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Forest Ecology and Management
Elsevier Science
Forest Ecology and Management

Elsevier Science

0378-1127

Forest Ecology and Management/Journal Forest Ecology and ManagementSCIISTPEIAHCI
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    Balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) – Red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) forest productivity 35 years after whole-tree and stem-only harvesting in north-central Maine, USA

    Smith C.T.Preece C.Stupak I.Barusco B....
    15页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier B.V.Global trends in the demand for forest products, decreasing total area of actively managed forests, and pressures to increase profit margins suggest that forest management intensity will continue to increase in the future. These trends have typically led to shorter rotation lengths and increased utilization of forest biomass to supply the bio-economy with feedstocks for energy, novel bio-chemicals, traditional pulp and paper, panels and solid forest products. The combined influence of increased utilization and shortened rotation lengths have raised concerns regarding potential soil nutrient depletion and corresponding reductions in site productivity. In response to these concerns, the Weymouth Point Study Area (WPSA) in north-central Maine was established in a spruce-fir forest in 1979 to quantify the effects of whole-tree harvesting (WTH) and stem-only harvesting (SOH) on nutrient cycling and site productivity in adjacent, paired watersheds with large fixed-area plots. From 1979 to 2016, 49 permanent sample plots were established across three soil drainage classes to evaluate tree- and stand-level growth and nutrition response to harvest residue management and silviculture practices. Harvest treatments were implemented in 1981 with SOH simulated by returning delimbing residues after WTH, including chipped tops, branches and foliage (CHP), and lopped-and-scattered residues (LOP). The harvested watershed was aerially treated with triclopyr herbicide in the fourth growing season following WTH to release naturally regenerated conifers from herbaceous and woody weed competition. Response to silviculture practices were evaluated following pre-commercial thinning (PCT) and the addition of ammonium-nitrate fertilizer (FERT) treatments initiated 10 and 12 years following WTH, respectively. Thirty-five years post-harvest, tree growth and nutrient uptake have not been significantly affected by WTH at this location. Mean tree size was positively influenced by PCT; however, FERT did not significantly affect mean tree size. There were also no significant effects of treatments on aboveground biomass production and net nutrient uptake in trees. These results suggest that WTH at final felling for bio-economy feedstock production in spruce-fir forests similar to those at the WPSA (Chesuncook catena soils) is sustainable. However, this hypothesis is based on mid-rotation assessment of tree growth as an indicator of sustainable forest management. Further research is required to confirm the absence of negative impacts on tree- and stand-level growth and nutrition through the end of the current rotation.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Species-specific coupling of tree-ring width and litter production in a temperate mixed forest

    Zhang W.Wang Y.Xiao J.Lyu L....
    9页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier B.V.Tree growth is delineated into multiple processes, such as foliar growth, stem growth, and reproductive growth; however, only stem growth can store carbon in forests at a relatively long time scale. Understanding how these processes interact in response to climate change is of utmost importance for predicting the future carbon fixation ability of forests. However, it largely remains an unresolved question. To bridge this knowledge gap, we collected litter and tree-ring samples of two deciduous tree species, i.e. Larix principis-rupprechtii and Quercus liaotungensis, in a temperate mixed forest on Dongling Mountain in northern China. The influence of climate and the coupling characteristics between leaf/needle litter, fruit/cone litter, and tree-ring width (TRW) were analysed. The results highlighted that leaf/needle production was significantly and positively coupled with TRW for both species, but with one-year time lag for larch. Path analysis revealed that climate changes directly and significantly affected fruit production, which in turn indirectly affected TRW for oak trees, but such effect of cone production on TRW was not significant for larch trees. Additionally, we found that the radial growth of oak trees is more sensitive to drought stress than larch, possibly due to the close coupling between leaf biomass and TRW. Our results demonstrated that the coupling characteristics between different components of tree growth are species-specific, and understanding these relationships is of great significance for improving the tree growth model of forest ecosystems.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Seasonal and daily variations in stem water relations between co-occurring Larix principis-rupprechtii and Picea meyeri at different elevations

