Agroforestry,as a platform for harmonizing agriculture and forestry is a win-win approach for the farming community and environmental sustainability.However,its potential is not well studied and quantified in Northwes...Agroforestry,as a platform for harmonizing agriculture and forestry is a win-win approach for the farming community and environmental sustainability.However,its potential is not well studied and quantified in Northwestern highland.Thus,this study aimed to investigate the woody species diversity,and carbon stock potential of traditional agroforestry practices in Northwestern Highlands(NWH)of Ethiopia.A total of 120 households were selected using stratified sampling for household(HH)surveys,and vegetation inventory was conducted in the winter season of 2023 on systematically laid 400 m2 sample quadrats.Shannon-Weiner diversity index(H’),Simpson’s diversity index(1-D)and Shannon evenness(E)were calculated to estimate woody species diversity.Variation in species diversity and carbon stock within and between agroforestry practices was assessed by 1-way ANOVA and rank differences were separated by post-hoc,Tukey HSD multiple comparison test.The result showed that four different agroforestry practices were identified,consisting of 44 woody species belonging to 23 families.Homegarden was the richest in terms of woody species composition(30),followed by boundary planting(25),while parkland agroforestry had the poorest species composition(12).The total carbon stock of the agroforestry practices in the study ranged from 92.51±29.21 to 143.52±47.83 Mg/ha),with soil organic carbon accounting for about 57.66%,followed by aboveground biomass carbon with 32.1%.Homegardens agroforestry had contributed more to the total carbon stocks than the other agroforestry practices.The total CO_(2)sequestration by above and below ground biomass of woody species in the traditional agroforestry practices of the NWH was estimated to be 519.97 and 104.01 Mg/ha,respectively.The study confirmed that the traditional agroforestry practices of the NWH of Ethiopia maintain a high diversity of woody species and are remarkably important for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.展开更多
Climate change has been a global pandemic with its adverse impacts affecting environments and livelihoods. This has been largely attributed to anthropogenic activities which generate large amounts of Green House Gases...Climate change has been a global pandemic with its adverse impacts affecting environments and livelihoods. This has been largely attributed to anthropogenic activities which generate large amounts of Green House Gases (GHGs), notably carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) among others. In the Upper East of Ghana, climate change manifests in erratic rainfalls, drought, high temperatures, high wind speeds, high intensity rainfall, windstorms, flooding, declining vegetation cover, perennial devastating bushfires etc. Practices such as burning farm residues, use of dung as fuel for cooking, excessive application of nitrogenous fertilizers, and deforestation that are prevalent in the region exacerbate the situation. Although, efforts made by governmental and none-governmental organizations to mitigate climate change through afforestation, agroforestry and promotion of less fuelwood consuming cook stoves, land management practices antagonize these efforts as more CO2 is generated than the carrying capacity of vegetation in the region. Research findings have established the role of trees and soil in carbon sequestration in mitigating climate. However, there is limited knowledge on how the vegetation and soil in agroforestry interplay in mitigation climate change. It is against this background that this review seeks to investigate how vegetation and soil in an agroforestry interact synergistically to sequester carbon and contribute to mitigating climate change in Upper East region of Ghana. In this review, it was discovered soil stored more carbon than vegetation in an agroforestry system and is much effective in mitigating climate change. It was found out that in order to make soil and vegetation in an agroforestry system interact synergistically to effectively mitigate climate change, Climate Smart Agriculture practice which integrates trees, and perennials crops effectively mitigates climate. The review concluded that tillage practices that ensure retention and storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) could be much effective in carbon sequestration in the Savannah zones and could be augmented with vegetation to synergistically mitigate climate change in the Upper East region of Ghana.展开更多
Human well-being and livelihoods depend on natural ecosystem services(ESs).Following the increment of population,ESs have been deteriorated over time.Ultimately,land use/land cover(LULC)changes have a profound impact ...Human well-being and livelihoods depend on natural ecosystem services(ESs).Following the increment of population,ESs have been deteriorated over time.Ultimately,land use/land cover(LULC)changes have a profound impact on the change of ecosystem.The primary goal of this study is to determine the impacts of LULC changes on ecosystem service values(ESVs)in the upper Gilgel Abbay watershed,Ethiopia.Changes in LULC types were studied using three Landsat images representing 1986,2003,and 2021.The Landsat images were classified using a supervised image classification technique in Earth Resources Data Analysis System(ERDAS)Imagine 2014.We classified ESs in this study into four categories(including provisioning,regulating,supporting,and cultural services)based on global ES classification scheme.The adjusted ESV coefficient benefit approach was employed to measure the impacts of LULC changes on ESVs.Five LULC types were identified in this study,including cultivated land,forest,shrubland,grassland,and water body.The result revealed that the area of cultivated land accounted for 64.50%,71.50%,and 61.50%of the total area in 1986,2003,and 2021,respectively.The percentage of the total area covered by forest was 9.50%,5.90%,and 14.80%in 1986,2003,and 2021,respectively.Result revealed that the total ESV decreased from 7.42×10^(7) to 6.44×10^(7) USD between 1986 and 2003.This is due to the expansion of cultivated land at the expense of forest and shrubland.However,the total ESV increased from 6.44×10^(7) to 7.76×10^(7) USD during 2003-2021,because of the increment of forest and shrubland.The expansion of cultivated land and the reductions of forest and shrubland reduced most individual ESs during 1986-2003.Nevertheless,the increase in forest and shrubland at the expense of cultivated land enhanced many ESs during 2003-2021.Therefore,the findings suggest that appropriate land use practices should be scaled-up to sustainably maintain ESs.展开更多
Existing knowledge on degraded mountain landscapes does not shed sufficient light on the socio-economic and ecological opportunities essential for successful restoration initiatives.To address this knowledge lacuna,a ...Existing knowledge on degraded mountain landscapes does not shed sufficient light on the socio-economic and ecological opportunities essential for successful restoration initiatives.To address this knowledge lacuna,a study was conducted on the Bamboutos Mountains landscape in Cameroon with the main objective being to analyse the opportunities for restoring this landscape in line with local,national and international development goals and to minimise the negative effects of land-use decisions.Following the Restoration Opportunity Assessment Methodology(ROAM)approach,five participatory reflection workshops were organized in the five target clusters of the landscape for data collection.The results of the study led to the development of a restoration map that presents five interventions:grassland management on an area of 4,720 ha currently occupied by shrub savannah;the practice of fruit-based agroforestry on 3,221 ha of agricultural fields;the planting of riparian forests on 451 ha of degraded watercourses;the revegetation and conservation of the Bamboutos Mountains forest reserve,sacred forests and relics of degraded forests on 435 ha of area;and the revegetation of 6 ha of degraded water sources.The carbon stocks vary from 2.66 to 345.15 tC/ha depending on the type of restoration intervention with a total carbon stock of 247,367.45 tC/ha on the 8,834 ha of area to be restored.This presents a very satisfactory economic cost-benefit,because for an investment of USD 5,991,269.84,a gain of USD 100,439,519.13 could be achieved after 20 years,i.e.,an estimated profit of USD 94,448,249.29.These results provide an understanding of the types of restoration interventions possible in this landscape,a solid basis for planning a restoration initiative.The results equally provide guidance on priority areas from a social,economic,and ecological perspective.展开更多
A distinctive feature of scholarly communities today is exploring topics and concepts in interdisciplinary and international contexts. This observation is increasingly apparent and visible in advancing our thinking an...A distinctive feature of scholarly communities today is exploring topics and concepts in interdisciplinary and international contexts. This observation is increasingly apparent and visible in advancing our thinking and policies related to human/environmental worlds at local, regional, and global scales. Maps are an important part of these innovative and ongoing research approaches. In this context, we consider urban forests a topic meriting more attention of scholars studying the geographic and environmental intersections of the natural sciences with the social sciences and humanities. We construct two innovative knowledge bases, one a conceptual framework based on major themes and concepts related to mapping urban forests using key words of the first 100 results of a Google Scholar query and a second using the number of Google Scholar hyperlinks about mapping urban forests in 244 capital cities. We discovered that the constructed world maps reveal vast global unevenness in our knowledge about urban forests in hyperlink numbers and ratios, results that merit further attention by disciplinary, international and interdisciplinary scholarly communities.展开更多
