查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 The AuthorsRestoration of degraded lands and ecosystems is one of the largest challenges of our times. Many countries are making pledges to restore their lands and use the Restoration Opportunities and Assessment Methodology (ROAM) to prioritise restoration as part of their work on Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR). In FLR, the integration of cultural knowledge is acknowledged. However, despite some excellent examples, and calls for more integration, practical guidance on how to achieve this has been lacking. In order to address this gap in the context of ROAM, a rapid cultural assessment tool of 10 questions was developed for ROAM practitioners to bring cultural perspectives into participatory restoration planning and policy processes. In this paper, we (1) provide the 10 questions tool that was developed and tested during ROAM assessments in Malawi and Mozambique, and (2) discuss the impact of the tool in ROAM processes in each country and regionally, including through interviews with practitioners and with an expansion to coastal and marine ecosystems. The questions have since become part of ROAM training modules and been taken up in other ROAM processes. The application of the 10 questions highlighted different ways in which the questions could bring culture into FLR practice: sensitizing participants in policy processes to the cultural dimension of land and ecosystem restoration, opening space for cultural inputs and raising cultural voices seldom heard in technical policy dialogues, providing specific information on culture and cultural institutions to enhance the policy processes, and generating information of relevance to landscape level ‘on the ground’ restoration actions. The article ends with suggestions for improving the method and for conceiving of new cultures of restoration, bringing experiences from the past and present together.
查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier B.V.Forest certification is a conservation tool, which aims to promote the sustainable management and conservation of forest ecosystems. Establishing set-aside or lower intervention conservation zones to promote biodiversity conservation is a requisite of forest certification. We tested the effects of conservation zones on the tree biometrics and regeneration, as well as on the taxonomic, functional, and structural diversity of the shrub and herb understory, in Mediterranean oak woodlands. We also assessed how oak biometrics, regeneration and understory diversity varied among conservation zones established 10, 14, and 20 years before our sampling dates. Oak regeneration tended to be higher in conservation zones than in controls, but results varied with the age of conservation zones. For example, the abundance of oak seedlings and saplings was higher in 10-year-old conservation zones than in those established 20 years ago. Abundance of young oak trees was higher in 14-year-old conservation zones than in 10- and 20-year-old conservation zones. The understory vertical diversity was significantly higher in 14- and 20-year-old conservation zones than in controls. Functional diversity differed significantly between conservation zones and controls, with a higher abundance of late-successional shrubs, namely fleshy-fruited species in 20-year-old conservation zones. The plant species composition of the shrub and the herb understory was most dissimilar between older conservation zones and controls. Additionally, the cover and diversity of the understory herb species decreased with the age of conservation zones. Conservation zones implemented under forest certification increase habitat structural complexity of oak woodlands, which may benefit wildlife species, but there will be trade-offs with the cover and diversity of the herb understory. Forest managers must evaluate such trade-offs when establishing conservation zones in cork oak woodlands under forest certification schemes.
查看更多>>摘要：? 2021In the western US, wildfires are modifying the structure, composition, and patterns of forested landscapes at rates that far exceed mechanical thinning and prescribed fire treatments. There are conflicting narratives as to whether these wildfires are restoring landscape resilience to future climate and wildfires. To evaluate the landscape-level work of wildfires, we assessed four subwatersheds in eastern Washington, USA that experienced large wildfires in 2014, 2015, or 2017 after more than a century of fire exclusion and extensive timber harvest. We compared pre- and post-fire landscape conditions to an ecoregion-specific historical (HRV) and future range of variation (FRV) based on empirically established reference conditions derived from a large dataset of historical aerial photo imagery. These four wildfires proved to be a blunt restoration tool, moving some attributes towards more climate-adapted conditions and setting others back. Fires reduced canopy cover and decreased overall tree size and canopy complexity, which moved them into, or slightly outside, the FRV ranges. Moderate- and low-severity fire generally shifted closed-canopy forest structure to open-canopy classes. Patches of high-severity fire shifted patterns of forest, woodland, grassland, and shrubland towards or beyond the HRV ranges and within the FRV ranges by increasing the total area and size of non-forest patches. However, large patches of high-severity fire in dry and moist mixed-conifer forests homogenized landscape patterns beyond FRV ranges towards simplified conditions dominated by non-forest vegetation types. Fires realigned and reconnected landscape patterns with the topo-edaphic template in some cases, but pre-existing fragmentation and spatial mismatches were compounded in many others. Patches of large-tree, closed-canopy forest were reduced by high-severity fire, and the potential to restore more climate-adapted large-tree, open-canopy forest was lost. Re-establishing landscape patterns with desired patch sizes of forest, in particular patches with large trees, will take many decades to centuries and may not occur in drier locations or where seed trees are no longer present. While large wildfires burning during extreme fire weather conditions can move some attributes towards HRV and FRV ranges, intentionally planned mechanical and prescribed-fire treatments that are integrated with strategic wildfire response will better prepare and adapt landscapes for future wildfires and climate.
