Getting trees on farms the easy way? Lessons from a model of eucalypt regeneration on pastures

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Vesk ◽  
Josh W. Dorrough
Keyword(s):  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Seed Supply ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Early Seedling

Substantial revegetation is required across much of Australian agricultural landscapes. Managers need to minimise the risks of failure and costs associated with revegetation. Whereas ‘natural regeneration’ of eucalypts is relatively cheap compared with direct seeding or planting tubes, natural regeneration in grazed lands occurs infrequently and under limited circumstances. Management needs to understand the situations in which natural regeneration is most likely to occur and what actions can improve the chances of regeneration. We used a rule- and stage-based model of eucalypt regeneration focusing on events between seed supply and sapling escape to synthesise current knowledge and learn how to improve the success rate of natural regeneration of eucalypts. The model used deterministic rules but with stochastic rainfall, and fire was applied stochastically as well as deterministically. Results from simulations suggested that low-productivity pastures have greater likelihood of supporting saplings than do high-productivity pastures. Fire and grazing can increase the chances of subsequent germination and early seedling survival, particularly in high-productivity pastures. As a result, management actions, such as fire and strategic grazing, can improve the probability of sapling establishment in a high-productivity pasture; however, frequency and timing of management actions are important. The following three sources of uncertainty appear crucial: first, variability in rainfall; second, uncertainty about rainfall effects on stage transitions; and third, variability in seed supply. These uncertainties can overwhelm improvements to the chances of regeneration owing to management interventions. Because rainfall and seed supply have overwhelming effects on the process of regeneration, they limit the ability of managers to influence the outcomes and this makes investment in natural regeneration inherently risky. Thus, better data are needed on the effect of rainfall on stage transitions and on spatial and temporal variation in seed supply. This would aid managers to estimate the likelihood of success of regeneration, and make decisions about if, when and where to invest in natural regeneration and what actions to implement.

scholarly journals Natural regeneration in Iberian pines: A review of dynamic processes and proposals for management

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. eR02S ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Calama ◽  
Rubén Manso ◽  
Manuel E. Lucas-Borja ◽  
Josep M. Espelta ◽  
Miriam Piqué ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Pinus Halepensis ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Pinus Nigra ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Rotation Periods ◽  
Pinus Species ◽  
Flexible Management

Aim of study: Designing adequate silvicultural systems for natural regeneration of a forest species requires sound knowledge of the underlying ecological subprocesses: flowering and fruiting, seed dispersal and predation, seed germination, seedling emergence and seedling survival. The main objective of the present work is to carry out a review on the current knowledge about the different subprocesses governing the regeneration process for the main Iberian Pinus species, in order to propose scientifically based management schedules.Area of study: The review focuses on the five main native Pinus species within their most representative areas in the Iberian Peninsula: Pinus nigra in Cuenca mountains, Pinus sylvestris in Sierra de Guadarrama, Pinus pinaster and Pinus pinea in the Northern Plateau and Pinus halepensis in CataloniaMaterial and methods: Firstly, currently available information on spatiotemporal dynamics and influential factors is introduced for each subprocess and species. Secondly, current regeneration strategies are characterized and the main bottlenecks are identified. Finally, alternative silvicultural practices proposed on the light of the previous information are presented.Main results: Different climate-mediated bottlenecks have been identified to limit natural regeneration of the Iberian pine species, with seed predation and initial seedling survival among the most influential. New approaches focusing on more gradual regeneration fellings, extended rotation periods, prevent big gaps and program fellings on mast years are presented.Research highlights: Natural regeneration of the studied species exhibit an intermittent temporal pattern, which should be aggravated under drier scenarios. More flexible management schedules should fulfil these limitations. 