Climate change is the most severe ecological challenge faced by the world today.Forests,the dominant component of terrestrial ecosystems,play a critical role in mitigating climate change due to their powerful carbon s...Climate change is the most severe ecological challenge faced by the world today.Forests,the dominant component of terrestrial ecosystems,play a critical role in mitigating climate change due to their powerful carbon sequestration capabilities.Meanwhile,climate change has also become a major factor affecting the sustainable management of forest ecosystems.Climate-Smart Forestry(CSF)is an emerging concept in sustainable forest management.By utilizing advanced technologies,such as information technology and artificial intelligence,CSF aims to develop innovative and proactive forest management methods and decision-making systems to address the challenges of climate change.CSF aims to enhance forest ecosystem resilience(i.e.,maintain a condition where,even when the state of the ecosystem changes,the ecosystem functions do not deteriorate)through climate change adaptation,improve the mitigation capabilities of forest ecosystems to climate change,maintain high,stable,and sustainable forest productivity and ecosystem services,and ultimately achieve harmonious development between humans and nature.This concept paper:(1)discusses the emergence and development of CSF,which integrates Ecological Forestry,Carbon Forestry,and Smart Forestry,and proposes the concept of CSF;(2)analyzes the goals of CSF in improving forest ecosystem stability,enhancing forest ecosystem carbon sequestration capacity,and advocating the application and development of new technologies in CSF,including artificial intelligence,robotics,Light Detection and Ranging,and forest digital twin;(3)presents the latest practices of CSF based on prior research on forest structure and function using new generation information technologies at Qingyuan Forest,China.From these practices and reflections,we suggested the development direction of CSF,including the key research topics and technological advancement.展开更多
Assessing forest vulnerability to disturbances at a high spatial resolution and for regional and national scales has become attainable with the combination of remote sensing-derived high-resolution forest maps and mec...Assessing forest vulnerability to disturbances at a high spatial resolution and for regional and national scales has become attainable with the combination of remote sensing-derived high-resolution forest maps and mechanistic risk models. This study demonstrated large-scale and high-resolution modelling of wind damage vulnerability in Norway. The hybrid mechanistic wind damage model, ForestGALES, was adapted to map the critical wind speeds(CWS) of damage across Norway using a national forest attribute map at a 16 m × 16 m spatial resolution. P arametrization of the model for the Norwegian context was done using the literature and the National Forest Inventory data. This new parametrization of the model for Norwegian forests yielded estimates of CWS significantly different from the default parametrization. Both parametrizations fell short of providing acceptable discrimination of the damaged area following the storm of November 19, 2021 in the central southern region of Norway when using unadjusted CWS. After adjusting the CWS and the storm wind speeds by a constant factor, the Norwegian parametrization provided acceptable discrimination and was thus defined as suitable to use in future studies, despite the lack of field-and laboratory experiments to directly derive parameters for Norwegian forests. The windstorm event used for model validation in this study highlighted the challenges of predicting wind damage to forests in landscapes with complex topography. Future studies should focus on further developing ForestGALES and new datasets describing extreme wind climates to better represent the wind and tree interactions in complex topography, and predict the level of risk in order to develop local climate-smart forest management strategies.展开更多
Accurate,reliable,and regularly updated information is necessary for targeted management of forest stands.This information is usually obtained from sample-based field inventory data.Due to the time-consuming and costl...Accurate,reliable,and regularly updated information is necessary for targeted management of forest stands.This information is usually obtained from sample-based field inventory data.Due to the time-consuming and costly procedure of forest inventory,it is imperative to generate and use the resulting data optimally.Integrating field inventory information with remote sensing data increases the value of field approaches,such as national forest inventories.This study investigated the optimal integration of forest inventory data with aerial image-based canopy height models(CHM)for forest growing stock estimation.For this purpose,fixed-area and angle-count plots from a forest area in Austria were used to assess which type of inventory system is more suitable when the field data is integrated with aerial image analysis.Although a higher correlation was observed between remotely predicted growing stocks and field inventory values for fixed-area plots,the paired t-test results revealed no statistical difference between the two methods.The R2 increased by 0.08 points and the RMSE decreased by 7.7 percentage points(24.8m^(3)·ha^(−1))using fixed-area plots.Since tree height is the most critical variable essential for modeling forest growing stock using aerial images,we also compared the tree heights obtained from CHM to those from the typical field inventory approach.The result shows a high correlation(R^(2)=0.781)between the tree heights extracted from the CHM and those measured in the field.However,the correlation decreased by 0.113 points and the RMSE increased by 4.2 percentage points(1.04m)when the allometrically derived tree heights were analyzed.Moreover,the results of the paired t-test revealed that there is no significant statistical difference between the tree heights extracted from CHM and those measured in the field,but there is a significant statistical difference when the CHM-derived and the allometrically-derived heights were compared.This proved that image-based CHM can obtain more accurate tree height information than field inventory estimations.Overall,the results of this study demonstrated that image-based CHM can be integrated into the forest inventory data at large scales and provide reliable information on forest growing stock.The produced maps reflect the variability of growth conditions and developmental stages of different forest stands.This information is required to characterize the status and changes,e.g.,in forest structure diversity,parameters for volume,and can be used for forest aboveground biomass estimation,which plays an important role in managing and controlling forest resources in mid-term forest management.This is of particular interest to forest managers and forest ecologists.展开更多
In forests,a few large trees(L-trees)versus small-medium trees(S-trees)are often considered the major reservoir of aboveground carbon stock(AGCS).Here,we hypothesize that tree species'functional strategies regulat...In forests,a few large trees(L-trees)versus small-medium trees(S-trees)are often considered the major reservoir of aboveground carbon stock(AGCS).Here,we hypothesize that tree species'functional strategies regulate AGCS by tree sizes in temperate deciduous forests across local scale environmental gradients.Using data from 99 plots,we modelled the multivariate effects of the tree-based(tree diversity,stand density and multidimensional tree size inequality)versus the trait-based(multi-trait diversity and single-trait dominance)attributes of L-trees versus S-trees,along topographic and soil conditions,to predict AGCS through four L-trees threshold size(i.e.,≥50 cm fixed-diameter,top 95th percentile,≥top 50%cumulative AGCS descending-ranked ordered,and mean threshold size)approaches.The tree-based and trait-based attributes of L-trees and S-trees shaped species co-occurrence processes but L-trees regulated AGCS more effectively(31.29-93.20%)than S-trees and abiotic factors across four thereshold size approaches and two concepts.Although L-trees threshold size and tree-based attributes mattered for AGCS,the dominant resource-acquisitive strategy of structurally complex L-trees having higher specific leaf area but lower leaf dry matter content and lesser multi-trait dispersion could promote AGCS better than the resource-conservative strategy(low specific leaf area)of S-trees.Capturing tree species'functional strategies,synergies and trade-offs across tree sizes can enhance our understanding of how to achieve nature-based carbon neutrality and lessen climate change.Thus,forest management and restoration initiatives should prioritize high-functioning tree species with dominant productive traits while conserving multi-trait diversified species in temperate deciduous forests.展开更多
