Large trees as key elements of carbon storage and dynamics after selective logging in the Eastern Amazon

2014 ◽  
Vol 318 ◽  
pp. 103-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Plinio Sist ◽  
Lucas Mazzei ◽  
Lilian Blanc ◽  
Ervan Rutishauser
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Large Trees

scholarly journals Antelope Bitterbrush and Scouler's Willow Response to a Shelterwood Harvest and Prescribed Burn in Western Montana

1999 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayna M. Ayers ◽  
Donald J. Bedunah ◽  
Michael G. Harrington
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Western Montana ◽  
Fire Damage ◽  
Prescribed Burn ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Shelterwood Cut

Abstract In many western Montana ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) stands, fire suppression and past selective logging of large trees have resulted in conditions favoring succession to dense stands of shade-tolerant, but insect- and disease-prone Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Stand thinning and understory prescribed burning have been proposed as surrogates for pre-Euro-American settlement ecological processes and as potential treatments to improve declining forest condition and reduce the probability of severe wildfire. To test the effectiveness of these silvicultural techniques on overstory and understory conditions, research is ongoing in the Lick Creek Demonstration Site in the Bitterroot National Forest, Montana. Our research examined the response (mortality and vigor) of the dominant browse species, antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) and Scouler's willow (Salix scouleriana), to a ponderosa pine stand restoration project utilizing four treatments: (1) a shelterwood cut that removed 53% of the tree basal area; (2) a shelterwood cut with a low fuel consumption burn; (3) a shelterwood cut with a high fuel consumption burn; and (4) a control. Prior to the application of treatments, 1,856 bitterbrush and 871 willow were located, and their survival and vigor subsequently monitored for 2 yr posttreatment. The cut and burn treatments resulted in the greatest reduction in antelope bitterbrush and Scouler's willow density averaging 66% and 24% of pretreatment density, respectively. The shelterwood cut reduced bitterbrush and Scouler's willow density by 35% and 14%, respectively. On treatments receiving a shelterwood cut (all treatments but the control), but where antelope bitterbrush and Scouler's willow did not have fire damage, mortality was 45% for bitterbrush and 20% for willow, respectively. For bitterbrush and Scouler's willow plants that received fire damage, mortality was 72% for bitterbrush and 19% for willow. Although the burn and shelterwood harvest treatments resulted in reduced density of antelope bitterbrush and Scouler's willow 2 yr posttreatment, these treatments increased vigor of both species and created mineral seedbeds that may be necessary for establishment of seedlings. West. J. Appl. For. 14(3):137-143.

scholarly journals Two Sets of Initial Conditions on Boreal Forest Carbon Storage Economics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petri P. Kärenlampi
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Growth Model ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
Return Rate ◽  
Thinning Intensity ◽  
Forest Carbon Storage ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Capital Return

Two sets of initial conditions are used in the investigation of capital return rate and carbon storage in boreal forests. Firstly, a growth model is applied in young stands as early as the inventory-based model is applicable. Secondly, the growth model is applied to observed wooded stands. Four sets of thinning schedules are investigated in either case. First, the capital return rate is aspired without any restriction. Second, the number of thinnings is restricted to at most one. Third, thinnings are restricted to the removal of only trees thicker than 237 mm. Fourth, commercial thinnings are omitted. The two sets of initial conditions yield similar results. The capital return rate is a weak function of rotation age, which results in variability in the optimal number of thinnings. Reducing the number of thinnings to one increases timber stock but induces a capital return rate deficiency. The deficiency per excess volume unit is smaller if the severity of any thinning is restricted by the removal of large trees only. Omission of thinnings best applies to spruce-dominated stands with stem count less than 2000/ha. Restricted thinning intensity applies to deciduous stands and dense pine stands. The albedo effect increases the benefits of restricted thinnings and increased clearcuttings instead of contradicting the carbon storage.

scholarly journals Older eastern white pine trees and stands sequester carbon for many decades and maximize cumulative carbon

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert T. Leverett ◽  
Susan A. Masino ◽  
William R. Moomaw
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Eastern White Pine ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Natural Climate