    Jiang Y.Dong M.Wang M.Xue F....
    11页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier B.V.Internal water storage in the stem provides additional water for transpiration and photosynthesis and thus ensures tree hydraulic safety and growth under stressed conditions. Comprehensive understandings in elevation- and species-specific patterns of stem water relations and the underlying mechanism could shed light on the physiological foundation of forest conservation and management in the montane area. Here, stem radius variations of co-occurring Larix principis-rupprechtii and Picea meyeri were monitored at three sites of different elevations (2200 m, 2400 m, and 2600 m a.s.L.) in 2018 and 2019 using point dendrometers. The seasonal cycle was divided into four periods: spring rehydration, summer growth, autumn contraction, and winter dormancy. Tree water deficit-induced stem shrinkage (TWD) during the summer growth and daily stem cycles in each period were extracted and compared between species and among elevations, and their responses to environmental factors were determined. The results showed an elevational trend for averaged TWD in L. principis-rupprechtii instead of P. meyeri. TWD in both tree species had a closer relationship with vapor pressure deficit (VPD), while the TWD showed piecewise changes with species-specific differences as the VPD increased. The daily amplitude of L. principis-rupprechtii was smaller than that of P. meyeri in periods of winter dormancy and spring rehydration, however, the comparison was opposite during summer growth and autumn contraction. Furthermore, the daily amplitude of L. principis-rupprechtii and P. meyeri had different responses to the air and soil hydrothermal conditions in different periods over the year. Our study highlights interspecific water-use behaviors between larch and spruce, indicating their contrasting responses to a global increase in drought stress, especially in low elevations.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Leaf traits-mediated effects of tree diversity on insect herbivory on Populus laurifolia in a riparian forest ecosystem

    Wang B.Tian C.Liang Y.
    9页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier B.V.Tree diversity and landscape features have long been considered as the main drivers of insect herbivory in forest ecosystems. However, relatively little is known about how local and landscape factors, directly and indirectly, acting at different spatial scales affect insect damage under natural, non-outbreak conditions. Here, 30 mixed and pure forest stands were selected in natural forests along the Irtysh river in Xinjiang, Northwest China. To assess the effects of landscape-scale forest isolation, tree diversity, stand position, tree size, understory vegetation cover, and leaf traits on leaf herbivory on Populus laurifolia, we measured three leaf traits (i.e., leaf area, specific leaf area, and leaf dry matter content) and defoliation intensity of insect herbivores in host poplars in 30 sampling plots within mixed and pure forest stands. We also explored the indirect effects of tree diversity on insect herbivory via changes in leaf traits. We found that both forest isolation and tree height had positive effects on insect herbivory, but vegetation cover negatively affected it. Insect herbivory was lower in mixed than in pure forest stands, however, this difference was only significant in stands at the near distance from the river. All leaf traits differed significantly between mixed and pure stands, and varied with tree height. In addition, insect herbivory was positively correlated with leaf area and specific leaf area. However, the influence of tree diversity and tree size on insect herbivory mainly act indirectly through changes in leaf area and specific leaf area. Our results indicate that insect herbivory can be driven by a complex system of ecological factors at multiple scales, and offer an insight into the key role of leaf traits in driving tree diversity-herbivory interactions in a natural forest ecosystem. Thus, these findings are crucial to improve risk assessment and potential prevention strategies of insect damage in riparian forests in real-world situations.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Characterization and evolution of the lowland tropical rain forest of the smallest oceanic Gondwana fragments, with implications for restoration and invasion ecology

    Baguette F.Harryba S.Baboorun T.Adam P.-A....
    11页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2021The Seychelles granitic islands have been small, mid-oceanic, equatorial, mountainous and moist islands for at least 50 million years, with an uninterrupted vegetation cover since their separation from Gondwana. Therefore, unlike hotspot oceanic islands that drastically vary in environmental heterogeneity according to their age, the Seychelles can provide observational data where evolutionary time is de-correlated from habitat heterogeneity. In this paper, we aim to describe for the first time its most widespread, least known, and most threatened ecosystem type: the lowland rain forest. Surprisingly, this had never been done before and the reason is simply that only 6.5 % of those forests have survived untouched by the 2.5 centuries of human presence on these islands. We set six permanent vegetation plots within the largest (ca. 50 ha) and best-preserved relict of this forest, plus four permanent plots in a nearby site (1 km away) that is ecologically homologous but has been intensively modified, abandoned for the last 40 years and which is now a structurally mature late secondary forest. Each plot covered 500 m2 and all vascular plants were inventoried in a series of subplots corresponding to different strata. Within the 0.5 ha of surveyed forest, we observed 35 native species (17 canopy/under-canopy trees, 8 shrubs or small understorey trees, and 10 herbs), of which 11 are endemic (31 %). All plots within the natural forest site were floristically and structurally very similar. Their flora (within just 500 m2) represented about 87 to 92 % of the total flora of the Seychelles lowland mesic forests (defined as an ecological group). In addition, the three most dominant under-canopy trees corresponded to paleo-endemic species having the particularity to be both climax and pioneer trees, which is very unusual. Our study also shows that exotic species were hardly present in undisturbed natural forests but, in disturbed forests, on the other hand, native species were re-colonizing so-called novel ecosystems. Based on these results, we present a list of native species which are appropriate for restoration programs in the Seychelles lowland rain forests, including one that was previously considered as an exotic invasive but which could greatly improve restoration work. Finally, our study sets the basis for long term monitoring of natural ecosystem resilience to invasions on the one hand, and biotic novelty of novel ecosystems on the other.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Sex-specific interactions shape root phenolics and rhizosphere microbial communities in Populus cathayana