Numerous clustering algorithms are valuable in pattern recognition in forest vegetation,with new ones continually being proposed.While some are well-known,others are underutilized in vegetation science.This study comp...Numerous clustering algorithms are valuable in pattern recognition in forest vegetation,with new ones continually being proposed.While some are well-known,others are underutilized in vegetation science.This study compares the performance of practical iterative reallocation algorithms with model-based clustering algorithms.The data is from forest vegetation in Virginia(United States),the Hyrcanian Forest(Asia),and European beech forests.Practical iterative reallocation algorithms were applied as non-hierarchical methods and Finite Gaussian mixture modeling was used as a model-based clustering method.Due to limitations on dimensionality in model-based clustering,principal coordinates analysis was employed to reduce the dataset’s dimensions.A log transformation was applied to achieve a normal distribution for the pseudo-species data before calculating the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity.The findings indicate that the reallocation of misclassified objects based on silhouette width(OPTSIL)with Flexible-β(-0.25)had the highest mean among the tested clustering algorithms with Silhouette width 1(REMOS1)with Flexible-β(-0.25)second.However,model-based clustering performed poorly.Based on these results,it is recommended using OPTSIL with Flexible-β(-0.25)and REMOS1 with Flexible-β(-0.25)for forest vegetation classification instead of model-based clustering particularly for heterogeneous datasets common in forest vegetation community data.展开更多
A growing recognition that uneven-aged silviculture can offer multiple benefits to forested ecosystems has encouraged some landowners in the southern region of the United States to convert even-aged pine stands into m...A growing recognition that uneven-aged silviculture can offer multiple benefits to forested ecosystems has encouraged some landowners in the southern region of the United States to convert even-aged pine stands into multi-aged stands.For shade-intolerant pines of the southern United States,however,few studies have examined residual tree growth following silvicultural treatments that convert even-aged stands to multi-aged stands.Understanding the growth response of residual trees to different kinds of stand conversion treatments is critical to stand development and sustainability,as trees must be recruited into larger size classes during the conversion process to develop the desired stand structure and maintain productivity.In this study,we utilized a replicated,long-term silvicultural experimental trial in the southeastern United States to assess the effects of two cutting treatments(dispersed"single tree cutting"that created small canopy gaps and the"patch cutting"that created 0.1-0.8ha patch openings)and an uncut control on the 14-year growth(~cutting cycle length)of residual longleaf pine(Pinus palustris Mill.)trees.We found that tree growth,measured as mean basal area increment(BAI),was significantly higher following patch cutting(mean BAI of 16.97cm^(2))compared to both the single tree cutting(13.33cm^(2))and the uncut control(12.68cm^(2))(p<0.001).In patch cutting,the size of the patch opening,the location of trees surrounding the patch opening,and the position of the tree canopy all had a significant effect on BAI.Trees surrounding patch openings of 0.4ha exhibited greater growth,with a mean BAI of 19.24cm^(2),compared to those surrounding 0.1 and 0.8ha patch openings,which had mean BAI values of 15.89 and 15.71cm^(2),respectively(p<0.001).The position of a tree around the patch opening also influenced tree growth,as residual trees more to the North,South,and East sides exhibited significantly higher mean BAI than trees on the West side of the patch openings(p<0.001).However,distance from the patch opening border did not significantly affect the mean BAI(p=0.522).In all treatments,dominant and co-dominant trees exhibited higher BAI than intermediate and overtopped trees,indicating that tree canopy position significantly influenced tree growth(p<0.001).Understanding how residual trees grow after these silvicultural treatments is crucial for thoroughly assessing their efficacy with longleaf pine.This study's findings will enhance our understanding of stand dynamics during stand conversion and help land managers anticipate the growth of longleaf pine into larger size categories after single tree and patch cuttings.展开更多
Extreme disturbance activity is a signature of anthropogenic environmental change. Empirical information describing the historical normative limits of disturbance regimes provides baseline data that facilitates the de...Extreme disturbance activity is a signature of anthropogenic environmental change. Empirical information describing the historical normative limits of disturbance regimes provides baseline data that facilitates the detection of contemporary trends in both disturbances and community-level responses. Quantifying the attributes of historical disturbances is challenging due to their transient episodic nature, with decades-to centurieslong intervals between recurrences. Unmanaged primary forests that support centuries-old trees therefore serve as unique reference systems for quantifying past disturbance regimes. We surveyed relict stands of primary beech-dominated forests over wide environmental gradients in the Carpathian Mountains of Europe. We collected core samples from 3,026 trees in 208 field survey plots distributed across 13 forest stands in two countries. We used dendrochronological methods to analyze time-series of annually-resolved ring-width variation and to identify anomalous growth patterns diagnostic of past forest canopy removal. A 180-year record(1810–1990) of spatially and temporally explicit disturbance events(n =333) was compiled and used to derive s tatistical attributes of the disturbance regime. We quantified disturbance severity(canopy area lost), patch size, and return intervals. Our analyses describe a complex regime where a background of relatively frequent, smallscale, low-to intermediate-severity disturbance was punctuated by episodic large-scale high-severity events. Even the most severe events were non-catastrophic at a stand level, leaving significant residual tree cover that supported a continuity of ecological function. We did not detect evidence for an expected climate-induced intensification of disturbance with time, but methodological limitations precluded an assessment of disturbance activity in the decades since 1990.展开更多
Biodegradable plastics are types of plastics that can decompose into water and carbon dioxide the actions of living organisms,mostly by bacteria.Generally,biodegradable plastics are obtained from renewable raw materia...Biodegradable plastics are types of plastics that can decompose into water and carbon dioxide the actions of living organisms,mostly by bacteria.Generally,biodegradable plastics are obtained from renewable raw materials,microorganisms,petrochemicals,or a combination of all three.This study aims to develop an innovative bioplastic by combining chitosan and lignin.Bioplastic was prepared by casting method and characterized by measuring the mechanical properties like tensile strength,Young’smodulus,and elongation at break.The chemical structure,together with the interactions among chitosan and lignin and the presence of new chemical bonds,were evaluated by FTIR,while the thermal properties were assessed by thermogravimetric analysis.The water vapor permeability,tests and transparency as well as biodegradability,were also carried out.The results show a tensile strength value of 34.82 MPa,Young’s modulus of 18.54 MPa,and elongation at a break of 2.74%.Moreover,the interaction between chitosan and lignin affects the intensity of the absorption peak,leading to reduced transparency and increased thermal stability.The chitosan/lignin interactions also influence the crystalline size,making it easier to degrade andmore flexible rather than rigid.The contact angle shows the bioplastic’s ability to resist water absorption for 4minutes.In the biodegradation test,the sample began to degrade after 30 days of soil burial test observation.展开更多
Seed to soil contact is critical for successful germination and establishment.The seed coat micromorphology is a stable trait that has contributed significant information to the phylogenetic classification of angiospe...Seed to soil contact is critical for successful germination and establishment.The seed coat micromorphology is a stable trait that has contributed significant information to the phylogenetic classification of angiosperms.Seed morphology refers to the physical characteristics of seeds,such as their size,shape,color,texture,and structure.The characteristics can vary greatly among different plant species and can provide important information about the plants'life cycle,ecological requirements,and evolutionary history.The aim of this work was to describe the 34 species representing 23 botanical families that were collected to study the micromorphological features of seeds from Khaplu and Skardu mountainous area.Seed shape,color,and texture were observed under a light and scanning microscope and stereo microscope.Micromorphological and ultrastructural data have proved useful in determining seed plant evolution,classification,ecology,and phylogeny.Seed shapes varied from elliptic,oblong,ovate,pyramidal,and spherical.Surface sculpturing varied from rugulate,negative reticulate,reticulate,foveolate,granular and striated.The seed size varied enormously from very minute Matricaria chamomilla 0.33 mm×0.06 mm to very large seed Elaeagnus angustifolia 13.76 mm×4.70 mm.Epicuticular projections,anticlinal wall,periclinal wall,wall ornamentation,and seed texture were also studied under scanning electron microscopy.Most of the seed colors were brown and black except Carthamus tinctorius which exhibits creamy white color.A principal component analysis was used to identify the most outliers in seed micromorphology and provide a significant explanation.A taxonomic key based on micromorphological features has been constructed to assist botanists in identifying species and genera,and to support the conservation of seed bank resources.展开更多