AbstractPre-settlement New England was heavily forested, with some trees exceeding 2 m in diameter. New England’s forests have regrown since farm abandonment and represent what is arguably the most successful regional reforestation on record; the region has recently been identified as part of the “Global Safety Net.” Remnants and groves of primary “old-growth” forest demonstrate that native tree species can live for hundreds of years and continue to add to the biomass and structural and ecological complexity of forests. Forests are an essential natural climate solution for accumulating and storing atmospheric CO2, and some studies emphasize young, fast-growing trees and forests whereas others highlight high carbon storage and accumulation rates in old trees and intact forests. To address this question directly within New England we leveraged long-term, accurate field measurements along with volume modeling of individual trees and intact stands of eastern white pines (Pinus strobus) and compared our results to models developed by the U.S. Forest Service. Our major findings complement, extend, and clarify previous findings and are three-fold: 1) intact eastern white pine forests continue to sequester carbon and store high cumulative carbon above ground; 2) large trees dominate above-ground carbon storage and can sequester significant amounts of carbon for hundreds of years; 3) productive pine stands can continue to sequester high amounts of carbon for well over 150 years. Because the next decades are critical in addressing the climate crisis, and the vast majority of New England forests are less than 100 years old, and can at least double their cumulative carbon, a major implication of this work is that maintaining and accumulating maximal carbon in existing forests – proforestation - is a powerful near-term regional climate solution. Furthermore, old and old-growth forests are rare, complex and highly dynamic and biodiverse, and dedication of some forests to proforestation will also protect natural selection, ecosystem integrity and full native biodiversity long-term. In sum, strategic policies that grow and protect existing forests in New England will optimize a proven, low cost, natural climate solution for meeting climate and biodiversity goals now and in the critical coming decades.

scholarly journals Canopy area of large trees explains aboveground biomass variations across neotropical forest landscapes

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 3377-3390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Meyer ◽  
Sassan Saatchi ◽  
David B. Clark ◽  
Michael Keller ◽  
Grégoire Vincent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Forest Disturbance ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Crown Area ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Canopy Area

Abstract. Large tropical trees store significant amounts of carbon in woody components and their distribution plays an important role in forest carbon stocks and dynamics. Here, we explore the properties of a new lidar-derived index, the large tree canopy area (LCA) defined as the area occupied by canopy above a reference height. We hypothesize that this simple measure of forest structure representing the crown area of large canopy trees could consistently explain the landscape variations in forest volume and aboveground biomass (AGB) across a range of climate and edaphic conditions. To test this hypothesis, we assembled a unique dataset of high-resolution airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) and ground inventory data in nine undisturbed old-growth Neotropical forests, of which four had plots large enough (1 ha) to calibrate our model. We found that the LCA for trees greater than 27 m (∼ 25–30 m) in height and at least 100 m2 crown size in a unit area (1 ha), explains more than 75 % of total forest volume variations, irrespective of the forest biogeographic conditions. When weighted by average wood density of the stand, LCA can be used as an unbiased estimator of AGB across sites (R2 = 0.78, RMSE = 46.02 Mg ha−1, bias = −0.63 Mg ha−1). Unlike other lidar-derived metrics with complex nonlinear relations to biomass, the relationship between LCA and AGB is linear and remains unique across forest types. A comparison with tree inventories across the study sites indicates that LCA correlates best with the crown area (or basal area) of trees with diameter greater than 50 cm. The spatial invariance of the LCA–AGB relationship across the Neotropics suggests a remarkable regularity of forest structure across the landscape and a new technique for systematic monitoring of large trees for their contribution to AGB and changes associated with selective logging, tree mortality and other types of tropical forest disturbance and dynamics.

scholarly journals Two Sets of Initial Conditions on Boreal Forest Carbon Storage Economics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petri P. Kärenlampi
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Growth Model ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
Return Rate ◽  
Thinning Intensity ◽  
Forest Carbon Storage ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Capital Return

Two sets of initial conditions are used in the investigation of capital return rate and carbon storage in boreal forests. Firstly, a growth model is applied in young stands as early as the inventory-based model is applicable. Secondly, the growth model is applied to observed wooded stands. Four sets of thinning schedules are investigated in either case. First, the capital return rate is aspired without any restriction. Second, the number of thinnings is restricted to at most one. Third, thinnings are restricted to the removal of only trees thicker than 237 mm. Fourth, commercial thinnings are omitted. The two sets of initial conditions yield similar results. The capital return rate is a weak function of rotation age, which results in variability in the optimal number of thinnings. Reducing the number of thinnings to one increases timber stock but induces a capital return rate deficiency. The deficiency per excess volume unit is smaller if the severity of any thinning is restricted by the removal of large trees only. Omission of thinnings best applies to spruce-dominated stands with stem count less than 2000/ha. Restricted thinning intensity applies to deciduous stands and dense pine stands.