Effects of a litter-disturbing bird species on tree seedling germination and survival in an Australian tropical rain forest

1999 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 737-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tad C. Theimer ◽  
Catherine A. Gehring
Keyword(s):  
Rain Forest ◽  
Tropical Rain Forest ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Tree Seedling ◽  
Seedling Mortality ◽  
Litter Cover ◽  
Early Seedling

The spatial and temporal variation in litter disturbance by a medium-sized bird, the chowchilla (Orthonyx spaldingii Ramsay, Orthonychidae) was documented, and its potential impacts on tree seed germination and early seedling survival in an Australian tropical rain forest experimentally investigated. Chowchilla disturbances occurred on ridges, slopes and drainages in all four seasons surveyed. In some areas litter was completely turned over as frequently as every 5 wk. Tethered seeds exposed to disturbance were moved farther and experienced significantly greater variation in litter cover than those protected from disturbance. When seeds of two canopy trees were placed in litter environments simulating those created by chowchillas, the seeds of one species showed significant effects of litter treatment on germination while those of the other showed no significant effects. Seedling cohorts of four tree species were followed for 6 wk soon after germination and all showed higher survival in vertebrate exclosures. The two most abundant species suffered 68% and 35% mortality in six wks, with the majority of that unambiguously due to chowchillas. It is argued that litter-disturbing birds increase litter heterogeneity and significantly impact early seedling mortality. These effects could be important in maintaining evenness and diversity of the seedling community.

Analysis of natural regeneration of Scots pine forest in the high Campine after a fire

1988 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Lust
Keyword(s):  
Scots Pine ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Seed Supply ◽  
Regeneration Period ◽  
The Social ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Fire Area ◽  
Scots Pine Forest

The  study deals with the spontaneous resettlement of a fire area, after  destruction of 600 ha Scots pine forest. The following items have been  examined in particular: the composition of the tree species, the duration of  the regeneration period, the influence of the parent stand, the exposition,  the slope, the treatment, the fire regime and the social differentiation.      The resettlement took place very quickly and over a very short period.  Birch and Scots pine take up 95 % of the stem number. The regeneration result  is precarious, yet mostly good. The parent stand is favourable both to seed  supply and to microclimate, but only over a short distance. The Scots pine  prefers more open and dry areas, whereas birch needs more humidity.     Practice has shown that natural regeneration of Scots pine stands is  possible. The forest treatment, however, is very important. It determines not  only the immediate result of the regeneration, but also the composition and  the structure of the future stand.

scholarly journals Are Large Carnivores the Real Issue? Solutions for Improving Conflict Management through Stakeholder Participation

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4482
Author(s):  
Valeria Salvatori ◽  
Estelle Balian ◽  
Juan Carlos Blanco ◽  
Xavier Carbonell ◽  
Paolo Ciucci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stakeholder Participation ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Societal Issues ◽  
Everyday Activities ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Species Expansion ◽  
General Scope

Social conflicts around large carnivores are increasing in Europe, often associated to the species expansion into human-modified and agricultural landscapes. Large carnivores can be seen as an added value by some but as a source of difficulties by others, depending on different values, attitudes, livelihoods, and everyday activities. Therefore, the effective involvement of the different interest groups is important to identify and shape tailored solutions that can potentially be implemented, complementing top-down approaches that might, on their own, result in lack of implementation and buy-in. To improve dialogue in conflictual situations, as part of a European project promoted by the European Parliament, we assessed the practical implementation of participatory processes in three sample areas in Europe where wolves and bears have recently been increasingly impacting human activities. Our results demonstrate that collaboration among different and generally contrasting groups is possible. Even in situations where large-carnivore impacts were seen as unsatisfactorily managed for many years, people were still willing and eager to be involved in alternative discussion processes hoping this would lead to concrete solutions. An important and common highlight among the three study areas was that all the management interventions agreed upon shared the general scope of improving the conditions of the groups most impacted by large carnivores. The process showed the importance of building trust and supporting dialogue for knowledge co-production and mitigation of conflicts between stakeholders and that controversial environmental issues have the potential to trigger a meaningful dialogue about broader societal issues. The direct involvement and support of competent authorities, as well as the upscaling of this process at larger administrative and social scales, remain important challenges.