The Zagros forests are a treasure of valuable oak forests, but they have been severely degraded from long-term misuse. Geographic information systems （GIS） and multi-criteria decision analysis （MCDA） have been inc...The Zagros forests are a treasure of valuable oak forests, but they have been severely degraded from long-term misuse. Geographic information systems （GIS） and multi-criteria decision analysis （MCDA） have been increasingly used to improve the management of vulnerable ecosystems to prevent further degradation and increase the sustainability of land use. This study presents a methodology to assess land suitability using remote sensing （RS） to obtain wall-to-wall data for the calculations, GIS to analyze the data, and MCDA to rank alternative land uses. The criteria and subcriteria affecting the suitability of land for different uses were identified and weighted using an analytic hierarchy process. Variables used as subcriteria were assessed using satellite data and other sources of information such as existing maps and field surveys. Numerical values for the subcriteria were classified, and each class was given a priority rating according to expert judgments. Based on the ratings and weights of the subcriteria, a priority map was created for each land use using the weighted linear combination method. The priority maps for different land uses were overlaid to obtain a preliminary land use map, which often indicated several simultaneous land uses for the same location. The preliminary map was further edited by removing unrealistic, mutually exclusive land-use combinations. The study tested and demonstrated the potential of integrating RS, G1S and MCDA techniques for solving complicated land allocation problems in forested regions using a scientifically sound and practical approach for efficient and sustainable allocation of forestland for different uses.展开更多
Recently, drones have found applicability in a variety of study fields, one of these being forestry, where an increasing interest is given to this segment of technology, especially due to the high-resolution data that...Recently, drones have found applicability in a variety of study fields, one of these being forestry, where an increasing interest is given to this segment of technology, especially due to the high-resolution data that can be collected flexibly in a short time and at a relatively low price. Also, drones have an important role in filling the gaps of common data collected using manned aircraft or satellite remote sensing, while having many advantages both in research and in various practical applications particularly in forestry as well as in land use in general. This paper aims to briefly describe the different approaches of applications of UAVs （Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles） in forestry, such as forest mapping, forest management planning, canopy height model creation or mapping forest gaps. These approaches have great potential in the near future applications and their quick implementation in a variety of situations is desirable for the sustainable management of forests.展开更多
Savannas constitute a mixture of trees and shrub patches with a more continuous herbaceous understory.The contribution of this biome to the soil organic carbon(SOC)and above-ground biomass(AGB)carbon(C)stock globally ...Savannas constitute a mixture of trees and shrub patches with a more continuous herbaceous understory.The contribution of this biome to the soil organic carbon(SOC)and above-ground biomass(AGB)carbon(C)stock globally is significant.However,they are frequently subjected to land use changes,promoting increases in CO_(2) emissions.In Uruguay,subtropical wooded savannas cover around 100,000 ha,of which approximately 28%is circumscribed to sodic soils(i.e.,subtropical halophytic wooded savannas).Nevertheless,there is little background about the contribution of each ecosystem component to the C stock as well as site-specific allometric equations.The study was conducted in 5 ha of subtropical halophytic wooded savannas of the national protected area Esteros y Algarrobales del Rio Uruguay.This work aimed to estimate the contribution of the main ecosystem components(e.g.,soil,trees,shrubs,and herbaceous plants)to the C stock.Site-specific allometric equations for the most frequent tree species and shrub genus were fitted based on basal diameter(BD)and total height(H).The fitted equations accounted for between 77%and 98%of the aerial biomass variance of Netuma affinis and Vachellia caven.For shrubs(Baccharis sp.),the adjusted equation accounted for 86%of total aerial biomass.C stock for the entire system was 116.71±11.07 Mg·ha^(-1),of which 90.7%was allocated in the soil,8.3%in the trees,0.8%in the herbaceous plants,and 0.2%in the shrubs.These results highlight the importance of subtropical halophytic wooded savannas as C sinks and their relevance in the mitigation of global warming under a climate change scenario.展开更多
An experiment was conducted to assess the effect of Phosphorous （P） fertilizer （i.e. TSP or triple super phosphate @ 80 kg/hm^2） on seedling growth and nodulation capabilities of three potentially important agrofo...An experiment was conducted to assess the effect of Phosphorous （P） fertilizer （i.e. TSP or triple super phosphate @ 80 kg/hm^2） on seedling growth and nodulation capabilities of three potentially important agroforestry tree species （Acacia auriculiformis, Albizia lebbeck and Albizia procera） of Bangladesh. The study was conducted in nursery beds with six-month-old polybag seedlings ofA. auriculiformis, A. lebbeck and A. procera. The effects of P fertilizer on seedling growth and nodulation were compared with that of the seedlings grown in control （i.e. unfertilized soil）. The observations revealed that the seedling growth was enhanced significantly with the application of P fertilizer. The growth was found more pronounced in A. auriculiformis, whereas it was not apparent and shows depressed growth in case ofA. lebbeck. The study also suggests that the nodulation in terms of nodule number and size was also increased significantly with the application of P fertilizer.展开更多
A study was conducted in Madhupur sal forest of Tangail, Bangladesh to identify the suitable agroforestry practices of the area. Considering the ecological aspects of different agroforestry practices 10 sample plots ...A study was conducted in Madhupur sal forest of Tangail, Bangladesh to identify the suitable agroforestry practices of the area. Considering the ecological aspects of different agroforestry practices 10 sample plots （10 m× 10 m） from each land uses were taken, including natural forest to get a comparative scenario. The study showed that among the different agroforestry practices, Margalef and Shannon- Weiner index values are the maximum for pineapple agroforestry and lower for banana agroforestry, and Evenness index value is the maximum for lemon agroforestry. Determination of tree biomass in different land uses revealed that it is highest （3 078.6 kg/100 m^2） in natural forest followed by pineapple agroforestry, lemon agroforestry and banana agroforestry. Soil pH, moisture content, organic matter, organic carbon, phosphorus and total nitrogen showed statistically significant variation while bulk density, particle density, sulphur and potassium did not show any statistically significant variation among the land uses. Soil fertility status showed that pineapple agroforestry is more fertile than rest of other land uses. The Net Present Value （NPV） indicated that banana agroforestry is financially more profitable than other two systems, while the Benefit- Cost ratio （BCR） is higher in pineapple agroforestry （4.21 in participatory agroforestry and 3.35 in privately managed land）. Even though banana agroforestry gives higher NPV, capital required for this practice is much higher. The findings suggest that pineapple agroforestry has a tendency towards becoming ecologically and economically more sound than other two practices as it has better ecological attributes and required comparatively low investment.展开更多
This study was intended to understand how smallholder farmers’modifications improved agroforestry technologies’usability in Uganda’s Mt.Elgon region.We used a case study approach to understand how smallholder farm...This study was intended to understand how smallholder farmers’modifications improved agroforestry technologies’usability in Uganda’s Mt.Elgon region.We used a case study approach to understand how smallholder farmers’contextual realities informed their modifications and enhanced the usability of agroforestry technologies.Data was collected over four months of frequent and regular interaction with the cases using formal and informal methods that included in-depth interviews,conversations,discussions,and direct observations.Emerging themes and patterns were identified from the comprehensively reduced data.In addition,respondents’direct quotes were used to emphasize the reasons for the modifications.The findings showed that smallholder farmers modified the recommended technologies to suit their biophysical and socio-economic realities.Differences and similarities in modifications existed among cases across the agroforestry technologies.The modifications were mainly done to diversify tree uses,optimize space utilization,and minimize production costs for farming households.These findings imply a need to critically examine the smallholder farmers’modifications to make agroforestry technologies applicable and compliant to their contexts.This will inform the re-invention of technologies that will quickly diffuse into the community for broader impact.Findings also emphasize the need to rethink the linear model of technology transfer mainly applied in agroforestry technology development and dissemination because it offers limited space for the much-needed feedback from smallholder farmers.展开更多
基金financed by Debre Markose University Burie Campus.