Towards better estimates of carbon stocks in Borneo's logged-over Dipterocarp forests

2020 ◽  
Vol 345 ◽  
pp. 101-102
Author(s):  
Andes Hamuraby ROZAK
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Logging Damage ◽  
Canopy Opening ◽  
Dipterocarp Forests ◽  
C Stocks ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Main Driver

Tropical forests are a major reservoir of biodiversity and carbon (C), playing a pivotal role in global ecosystem function and climate regulation. However, most tropical forests, especially Borneo's forests in Southeast Asia, are under intense pressure and threatened by human activities such as logging, mining, agriculture and conversion to industrial plantations. Selective logging is known to reduce both above- and below-ground biomass by removing selected large trees, while increasing deadwood stocks through collateral logging damage and creating large gaps in the canopy. The extent of incidental damage, canopy opening and the rate of C recovery were shown to be primarily related to logging intensity. This thesis assesses the long-term effects of logging intensity on five main C pools in Dipterocarp forests in northern Borneo (Malinau District, North Kalimantan) along a logging intensity gradient ranging from 0 to 57% of initial biomass removed in 1999/2000. Our results showed that total C stocks 16 years after logging ranged from 218-554 Mg C/ha with an average of 314 Mg C/ha. A difference of 95 Mg C/ha was found between low logging intensity (< 2.1% of initial biomass lost) and high logging intensity (> 19%). Most C (approx. 77%) was found in living trees, followed by soil (15%), deadwood (6%) and a small fraction in litter (1%). The imprint of logging intensity was still detectable 16 years after logging. Logging intensity was thus shown to be the main driver explaining the reduction of AGC>20, BGC>20, in deadwood and total C stocks and an increase in deadwood. Our results quantify the long-term effects of logging on forest C stocks, especially in AGC and deadwood. High logging intensity (50% reduction of initial biomass) reduced total C stocks by 27%. AGC recovery was lower in high logging intensity plots, suggesting lowered forest resilience to logging. Our study showed that keeping logging intensity below 20% of the initial biomass can limit the long-term effects of logging on AGC and deadwood stocks.

The effects of selective logging on nest-site selection and productivity of hooded warblers (Wilsonia citrina) in Canada

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 644-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca M Whittam ◽  
Jon D McCracken ◽  
Charles M Francis ◽  
Mary E Gartshore
Keyword(s):  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Managed Forest ◽  
Wilsonia Citrina ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Hooded Warblers

We examined nest-site selection by hooded warblers (Wilsonia citrina) in two forests differing in composition (extensive pine plantation versus largely deciduous) and management (recent selective logging versus minimal logging). We measured habitat at 52 nests and 66 controls in one forest and 57 nests and 41 controls in the second. Nests had denser ground vegetation, fewer tree stems, less basal area due to small trees and greater basal area due to large trees than controls in both forests. In the managed forest with extensive pine plantations, hooded warblers were in coniferous and logged stands more often than expected by chance, nests had more stumps and greater canopy height than controls, and 91% (52/57) of all nests were found in gaps, 84% of which were created by harvest. Gap age was 6.2 ± 0.9 years (mean ± SE) in 1999, and 7.6 ± 0.6 years in 2000. In the managed forest, 52% of 24 nests were parasitized in 1999 and 39% of 33 nests were parasitized in 2000. The daily survival rate was 0.936 ± 0.019 in 1999 and 0.944 ± 0.014 in 2000. Successful nests did not differ from unsuccessful nests in any habitat variable. To benefit hooded warblers, forest managers should mimic natural gap creation by using selective logging to create gaps no larger than 0.05 ha, and should leave a residual basal area of mature trees (>38 cm diameter at breast height) of at least 12 m2/ha.

scholarly journals The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) density in a logging concession of Hulu Belantikan, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 878-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
IMAN SAPARI ◽  
DYAH PERWITASARI-FARAJALLAH ◽  
SRI SUCI UTAMI ATMOKO
Keyword(s):  
Selective Logging ◽  
Pongo Pygmaeus ◽  
Line Transect ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Central Kalimantan ◽  
Protection Forest ◽  
Critically Endangered Species ◽  
Bornean Orangutan ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Pongo Pygmaeus Wurmbii