Early ecological outcomes of natural regeneration and tree plantations for restoring agricultural landscapes

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo G. César ◽  
Vanessa S. Moreno ◽  
Gabriel D. Coletta ◽  
Robin L. Chazdon ◽  
Silvio F. B. Ferraz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Tree Plantations

scholarly journals Effect of Herbaceous Layer Interference on the Post-Fire Regeneration of a Serotinous Pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton) across Two Seedling Ages

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Castro ◽  
Alexandro Leverkus
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fires ◽  
Pinus Pinaster ◽  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Mediterranean Ecosystem ◽  
Herbaceous Layer ◽  
Herbaceous Vegetation ◽  
Salvage Logging ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Pine Seedlings

Herbaceous vegetation is a major source of interference with the regeneration of woody species. This is particularly the case after forest fires, as a dense herbaceous layer usually regenerates naturally. Although the competitive effect of the herbaceous vegetation upon tree seedlings has been widely studied, there are still gaps in knowledge for management related to the effect of tree seedling age and size on the outcome of the interaction. In this study, we seek to determine the response of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton) seedlings to herbaceous competition at two different seedling ages. For that, two treatments of herbaceous competition were implemented, namely unweeded (no action around pine seedlings) and weeded (herbaceous cover removed around pine seedlings). Treatments were conducted twice (2 and 4 years after the fire), and we monitored seedling survival and growth at the end of each growing season. The treatments were implemented across three adjacent landscape units that differed in the management of burned wood and that are representative of common post-fire scenarios: no intervention, salvage logging, and an intermediate degree of intervention. Weeding increased seedling survival from 44.7% to 67.8% when seedlings were 2 years old, but had no effect for four-year-old seedlings, which showed 99% survival. Seedling growth also increased in the weeding treatment, but only slightly. Moreover, growth (and survival for two-year-old seedlings) was strongly correlated with initial seedling size, particularly in the case of two-year-old seedlings. Initial pine seedling height was strongly and positively correlated with the height of the herbaceous layer, supporting the existence of microsite features that promote plant growth above competitive effects. The results support that management actions conducive to foster post-fire pine forest restoration in this Mediterranean ecosystem should reduce herbaceous competition at early stages after fire (second or third year) and focus on larger seedlings.

Context Dependence: A Conceptual Approach for Understanding the Habitat Relationships of Coastal Marine Fauna

BioScience ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Bradley ◽  
Ivan Nagelkerken ◽  
Ronald Baker ◽  
Marcus Sheaves
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Tidal Range ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Kelp Forests ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Animal Habitat

Abstract Coastal habitats, such as seagrasses, mangroves, rocky and coral reefs, salt marshes, and kelp forests, sustain many key fish and invertebrate populations around the globe. Our understanding of how animals use these broadly defined habitat types is typically derived from a few well-studied regions and is often extrapolated to similar habitats elsewhere. As a result, a working understanding of their habitat importance is often based on information derived from other regions and environmental contexts. Contexts such as tidal range, rainfall, and local geomorphology may fundamentally alter animal–habitat relationships, and there is growing evidence that broadly defined habitat types such as “mangroves” or “salt marsh” may show predictable spatial and temporal variation in habitat function in relation to these environmental drivers. In the present article, we develop a framework for systematically examining contextual predictability to define the geographic transferability of animal–habitat relationships, to guide ongoing research, conservation, and management actions in these systems.

scholarly journals Ecological and Conservation Value of Small Standing-Water Ecosystems: A Systematic Review of Current Knowledge and Future Challenges

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossano Bolpagni ◽  
Sandra Poikane ◽  
Alex Laini ◽  
Simonetta Bagella ◽  
Marco Bartoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Structural Heterogeneity ◽  
Conservation Value ◽  
Standing Water ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Water Ecosystem ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Water Ecosystems ◽  
Global Strategies ◽  
Global Water