文摘Agroforestry,as a platform for harmonizing agriculture and forestry is a win-win approach for the farming community and environmental sustainability.However,its potential is not well studied and quantified in Northwestern highland.Thus,this study aimed to investigate the woody species diversity,and carbon stock potential of traditional agroforestry practices in Northwestern Highlands(NWH)of Ethiopia.A total of 120 households were selected using stratified sampling for household(HH)surveys,and vegetation inventory was conducted in the winter season of 2023 on systematically laid 400 m2 sample quadrats.Shannon-Weiner diversity index(H’),Simpson’s diversity index(1-D)and Shannon evenness(E)were calculated to estimate woody species diversity.Variation in species diversity and carbon stock within and between agroforestry practices was assessed by 1-way ANOVA and rank differences were separated by post-hoc,Tukey HSD multiple comparison test.The result showed that four different agroforestry practices were identified,consisting of 44 woody species belonging to 23 families.Homegarden was the richest in terms of woody species composition(30),followed by boundary planting(25),while parkland agroforestry had the poorest species composition(12).The total carbon stock of the agroforestry practices in the study ranged from 92.51±29.21 to 143.52±47.83 Mg/ha),with soil organic carbon accounting for about 57.66%,followed by aboveground biomass carbon with 32.1%.Homegardens agroforestry had contributed more to the total carbon stocks than the other agroforestry practices.The total CO_(2)sequestration by above and below ground biomass of woody species in the traditional agroforestry practices of the NWH was estimated to be 519.97 and 104.01 Mg/ha,respectively.The study confirmed that the traditional agroforestry practices of the NWH of Ethiopia maintain a high diversity of woody species and are remarkably important for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.
文摘Climate change has been a global pandemic with its adverse impacts affecting environments and livelihoods. This has been largely attributed to anthropogenic activities which generate large amounts of Green House Gases (GHGs), notably carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) among others. In the Upper East of Ghana, climate change manifests in erratic rainfalls, drought, high temperatures, high wind speeds, high intensity rainfall, windstorms, flooding, declining vegetation cover, perennial devastating bushfires etc. Practices such as burning farm residues, use of dung as fuel for cooking, excessive application of nitrogenous fertilizers, and deforestation that are prevalent in the region exacerbate the situation. Although, efforts made by governmental and none-governmental organizations to mitigate climate change through afforestation, agroforestry and promotion of less fuelwood consuming cook stoves, land management practices antagonize these efforts as more CO2 is generated than the carrying capacity of vegetation in the region. Research findings have established the role of trees and soil in carbon sequestration in mitigating climate. However, there is limited knowledge on how the vegetation and soil in agroforestry interplay in mitigation climate change. It is against this background that this review seeks to investigate how vegetation and soil in an agroforestry interact synergistically to sequester carbon and contribute to mitigating climate change in Upper East region of Ghana. In this review, it was discovered soil stored more carbon than vegetation in an agroforestry system and is much effective in mitigating climate change. It was found out that in order to make soil and vegetation in an agroforestry system interact synergistically to effectively mitigate climate change, Climate Smart Agriculture practice which integrates trees, and perennials crops effectively mitigates climate. The review concluded that tillage practices that ensure retention and storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) could be much effective in carbon sequestration in the Savannah zones and could be augmented with vegetation to synergistically mitigate climate change in the Upper East region of Ghana.
文摘Human well-being and livelihoods depend on natural ecosystem services(ESs).Following the increment of population,ESs have been deteriorated over time.Ultimately,land use/land cover(LULC)changes have a profound impact on the change of ecosystem.The primary goal of this study is to determine the impacts of LULC changes on ecosystem service values(ESVs)in the upper Gilgel Abbay watershed,Ethiopia.Changes in LULC types were studied using three Landsat images representing 1986,2003,and 2021.The Landsat images were classified using a supervised image classification technique in Earth Resources Data Analysis System(ERDAS)Imagine 2014.We classified ESs in this study into four categories(including provisioning,regulating,supporting,and cultural services)based on global ES classification scheme.The adjusted ESV coefficient benefit approach was employed to measure the impacts of LULC changes on ESVs.Five LULC types were identified in this study,including cultivated land,forest,shrubland,grassland,and water body.The result revealed that the area of cultivated land accounted for 64.50%,71.50%,and 61.50%of the total area in 1986,2003,and 2021,respectively.The percentage of the total area covered by forest was 9.50%,5.90%,and 14.80%in 1986,2003,and 2021,respectively.Result revealed that the total ESV decreased from 7.42×10^(7) to 6.44×10^(7) USD between 1986 and 2003.This is due to the expansion of cultivated land at the expense of forest and shrubland.However,the total ESV increased from 6.44×10^(7) to 7.76×10^(7) USD during 2003-2021,because of the increment of forest and shrubland.The expansion of cultivated land and the reductions of forest and shrubland reduced most individual ESs during 1986-2003.Nevertheless,the increase in forest and shrubland at the expense of cultivated land enhanced many ESs during 2003-2021.Therefore,the findings suggest that appropriate land use practices should be scaled-up to sustainably maintain ESs.
基金the material and logistical support provided by the Environmental Geomatics Laboratory of the Forestry Department of the University of Dschang
文摘Existing knowledge on degraded mountain landscapes does not shed sufficient light on the socio-economic and ecological opportunities essential for successful restoration initiatives.To address this knowledge lacuna,a study was conducted on the Bamboutos Mountains landscape in Cameroon with the main objective being to analyse the opportunities for restoring this landscape in line with local,national and international development goals and to minimise the negative effects of land-use decisions.Following the Restoration Opportunity Assessment Methodology(ROAM)approach,five participatory reflection workshops were organized in the five target clusters of the landscape for data collection.The results of the study led to the development of a restoration map that presents five interventions:grassland management on an area of 4,720 ha currently occupied by shrub savannah;the practice of fruit-based agroforestry on 3,221 ha of agricultural fields;the planting of riparian forests on 451 ha of degraded watercourses;the revegetation and conservation of the Bamboutos Mountains forest reserve,sacred forests and relics of degraded forests on 435 ha of area;and the revegetation of 6 ha of degraded water sources.The carbon stocks vary from 2.66 to 345.15 tC/ha depending on the type of restoration intervention with a total carbon stock of 247,367.45 tC/ha on the 8,834 ha of area to be restored.This presents a very satisfactory economic cost-benefit,because for an investment of USD 5,991,269.84,a gain of USD 100,439,519.13 could be achieved after 20 years,i.e.,an estimated profit of USD 94,448,249.29.These results provide an understanding of the types of restoration interventions possible in this landscape,a solid basis for planning a restoration initiative.The results equally provide guidance on priority areas from a social,economic,and ecological perspective.