查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier B.V.Stand biomass growth rate and allocation are essential for understanding carbon sequestration rates and carbon cycling in forest ecosystems. However, large-scale patterns of biomass growth rates (BGR) and biomass allocation in mono-species plantations and their responses to stand characteristics (e.g., stand density and stand age) and environmental factors (e.g., climate and soil nutrients) remain unclear. Based on biomass data obtained from published studies and our field survey, the growth rates of shoot, root, and whole-tree biomass and the root - shoot ratio (FR/S) of Pinus massoniana across its distribution range in China were analyzed. Our results showed that BGR decreased with longitude and latitude, while FR/S increased with longitude but decreased with latitude and altitude. Stand density, the mean annual temperature (MAT), and the soil carbon to phosphorus (C/P) ratio positively related to BGR and explained 54.0 ～ 62.8%, 12.5 ～ 21.7%, and 13.3 ～ 21.3% of the variation in BGR, respectively. FR/S was negatively related to stand density and the soil carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio but positively related to mean annual precipitation (MAP). Stand density made a greater contribution (63.0%) to the variation in FR/S than MAP (19.2%) and soil C/N (12.4%). These results suggest that stand density had the strongest effect on biomass growth rates and belowground/aboveground biomass allocation of P. massoniana plantations in this subtropical region, but the effects of climatic factors and soil nutrients were also important. Our findings will aid plantation management, including measures that could be taken to achieve a carbon balance under future global change, as well as enhance the carbon sink capacity of forests.
查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier B.V.The authors regret, 1. Footnote of the Table 4: “dolomitic limestone” and “lime” should be substituted by “residue from the cellulose industry (23.36% of Ca and 2.35% of Mg)”.2. In Table 7, NUE values of Mn and Cu are presented in kg g?1.The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.
查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier B.V.The relationship between environmental heterogeneity and species diversity has been one of the most studied patterns in ecology. However, some taxa and regions worldwide still lack studies to verify this relationship. Phyllostomidae is the most ecologically diverse family of mammals worldwide, encompassing a great proportion of the species of mammals and bats across the Amazon forest. Even though the Amazon seems to be a homogeneous landscape with an unlimited supply of water, it presents a high variation in vegetation types and proximity to large bodies of water. In our study, we have analyzed the relationship between environmental heterogeneity and proximity to large bodies of water in the structure of phyllostomid assemblages (Chao-estimated species richness and capture rates). We have found that an increase in landscape heterogeneity associated with large bodies of water and representative flooded forest increase species richness. In addition, more heterogeneous landscapes in the presence of water have presented a higher abundance of bats. Our findings might be related with the small niche widths of phyllostomids, which could have promoted specialization in some landscape features, while the presence of water could have promoted an increase in food availability (insects and fruits), leading to an increase in phyllostomid richness and abundance. This is important information for planning where to place protected areas in the northeastern portion of the Amazon, while taking into account the consequences of drought and deforestation close to water bodies on the local phyllostomid fauna, and the maintenance of the ecosystem services provided by a higher bat diversity.
查看更多>>摘要：? 2021Mangrove forests are among the highest carbon (C) sinks in the tropics and subtropics worldwide. Net primary productivity (NPP) is estimated by the permanent plot method with litterfall plus incremental growth (LG) and has great significance for the evaluation of the carbon sequestration capacity of forests. Here, we developed a new high-resolution method, sap flow investigation (SF), for the evaluation of carbon sequestration capacity. We also compared the forest carbon sequestration capacity estimated using two NPP estimation methods, stand water use using SF and light attenuation/gas exchange (LA), with traditional permanent plots using the LG method in four typical mangrove forests in the Futian Mangrove Reserve of Shenzhen City, China. The LG results showed that mangrove forests had NPPs ranging from 7.67 to 11.87 Mg C ha?1 yr?1, with species-specific differences. Among the three methods, the LG method is the most widely used, although it is costly and difficult to implement in the field. The LA results showed seasonal variation of NPP, with 4.69 g C m?2 d-1 in summer and 2.02 g C m?2 d-1 in winter. The LA method is relatively simple, but it requires a homogeneous canopy structure with a simple canopy extinction coefficient, which is suitable for mangroves with homogenous canopy structures. Although costly, the most convenient and efficient method is the SF method, which can realize continuous and high-precision dynamic NPP monitoring at the stand scale. After standardization by the LG method, the two high-resolution NPP methods could be used in mangrove forests with different time scales. For the global scale, after modification by the correction method provided in our study, the error caused by the determination method could be eliminated, which could make the global database more plentiful and accurate.