A small standing-water ecosystem (SWE) is a shallow (<20 m) lentic water body with a surface of a few hectares (≤10 ha). Compared to larger counterparts, they exhibit wider ecotones, sometimes even equaling their whole surface, which maximizes structural heterogeneity, supporting exceptionally high biodiversity, metabolic rates, and functionality. Surprisingly, no binding regulations support global strategies for SWE conservation. This work consists of a literature review performed for the period 2004–2018 to assess the ecological and conservation value of SWEs and the contribution of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in promoting their conservation. Outcomes from this work open new perspectives on SWEs, which emerge as valuable ecosystems, and confirm their pivotal contribution to watershed biodiversity, resilience, and functionality. Results also suggest clear narrative trends and large knowledge gaps across geographical areas, biological components, and target issues. Additionally, we note that SWEs are under-represented in the frame of WFD implementation, stressing their marginality into assessing procedures. All of this calls for further studies, especially outside Europe and with a global, multi-taxon perspective. These should be devoted to quantitatively assess the roles of SWEs in maintaining global water ecosystem quality, biodiversity, and services, and to prioritize management actions for their conservation.

Mycorrhizae, mycorrhizospheres, and reforestation: current knowledge and research needs

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 929-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Perry ◽  
R. Molina ◽  
M. P. Amaranthus
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Tree Seedlings ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Mycorrhiza Formation ◽  
Sphere Of Influence

Although not a panacea, management of mycorrhizae and associated organisms is an important reforestation aid. Its three major components are protection of the indigenous soil community and evaluation of inoculation needs, integration of inoculation programs into existing reforestation technology, and research. Clear-cutting frequently results in reduced mycorrhizae formation, particularly when reforestation is delayed and no other host plants are present to maintain fungal populations. Implications of such reductions for reforestation vary with environmental factors and tree species. Adequate mycorrhiza formation is especially critical for ectomycorrhizal trees growing on poor soils or in environments where seedlings must establish quickly to survive. It may also be important where early successional, noncrop plants do not support the same mycobiont as the crop. In such circumstances, a self-reinforcing trend may develop, with poor mycorrhiza formation reducing seedling survival and poor tree stocking leading to further loss of mycorrhizal inocula. Inoculating nursery seedlings with mycobionts holds promise for improving outplanting performance only if site-adapted fungi are used. A practical alternative is to improve nursery practices to enhance natural populations of mycorrhizal fungi. Seedlings leaving the nursery with diverse mycorrhizae may perform better than those leaving with only one or a few nursery-adapted types. Research is needed in three broad areas: on adaptations of mycorrhizal fungi to particular environmental factors; on interactions between tree seedlings and processes occurring within the sphere of influence of roots (the rhizosphere) or of mycorrhizal roots (the mycorrhizosphere); and on the role of mycorrhizae and associated organisms in ecosystem structure and processes, particularly nutrient cycling, plant-plant interaction, and soil structure.

scholarly journals NATURAL REGENERATION STRATUM AS AN INDICATOR OF RESTORATION IN AREA OF ENVIRONMENTAL COMPENSATION FOR MINING LIMESTONE, MUNICIPALITY OF BARROSO, MG, BRAZIL

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanuza Helena Campos ◽  
Sebastião Venâncio Martins
Keyword(s):  
Significant Influence ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Psidium Guajava ◽  
Floristic Diversity ◽  
Restoration Process ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Management Actions

ABSTRACT This study was conducted in a forest under restoration process, which belongs to the company Holcim Brasil S/A, in the municipality of Barroso, state of Minas Gerais (21º00'to 22º00'S and 43º00' to 44º00'W), where 40 plots (2 x 2 m) were set, spaced at 10 m, forming eight strata parallel to the watercourse present in the area. Floristic composition and natural regeneration stratum were characterized, and the formed strata allowed evaluating whether the riparian vegetation and watercourse influence on the local regeneration. It was found 162 individuals of 13 families, 18 genera and 22 species, and 10,125 individuals/ha were estimated. Successional classes from pioneer and early secondary and zoochory dispersion syndrome prevailed among species and individuals. The watercourse and riparian vegetation did not exercise significant influence (p> 0.05) on the number of species and regenerating individuals among the different strata of the forest. The diversity index of Shannon-Wiener (H') and equability of Pielou (J') were 2.691 and 0.870, respectively. The species Psidium guajava and Myrtaceae families presented the highest VI (value of importance). Natural regeneration analysis showed the low floristic diversity in the area, suggesting that corrective management actions should be adopted.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document