文摘A distinctive feature of scholarly communities today is exploring topics and concepts in interdisciplinary and international contexts. This observation is increasingly apparent and visible in advancing our thinking and policies related to human/environmental worlds at local, regional, and global scales. Maps are an important part of these innovative and ongoing research approaches. In this context, we consider urban forests a topic meriting more attention of scholars studying the geographic and environmental intersections of the natural sciences with the social sciences and humanities. We construct two innovative knowledge bases, one a conceptual framework based on major themes and concepts related to mapping urban forests using key words of the first 100 results of a Google Scholar query and a second using the number of Google Scholar hyperlinks about mapping urban forests in 244 capital cities. We discovered that the constructed world maps reveal vast global unevenness in our knowledge about urban forests in hyperlink numbers and ratios, results that merit further attention by disciplinary, international and interdisciplinary scholarly communities.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32192435)the Application and Demonstration Project of Network Security and Informatization Technology,Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS-WX2022SF-0101)+1 种基金the Liaoning Provincial Key Research and Development Program(2023021230-JH2/1018)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS(2023205).
文摘Climate change is the most severe ecological challenge faced by the world today.Forests,the dominant component of terrestrial ecosystems,play a critical role in mitigating climate change due to their powerful carbon sequestration capabilities.Meanwhile,climate change has also become a major factor affecting the sustainable management of forest ecosystems.Climate-Smart Forestry(CSF)is an emerging concept in sustainable forest management.By utilizing advanced technologies,such as information technology and artificial intelligence,CSF aims to develop innovative and proactive forest management methods and decision-making systems to address the challenges of climate change.CSF aims to enhance forest ecosystem resilience(i.e.,maintain a condition where,even when the state of the ecosystem changes,the ecosystem functions do not deteriorate)through climate change adaptation,improve the mitigation capabilities of forest ecosystems to climate change,maintain high,stable,and sustainable forest productivity and ecosystem services,and ultimately achieve harmonious development between humans and nature.This concept paper:(1)discusses the emergence and development of CSF,which integrates Ecological Forestry,Carbon Forestry,and Smart Forestry,and proposes the concept of CSF;(2)analyzes the goals of CSF in improving forest ecosystem stability,enhancing forest ecosystem carbon sequestration capacity,and advocating the application and development of new technologies in CSF,including artificial intelligence,robotics,Light Detection and Ranging,and forest digital twin;(3)presents the latest practices of CSF based on prior research on forest structure and function using new generation information technologies at Qingyuan Forest,China.From these practices and reflections,we suggested the development direction of CSF,including the key research topics and technological advancement.
基金funded by the Norwegian Research Council(NFR project 302701 Climate Smart Forestry Norway).
文摘Assessing forest vulnerability to disturbances at a high spatial resolution and for regional and national scales has become attainable with the combination of remote sensing-derived high-resolution forest maps and mechanistic risk models. This study demonstrated large-scale and high-resolution modelling of wind damage vulnerability in Norway. The hybrid mechanistic wind damage model, ForestGALES, was adapted to map the critical wind speeds(CWS) of damage across Norway using a national forest attribute map at a 16 m × 16 m spatial resolution. P arametrization of the model for the Norwegian context was done using the literature and the National Forest Inventory data. This new parametrization of the model for Norwegian forests yielded estimates of CWS significantly different from the default parametrization. Both parametrizations fell short of providing acceptable discrimination of the damaged area following the storm of November 19, 2021 in the central southern region of Norway when using unadjusted CWS. After adjusting the CWS and the storm wind speeds by a constant factor, the Norwegian parametrization provided acceptable discrimination and was thus defined as suitable to use in future studies, despite the lack of field-and laboratory experiments to directly derive parameters for Norwegian forests. The windstorm event used for model validation in this study highlighted the challenges of predicting wind damage to forests in landscapes with complex topography. Future studies should focus on further developing ForestGALES and new datasets describing extreme wind climates to better represent the wind and tree interactions in complex topography, and predict the level of risk in order to develop local climate-smart forest management strategies.
基金supported by grants provided within the research project»EO4Forest:Use of multi-temporal Sentinel-2 and VHR Pleiades stereo data for sustainable forest monitoring and management«funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action,Environ-ment,Energy,Mobility,Innovation and Technology(BMK)within the FFG Austrian Space Applications Program ASAP 12(grant agreement number 854027).
文摘Accurate,reliable,and regularly updated information is necessary for targeted management of forest stands.This information is usually obtained from sample-based field inventory data.Due to the time-consuming and costly procedure of forest inventory,it is imperative to generate and use the resulting data optimally.Integrating field inventory information with remote sensing data increases the value of field approaches,such as national forest inventories.This study investigated the optimal integration of forest inventory data with aerial image-based canopy height models(CHM)for forest growing stock estimation.For this purpose,fixed-area and angle-count plots from a forest area in Austria were used to assess which type of inventory system is more suitable when the field data is integrated with aerial image analysis.Although a higher correlation was observed between remotely predicted growing stocks and field inventory values for fixed-area plots,the paired t-test results revealed no statistical difference between the two methods.The R2 increased by 0.08 points and the RMSE decreased by 7.7 percentage points(24.8m^(3)·ha^(−1))using fixed-area plots.Since tree height is the most critical variable essential for modeling forest growing stock using aerial images,we also compared the tree heights obtained from CHM to those from the typical field inventory approach.The result shows a high correlation(R^(2)=0.781)between the tree heights extracted from the CHM and those measured in the field.However,the correlation decreased by 0.113 points and the RMSE increased by 4.2 percentage points(1.04m)when the allometrically derived tree heights were analyzed.Moreover,the results of the paired t-test revealed that there is no significant statistical difference between the tree heights extracted from CHM and those measured in the field,but there is a significant statistical difference when the CHM-derived and the allometrically-derived heights were compared.This proved that image-based CHM can obtain more accurate tree height information than field inventory estimations.Overall,the results of this study demonstrated that image-based CHM can be integrated into the forest inventory data at large scales and provide reliable information on forest growing stock.The produced maps reflect the variability of growth conditions and developmental stages of different forest stands.This information is required to characterize the status and changes,e.g.,in forest structure diversity,parameters for volume,and can be used for forest aboveground biomass estimation,which plays an important role in managing and controlling forest resources in mid-term forest management.This is of particular interest to forest managers and forest ecologists.
基金the Iran National Science Foundation(Grant No.97010593)Hebei University(Special Project No.521100221033).
文摘In forests,a few large trees(L-trees)versus small-medium trees(S-trees)are often considered the major reservoir of aboveground carbon stock(AGCS).Here,we hypothesize that tree species'functional strategies regulate AGCS by tree sizes in temperate deciduous forests across local scale environmental gradients.Using data from 99 plots,we modelled the multivariate effects of the tree-based(tree diversity,stand density and multidimensional tree size inequality)versus the trait-based(multi-trait diversity and single-trait dominance)attributes of L-trees versus S-trees,along topographic and soil conditions,to predict AGCS through four L-trees threshold size(i.e.,≥50 cm fixed-diameter,top 95th percentile,≥top 50%cumulative AGCS descending-ranked ordered,and mean threshold size)approaches.The tree-based and trait-based attributes of L-trees and S-trees shaped species co-occurrence processes but L-trees regulated AGCS more effectively(31.29-93.20%)than S-trees and abiotic factors across four thereshold size approaches and two concepts.Although L-trees threshold size and tree-based attributes mattered for AGCS,the dominant resource-acquisitive strategy of structurally complex L-trees having higher specific leaf area but lower leaf dry matter content and lesser multi-trait dispersion could promote AGCS better than the resource-conservative strategy(low specific leaf area)of S-trees.Capturing tree species'functional strategies,synergies and trade-offs across tree sizes can enhance our understanding of how to achieve nature-based carbon neutrality and lessen climate change.Thus,forest management and restoration initiatives should prioritize high-functioning tree species with dominant productive traits while conserving multi-trait diversified species in temperate deciduous forests.
基金financially supported by the vice chancellor for research and technology of Urmia University
文摘Numerous clustering algorithms are valuable in pattern recognition in forest vegetation,with new ones continually being proposed.While some are well-known,others are underutilized in vegetation science.This study compares the performance of practical iterative reallocation algorithms with model-based clustering algorithms.The data is from forest vegetation in Virginia(United States),the Hyrcanian Forest(Asia),and European beech forests.Practical iterative reallocation algorithms were applied as non-hierarchical methods and Finite Gaussian mixture modeling was used as a model-based clustering method.Due to limitations on dimensionality in model-based clustering,principal coordinates analysis was employed to reduce the dataset’s dimensions.A log transformation was applied to achieve a normal distribution for the pseudo-species data before calculating the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity.The findings indicate that the reallocation of misclassified objects based on silhouette width(OPTSIL)with Flexible-β(-0.25)had the highest mean among the tested clustering algorithms with Silhouette width 1(REMOS1)with Flexible-β(-0.25)second.However,model-based clustering performed poorly.Based on these results,it is recommended using OPTSIL with Flexible-β(-0.25)and REMOS1 with Flexible-β(-0.25)for forest vegetation classification instead of model-based clustering particularly for heterogeneous datasets common in forest vegetation community data.
基金The USDA NIFA McIntire Stennis project#1014653 and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences funded the research presented in this publication.
文摘A growing recognition that uneven-aged silviculture can offer multiple benefits to forested ecosystems has encouraged some landowners in the southern region of the United States to convert even-aged pine stands into multi-aged stands.For shade-intolerant pines of the southern United States,however,few studies have examined residual tree growth following silvicultural treatments that convert even-aged stands to multi-aged stands.Understanding the growth response of residual trees to different kinds of stand conversion treatments is critical to stand development and sustainability,as trees must be recruited into larger size classes during the conversion process to develop the desired stand structure and maintain productivity.In this study,we utilized a replicated,long-term silvicultural experimental trial in the southeastern United States to assess the effects of two cutting treatments(dispersed"single tree cutting"that created small canopy gaps and the"patch cutting"that created 0.1-0.8ha patch openings)and an uncut control on the 14-year growth(~cutting cycle length)of residual longleaf pine(Pinus palustris Mill.)trees.We found that tree growth,measured as mean basal area increment(BAI),was significantly higher following patch cutting(mean BAI of 16.97cm^(2))compared to both the single tree cutting(13.33cm^(2))and the uncut control(12.68cm^(2))(p<0.001).In patch cutting,the size of the patch opening,the location of trees surrounding the patch opening,and the position of the tree canopy all had a significant effect on BAI.Trees surrounding patch openings of 0.4ha exhibited greater growth,with a mean BAI of 19.24cm^(2),compared to those surrounding 0.1 and 0.8ha patch openings,which had mean BAI values of 15.89 and 15.71cm^(2),respectively(p<0.001).The position of a tree around the patch opening also influenced tree growth,as residual trees more to the North,South,and East sides exhibited significantly higher mean BAI than trees on the West side of the patch openings(p<0.001).However,distance from the patch opening border did not significantly affect the mean BAI(p=0.522).In all treatments,dominant and co-dominant trees exhibited higher BAI than intermediate and overtopped trees,indicating that tree canopy position significantly influenced tree growth(p<0.001).Understanding how residual trees grow after these silvicultural treatments is crucial for thoroughly assessing their efficacy with longleaf pine.This study's findings will enhance our understanding of stand dynamics during stand conversion and help land managers anticipate the growth of longleaf pine into larger size categories after single tree and patch cuttings.
基金supported by the Czech Science Foundation project GACR21-27454STechnology Agency of the Czech Republic(project Center for Landscape and Biodiversity,SS02030018).
文摘Extreme disturbance activity is a signature of anthropogenic environmental change. Empirical information describing the historical normative limits of disturbance regimes provides baseline data that facilitates the detection of contemporary trends in both disturbances and community-level responses. Quantifying the attributes of historical disturbances is challenging due to their transient episodic nature, with decades-to centurieslong intervals between recurrences. Unmanaged primary forests that support centuries-old trees therefore serve as unique reference systems for quantifying past disturbance regimes. We surveyed relict stands of primary beech-dominated forests over wide environmental gradients in the Carpathian Mountains of Europe. We collected core samples from 3,026 trees in 208 field survey plots distributed across 13 forest stands in two countries. We used dendrochronological methods to analyze time-series of annually-resolved ring-width variation and to identify anomalous growth patterns diagnostic of past forest canopy removal. A 180-year record(1810–1990) of spatially and temporally explicit disturbance events(n =333) was compiled and used to derive s tatistical attributes of the disturbance regime. We quantified disturbance severity(canopy area lost), patch size, and return intervals. Our analyses describe a complex regime where a background of relatively frequent, smallscale, low-to intermediate-severity disturbance was punctuated by episodic large-scale high-severity events. Even the most severe events were non-catastrophic at a stand level, leaving significant residual tree cover that supported a continuity of ecological function. We did not detect evidence for an expected climate-induced intensification of disturbance with time, but methodological limitations precluded an assessment of disturbance activity in the decades since 1990.
基金funded by the joint research collaboration of the Research Organization of Agriculture and Food National Research and Innovation Agency(BRIN)FY 2024(Grant number:6/III.11/HK/2024),with Widya Fatriasari as the Principal Investigator.
文摘Biodegradable plastics are types of plastics that can decompose into water and carbon dioxide the actions of living organisms,mostly by bacteria.Generally,biodegradable plastics are obtained from renewable raw materials,microorganisms,petrochemicals,or a combination of all three.This study aims to develop an innovative bioplastic by combining chitosan and lignin.Bioplastic was prepared by casting method and characterized by measuring the mechanical properties like tensile strength,Young’smodulus,and elongation at break.The chemical structure,together with the interactions among chitosan and lignin and the presence of new chemical bonds,were evaluated by FTIR,while the thermal properties were assessed by thermogravimetric analysis.The water vapor permeability,tests and transparency as well as biodegradability,were also carried out.The results show a tensile strength value of 34.82 MPa,Young’s modulus of 18.54 MPa,and elongation at a break of 2.74%.Moreover,the interaction between chitosan and lignin affects the intensity of the absorption peak,leading to reduced transparency and increased thermal stability.The chitosan/lignin interactions also influence the crystalline size,making it easier to degrade andmore flexible rather than rigid.The contact angle shows the bioplastic’s ability to resist water absorption for 4minutes.In the biodegradation test,the sample began to degrade after 30 days of soil burial test observation.
基金supported by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number(PNURSP2025R101),Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University,Riyadh,Saudi Arabia.
文摘Seed to soil contact is critical for successful germination and establishment.The seed coat micromorphology is a stable trait that has contributed significant information to the phylogenetic classification of angiosperms.Seed morphology refers to the physical characteristics of seeds,such as their size,shape,color,texture,and structure.The characteristics can vary greatly among different plant species and can provide important information about the plants'life cycle,ecological requirements,and evolutionary history.The aim of this work was to describe the 34 species representing 23 botanical families that were collected to study the micromorphological features of seeds from Khaplu and Skardu mountainous area.Seed shape,color,and texture were observed under a light and scanning microscope and stereo microscope.Micromorphological and ultrastructural data have proved useful in determining seed plant evolution,classification,ecology,and phylogeny.Seed shapes varied from elliptic,oblong,ovate,pyramidal,and spherical.Surface sculpturing varied from rugulate,negative reticulate,reticulate,foveolate,granular and striated.The seed size varied enormously from very minute Matricaria chamomilla 0.33 mm×0.06 mm to very large seed Elaeagnus angustifolia 13.76 mm×4.70 mm.Epicuticular projections,anticlinal wall,periclinal wall,wall ornamentation,and seed texture were also studied under scanning electron microscopy.Most of the seed colors were brown and black except Carthamus tinctorius which exhibits creamy white color.A principal component analysis was used to identify the most outliers in seed micromorphology and provide a significant explanation.A taxonomic key based on micromorphological features has been constructed to assist botanists in identifying species and genera,and to support the conservation of seed bank resources.