查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 The AuthorsQuantitative estimates of change of primeval European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests at the landscape scale over time are scarce due to both the few remnants of such forests and the absence of repeated sample plot inventories. This forest ecosystem is thought to be relatively stable over time, but it remains unclear what drivers contribute to this stability. Here, we studied temporal change in one of the largest primeval beech forests. Our analysis is based on two consecutive inventories on 238 permanent sample plots in the Uholka-Shyrokyi Luh forest in Transcarpathia, Ukraine, covering 102.8 km2. The inventories were carried out in 2010 and 2019. This data allowed us to derive quantitative estimates for the main structural characteristics tree density, basal area and volume on a landscape scale and to characterize the demographic processes that shape this forest ecosystem. The structural characteristics tree density (2010: 441 N ha1, 2019: 458 N ha?1), basal area (2010: 35.9 m2 ha?1, 2019: 35.4 m2 ha?1), and standing volume (2010: 578 m3 ha?1, 2019: 584 m3 ha?1) of the living trees remained stable between the two inventories. The species composition, characterized by a pronounced dominance of beech, remained virtually unchanged as well, with 97.9% of the stems being beech trees in the first and 97.1% in the second inventory. In contrast, we observed a relatively high dynamic when looking at the demographic processes more closely. About 11% of the trees found alive in 2010 died until 2019, resulting in an annual mortality rate of 1.3%. Ingrowing trees compensated for trees that died or decayed regarding tree density, but only to a small extent regarding volume. The volume lost was largely compensated by the growth (8.0 m3 ha?1 year?1) of the surviving trees. This work characterizes the change of forest attributes in a primeval beech forest at the landscape scale over a time of period of nine years and provides baseline indicators on the development and dynamics of primeval beech forests. It broadens our understanding about the contribution of the main demographic processes to the pronounced structural and compositional continuity of primeval beech forests.
查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier B.V.Traditional coppices and coppice-with-standards were widely used throughout Europe and Asia for centuries but were largely abandoned in the second half of the 19th century, especially in central and northwestern Europe. In last decades, there has been a renewed interest in traditional coppicing for nature conservation and most often, for rapid woody biomass production. However, there is little information on biomass productivity of traditional coppices and what affects it. Here, we focused on the effects of stand density, standards and tree species composition on sprout biomass production in newly restored coppices in the Czech Republic. We measured sprouts and calculated sprout biomass 7 years after the harvest from 2013 resprouting stumps in two 4 ha experimental plots. Each plot was divided into 64 subplots with different densities of standards and sprouting stumps. Total sprout biomass declined with increasing density of standards, but the effect of standards differed significantly among studied species. Whereas increasing density of standards decreased sprout biomass in Quercus petraea and Carpinus betulus, it did not affect sprout biomass productivity in Acer campestre and Tilia cordata. Sprout biomass on stand level increased linearly with increasing number of sprouting stumps and we observed no levelling of this relationship even in the highest densities of stumps. We also found significant shift in tree species composition with steeply declining relative abundance of Qurcus in favor of other studied tree species.
查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier B.V.Natural regeneration of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) plays a crucial role in the future of many European mountain forests. It is affected by various soil and stand-related factors whose relative importance, especially in mixed stands, is still not known. In this study, we assessed the importance of stand composition, soil wetness, disturbances and different microsites and seedbeds for regeneration of beech and spruce in a mixed old-growth mountain forest. We also focused on how the effects of these factors change as regeneration gets older. We sampled all regeneration in 563 plots from different microsite types (deadwood, intact soil, treethrow pits and mounds), distinguishing three seedbeds (mosses, beech litter, bare substrate) for seedlings. We used soil survey and tree census data with generalized linear mixed models and variance partitioning to identify the main factors driving tree regeneration and their relative importance. Although beech was slightly less abundant in the canopy than spruce, it strongly outnumbered spruce in regeneration. Beech regeneration showed an affinity for beech litter-rich microsites and drier soils, while spruce was more common on deadwood and moister soils and its response to the seedbed was microsite-specific. The regeneration of both species was positively related to the proportion of their own species in the canopy, but more so in seedlings than in older regeneration cohorts, where soil wetness was more important. The overall pattern of tree regeneration thus resulted from a complex interplay between site conditions and their alterations by current and former generations of canopy trees through the creation of new microsites (deadwood, uprooting mounds) or litter production. Where beech regeneration is not suppressed by excess soil wetness, it is much more successful than spruce due to its shade tolerance and ability to be established in the beech litter that dominates the forest floor. On the other hand, spruce regeneration is mostly restricted to elevated microsites with lower litter accumulation, such as deadwood and treethrow mounds. Our results indicate that both species exhibit an ability to modify their environment in favor of their own regeneration, but under current conditions, beech is more successful than spruce and can be expected to increase its dominance in the future.
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