forests of southeast Vietnam, which is expected to have low genetic diversity and high genetic population structure due to habitat loss and over-exploitation. To provide valuable information for conservation measures, nine polymorphic microsatellites were used to analyze 151 adult trees from six populations, representing the natural range of D. dyeri

Stand basal area (BA) is an important parameter, yet significantly influenced by initial planting density, in describing the developments of plantation forests. The effects of initial density on the growth of sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don), an important plantation tree species in Taiwan, have seldom been studied. The goals of this study are to (1) model sugi stand BA growth under different initial