文摘The Zagros forests are a treasure of valuable oak forests, but they have been severely degraded from long-term misuse. Geographic information systems （GIS） and multi-criteria decision analysis （MCDA） have been increasingly used to improve the management of vulnerable ecosystems to prevent further degradation and increase the sustainability of land use. This study presents a methodology to assess land suitability using remote sensing （RS） to obtain wall-to-wall data for the calculations, GIS to analyze the data, and MCDA to rank alternative land uses. The criteria and subcriteria affecting the suitability of land for different uses were identified and weighted using an analytic hierarchy process. Variables used as subcriteria were assessed using satellite data and other sources of information such as existing maps and field surveys. Numerical values for the subcriteria were classified, and each class was given a priority rating according to expert judgments. Based on the ratings and weights of the subcriteria, a priority map was created for each land use using the weighted linear combination method. The priority maps for different land uses were overlaid to obtain a preliminary land use map, which often indicated several simultaneous land uses for the same location. The preliminary map was further edited by removing unrealistic, mutually exclusive land-use combinations. The study tested and demonstrated the potential of integrating RS, G1S and MCDA techniques for solving complicated land allocation problems in forested regions using a scientifically sound and practical approach for efficient and sustainable allocation of forestland for different uses.
文摘Recently, drones have found applicability in a variety of study fields, one of these being forestry, where an increasing interest is given to this segment of technology, especially due to the high-resolution data that can be collected flexibly in a short time and at a relatively low price. Also, drones have an important role in filling the gaps of common data collected using manned aircraft or satellite remote sensing, while having many advantages both in research and in various practical applications particularly in forestry as well as in land use in general. This paper aims to briefly describe the different approaches of applications of UAVs （Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles） in forestry, such as forest mapping, forest management planning, canopy height model creation or mapping forest gaps. These approaches have great potential in the near future applications and their quick implementation in a variety of situations is desirable for the sustainable management of forests.
基金funded by the Comision Sectorial de Investigacion Cientifica(CSIC)[ID-501]the Agencia Nacional de Investigacion e Innovacion(ANII)[POS_EXT_2023_1_174913]。
文摘Savannas constitute a mixture of trees and shrub patches with a more continuous herbaceous understory.The contribution of this biome to the soil organic carbon(SOC)and above-ground biomass(AGB)carbon(C)stock globally is significant.However,they are frequently subjected to land use changes,promoting increases in CO_(2) emissions.In Uruguay,subtropical wooded savannas cover around 100,000 ha,of which approximately 28%is circumscribed to sodic soils(i.e.,subtropical halophytic wooded savannas).Nevertheless,there is little background about the contribution of each ecosystem component to the C stock as well as site-specific allometric equations.The study was conducted in 5 ha of subtropical halophytic wooded savannas of the national protected area Esteros y Algarrobales del Rio Uruguay.This work aimed to estimate the contribution of the main ecosystem components(e.g.,soil,trees,shrubs,and herbaceous plants)to the C stock.Site-specific allometric equations for the most frequent tree species and shrub genus were fitted based on basal diameter(BD)and total height(H).The fitted equations accounted for between 77%and 98%of the aerial biomass variance of Netuma affinis and Vachellia caven.For shrubs(Baccharis sp.),the adjusted equation accounted for 86%of total aerial biomass.C stock for the entire system was 116.71±11.07 Mg·ha^(-1),of which 90.7%was allocated in the soil,8.3%in the trees,0.8%in the herbaceous plants,and 0.2%in the shrubs.These results highlight the importance of subtropical halophytic wooded savannas as C sinks and their relevance in the mitigation of global warming under a climate change scenario.
文摘An experiment was conducted to assess the effect of Phosphorous （P） fertilizer （i.e. TSP or triple super phosphate @ 80 kg/hm^2） on seedling growth and nodulation capabilities of three potentially important agroforestry tree species （Acacia auriculiformis, Albizia lebbeck and Albizia procera） of Bangladesh. The study was conducted in nursery beds with six-month-old polybag seedlings ofA. auriculiformis, A. lebbeck and A. procera. The effects of P fertilizer on seedling growth and nodulation were compared with that of the seedlings grown in control （i.e. unfertilized soil）. The observations revealed that the seedling growth was enhanced significantly with the application of P fertilizer. The growth was found more pronounced in A. auriculiformis, whereas it was not apparent and shows depressed growth in case ofA. lebbeck. The study also suggests that the nodulation in terms of nodule number and size was also increased significantly with the application of P fertilizer.
文摘A study was conducted in Madhupur sal forest of Tangail, Bangladesh to identify the suitable agroforestry practices of the area. Considering the ecological aspects of different agroforestry practices 10 sample plots （10 m× 10 m） from each land uses were taken, including natural forest to get a comparative scenario. The study showed that among the different agroforestry practices, Margalef and Shannon- Weiner index values are the maximum for pineapple agroforestry and lower for banana agroforestry, and Evenness index value is the maximum for lemon agroforestry. Determination of tree biomass in different land uses revealed that it is highest （3 078.6 kg/100 m^2） in natural forest followed by pineapple agroforestry, lemon agroforestry and banana agroforestry. Soil pH, moisture content, organic matter, organic carbon, phosphorus and total nitrogen showed statistically significant variation while bulk density, particle density, sulphur and potassium did not show any statistically significant variation among the land uses. Soil fertility status showed that pineapple agroforestry is more fertile than rest of other land uses. The Net Present Value （NPV） indicated that banana agroforestry is financially more profitable than other two systems, while the Benefit- Cost ratio （BCR） is higher in pineapple agroforestry （4.21 in participatory agroforestry and 3.35 in privately managed land）. Even though banana agroforestry gives higher NPV, capital required for this practice is much higher. The findings suggest that pineapple agroforestry has a tendency towards becoming ecologically and economically more sound than other two practices as it has better ecological attributes and required comparatively low investment.
基金the German Academic Exchange Service(DAAD),ICRAF and NARO for funding this research。
文摘This study was intended to understand how smallholder farmers’modifications improved agroforestry technologies’usability in Uganda’s Mt.Elgon region.We used a case study approach to understand how smallholder farmers’contextual realities informed their modifications and enhanced the usability of agroforestry technologies.Data was collected over four months of frequent and regular interaction with the cases using formal and informal methods that included in-depth interviews,conversations,discussions,and direct observations.Emerging themes and patterns were identified from the comprehensively reduced data.In addition,respondents’direct quotes were used to emphasize the reasons for the modifications.The findings showed that smallholder farmers modified the recommended technologies to suit their biophysical and socio-economic realities.Differences and similarities in modifications existed among cases across the agroforestry technologies.The modifications were mainly done to diversify tree uses,optimize space utilization,and minimize production costs for farming households.These findings imply a need to critically examine the smallholder farmers’modifications to make agroforestry technologies applicable and compliant to their contexts.This will inform the re-invention of technologies that will quickly diffuse into the community for broader impact.Findings also emphasize the need to rethink the linear model of technology transfer mainly applied in agroforestry technology development and dissemination because it offers limited space for the much-needed feedback from smallholder farmers.