    Xia Z.He Y.Li C.Korpelainen H....
    11页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier B.V.We assessed root phenolics and rhizosphere microbiomes of Populus cathayana females and males in the replicated 30-year-old plantations, including pure female plantations (PF), pure male plantations (PM), and mixed female and male plantations (MS) to reveal sex and neighbor effects, and associations between root phenolic metabolites and root-related microbes. The phenolic composition of females varied more between intrasexual and intersexual interactions compared to that of males. Thus, sexual dimorphism was present in the metabolic composition and biochemical plasticity. MS plantations enhanced the bacterial and fungal alpha diversity of both females and males. The composition of fungal communities of females and males in MS plantations was different from that in PF and PM, while such differences were not found in the composition of bacterial communities. Bacterial and fungal diversities were correlated with concentrations of specific phenolic metabolites and were most positively responsive to root benzoic acid and pinoresinol production, respectively. Our findings indicate that sex-specific interactions affect the system of plant sex - root phenolics - rhizosphere microbes, and they may contribute to sex-specific resource utilization patterns. Knowledge of such mechanisms would be helpful when establishing plantations of dioecious plants.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    The effect of stand age on biodiversity in a 130-year chronosequence of Populus tremula stands

    Lutter R.Tullus H.Randlane T.Saag A....
    7页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier B.V.The effect of stand age on biodiversity in the stands of Populus tremula, a keystone tree species in boreal forests, has been insufficiently studied, although this knowledge is crucial for maintaining biodiversity in managed forests. We studied the assemblages of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens from a chronosequence of aspen stands (n = 20) with an age from 8 to 131 years, aiming to identify the main patterns in species richness and composition. Altogether, 72 vascular plant species were found in the field layer and 17 species in the shrub layer. The total numbers of bryophyte and lichen species were 92 and 104, respectively. Overall, 2 vascular plant, 12 bryophyte and 9 lichen species were the taxa with a high conservation value. Sixteen lichens were regarded as management-sensitive or focal species based on earlier studies, and 10 vascular plant species were hemeraphobic (severely disturbed by human activities). The effect of stand age on average species richness estimates depended on the studied species groups. Stand age had a negative effect on the average number of vascular plants, field layer species, apophytic vascular plants and epixylic lichens and a positive effect on the number of lichens, the number of epiphytic bryophytes and lichens and on bryophytes and lichens with a high conservation value. The compositional patterns of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens strongly correlated with stand age. In addition, stand characteristics, soil properties and light conditions influenced the assemblages, although the direct effects were variable for different groups. The largest differences could be observed in vascular plant, bryophyte and lichen communities between young and old stands; for lichens, also mature and old stands differed significantly. Our results indicate that more than 60 years are required for the recovery of some species groups after clear-cutting. At the same time, other species groups were either not negatively affected by clear-cutting or showed a higher richness in younger stands. Therefore, we conclude that the management of aspen stands should involve the combination of different management regimes on the landscape scale (variation from short to long rotations in different stands, maintaining retention trees and ceasing of clear-cutting in some stands). Our results also show that as second-storey Tilia cordata played an important role in maintaining biodiversity in the studied stands, this tree species needs to be preserved in forests where lime trees naturally grow as co-dominants.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Variable selection for estimating individual tree height using genetic algorithm and random forest