Abstract. Sapari I, Perwitasari-Farajallah D, Utami Atmoko SS. 2019. The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) density in a logging concession of Hulu Belantikan, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 878-883. The Bornean orangutan is currently categorized as a critically endangered species. It is found in natural forests in Borneo, where about 78% of the total population is found outside protected areas, of which 29% is in logging concessions. This study aimed to analyze the density of the orangutan population and the abundance of fruiting plants in a logging concession and Protection Forest (Hutan Lindung) in the Hulu Belantikan forests in Lamandau District, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Research and data collection was conducted between December 2013 to October 2014. Orangutan population density was calculated using line transect methodology based on nest counts. Abundance of fruit plants was calculated using the fruit trail method. The highest orangutan density, 4.8 individuals/km2, was found in Protection Forest; and the lowest density, 0.4 individuals/km2, was in [Sopanan] the 2013 logging block. Observations in the logging area indicated that selective logging could alter the structure and gap of the canopy and reduce the proportion of large trees. Changes in forest structure resulted in negative effects on the density of the orangutan population. The remaining degraded forests can still be a valuable resource for the orangutan. As long as the disturbance is not intensive, orangutans will retain access to the less disturbed forest nearby and to forests that are still connected to primary forests. The existence of Protection Forest and old logged-over forests around logging blocks are very important for conservation, providing refugia for orangutans and other species when logging occurs.

scholarly journals Canopy Area of Large Trees Explains Aboveground Biomass Variations across Nine Neotropical Forest Landscapes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Meyer ◽  
Sassan Saatchi ◽  
David B. Clark ◽  
Michael Keller ◽  
Grégoire Vincent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Forest Disturbance ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Crown Area ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Canopy Area

Abstract. Large tropical trees store significant amounts of carbon in woody components and their distribution plays an important role in forest carbon stocks and dynamics. Here, we explore the properties of a new Lidar derived index, large tree canopy area (LCA) defined as the area occupied by canopy above a reference height. We hypothesize that this simple measure of forest structure representing the crown area of large canopy trees could consistently explain the landscape variations of forest volume and aboveground biomass (AGB) across a range of climate and edaphic conditions. To test this hypothesis, we assembled a unique dataset of high-resolution airborne Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) and ground inventory data in nine undisturbed old growth Neotropical forests. We found that the LCA for trees greater than 27 m (~ 25–30 m) in height and at least 100 m2 crown size in a unit area (1 ha), explains more than 75 % of total forest volume variations, irrespective of the forest biogeographic conditions. When weighted by average wood density of the stand, LCA can be used as an unbiased estimator of AGB across all sites (R2 = 0.78, RMSE = 46.02 Mg ha−1, bias = 0.76 Mg ha−1). Unlike other Lidar derived metrics with complex nonlinear relations to biomass, the relationship between LCA and AGB is linear. A comparison with tree inventories across the study sites indicates that LCA correlates best with the crown area (or basal area) of trees with diameter > 50 cm. The spatial invariance of the LCA–AGB relationship across the Neotropics suggests a remarkable regularity of forest structure across the landscape and a new technique for systematic monitoring of large trees for their contribution to AGB and changes associated with selective logging, tree mortality, and other types of forest disturbance and dynamics.

scholarly journals Social organisation of the northern giant mouse lemur Mirza zaza in Sahamalaza, north western Madagascar, inferred from nest group composition and genetic relatedness

2013 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Johanna Rode ◽  
K. Anne-Isola Nekaris ◽  
Matthias Markolf ◽  
Susanne Schliehe-Diecks ◽  
Melanie Seiler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Social Organisation ◽  
Mouse Lemur ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Nest Group ◽  
Tree Holes

Shelters such as leaf nests, tree holes or vegetation tangles play a crucial role in the life of many nocturnal mammals. While information about characteristics and availability of these resources may help in conservation planning, nest use gives an indication about a species’ social organisation. The northern giant mouse lemur (Mirza zaza) is threatened by habitat loss within its restricted range. Our aim was to examine nest site preferences of M. zaza and to explore the species’ social organisation by examining sleeping site aggregation size and genetic relatedness within and between such aggregations. In the Ankarafa Forest inside Sahamalaza – Iles Radama National Park, northwestern Madagascar, we radio-tagged five male and three female M. zaza and followed them for 2.5 months during the dry season. We identified sleeping trees and observed animals during emergence in the evening and return in the morning. We compared sleeping trees and microhabitats around nest sites to trees and habitat used during nightly activity and to random sites. We found that nests were well covered by canopy, even during the dry season, and were located near the tree trunk a few meters below the tree top. Nest sites were characterised by large (> 30 cm DBH) and tall trees (>16 m) with many lianas. Up to four animals shared one to three group-exclusive nests for up to 50 days. Two of the nest groups included two and three males with fully developed testes. Relatedness data revealed that the adult males sharing nests were either unrelated or closely related. These data suggest that M. zaza is sleeping in social nest groups including multiple males, which is unusual among nocturnal strepsirrhines. Apart from protecting suitable sleeping trees and discouraging selective logging of large trees, we recommend conducting further studies on the species’ social organisation throughout an entire season.

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