    Nunes Miranda E.Rezende Gomide L.Henrique Groenner Barbosa B.Henrique Godinho Silva S....
    13页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier B.V.Tree height is an important trait in forest science and is highly associated with the site quality from which the trees are measured. However, other factors, such as competition and species interaction, may yield better estimates for individual tree height when taken into account, but these variables have so far been challenging in model fitting. We propose a hybrid approach using genetic algorithms for variables selection and a machine learning algorithm (random forest) for fitting models of individual tree heights. We compare our proposed hybrid method with a mixed-effects model and random forest model using a dataset of 5,608 trees and 189 environmental variables (forest inventory-based variables, soil, topographic, climate, spectral, and geographic) from sites in southeastern Brazil. The tree height models were evaluated using the coefficient of determination, absolute bias, and root means square error (RMSE) based on the validation of dataset performance. The optimal set of variables of the proposed method include the ratio of diameter at breast height to quadratic mean diameter, distance independent competition index, dominant height, the soil silt and boron content. Our findings showed that the proposed hybrid method achieved an accuracy comparable with other methodologies in estimating the total height of the individual trees, and such a modelling approach could have broader applications in forestry and ecological science where a studied response trait has a large number of potential explanatory variables.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Predicting climate change-related genetic offset for the endangered southern South American conifer Araucaria araucana

    Varas-Myrik A.Sepulveda-Espinoza F.Fajardo A.Alarcon D....
    11页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier B.V.Understanding adaptive genetic variation is key for predicting the evolutionary response of species and populations to climate change, decisively influencing management and conservation decisions. Landscape genomics provides a framework to disentangle the effects of local adaptation from those of geographic distance and demographic history, through genomic analysis and the modeling of genotype-environment relationships. This approach can inform how evolutionary forces shape the neutral and adaptive genetic structure, helping to identify those populations subject to a greater risk of maladaptation due to anthropogenic climate change, i.e., the “genetic offset”. Using restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RAD-Seq) and more than 49,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms screened from 12 locations of Araucaria araucana in Chile, we assessed the genetic structure and predicted the genetic offset of this emblematic tree species under two future climate scenarios. Using generalized dissimilarity modeling (GDM) we found that the temperature annual range was the most important variable shaping the observed patterns of adaptive divergence. Our results show that populations living in the piedmont of the southern Andes Mountain range are at the greatest risk of maladaptation, while populations living in the high elevation zones in the Andes Mountain range are at the lowest risk. This study constitutes an important tool for forestry management and conservation of A. araucana forests.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Climate change and forest management on federal lands in the Pacific Northwest, USA: Managing for dynamic landscapes

    Gaines W.L.Hessburg P.F.Aplet G.H.Henson P....
    21页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 The AuthorsThe 1994 Northwest Forest Plan signified a watershed moment for natural resource management on federal lands in the Pacific Northwest. It established clear priorities for ecologically motivated management of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity conservation on nearly 10 million hectares of public lands in Oregon, Washington, and northern California. Conservation reserves were the primary means of safeguarding remaining old forest and riparian habitats, and the populations of northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet, and Pacific salmon that depend on them. As envisioned, reserves would provide habitat for the protected species during a lengthy recovery period. However, reserve strategies were grounded on two tacit assumptions: the climate is stable, and there are limited disruptions by invasive species; neither of which has turned out to be true. Managing for northern spotted owls and other late-successional and old forest associated species within the context of static reserves has turned out to be incredibly challenging. As climatic and wildfire regimes continually shift and rapidly reshape landscapes and habitats, conservation efforts that rely solely on maintaining static conditions within reserves are likely to fail, especially in seasonally dry forests. Forest planners and managers are now occupied with efforts to amend or revise Forest Plans within the NWFP area. According to the 2012 Planning Rule, their charge is to focus management on restoring ecosystem integrity and resiliency and address impacts of climate change and invasive species. Here, we integrate information from ecological and climate sciences, species recovery planning, and forest plan monitoring to identify management adaptations that can help managers realize the original Plan goals as integrated with the goals of the 2012 Planning Rule. There are no guarantees associated with any future planning scenario; continual learning and adaptation are necessary. Our recommendations include managing for dynamic rather than static conditions in seasonally dry forests, managing dynamically shifting reserves in wetter forests, where dynamics occur more slowly, reducing stressors in aquatic and riparian habitats, and significantly increased use of adaptive management and collaborative planning.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier