scholarly journals Mutual Influences of Urban Microclimate and Urban Trees: An Investigation of Phenology and Cooling Capacity

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 533
Author(s):  
Celina H. Stanley ◽  
Carola Helletsgruber ◽  
Angela Hof

This paper presents an empirical study on urban tree growth and regulating ecosystem services along an urban heat island (UHI) intensity gradient. The UHI effect on the length of the growing season and the association of cooling and shading with species, age, and size of trees was studied in Salzburg, Austria. Results show that areas with a low UHI intensity differed from areas with a medium or high UHI intensity significantly in three points: their bud break began later, the leaf discoloration took longer, and the growing season was shorter. After leaves have developed, trees cool the surface throughout the whole growing season by casting shadows. On average, the surfaces in the crown shade were 12.2 °C cooler than those in the sun. The tree characteristics had different effects on the cooling performance. In addition to tree height and trunk circumference, age was especially closely related to surface cooling. If a tree’s cooling capacity is to be estimated, tree age is the most suitable measure, also with respect to its assessment effort. Practitioners are advised to consider the different UHI intensities when maintaining or enhancing public greenery. The cooling capacity of tall, old trees is needed especially in areas with a high UHI intensity. In the future, species differences should be examined to determine the best adapted species for the different UHI intensities. The present results can be the basis for modeling future mutual influences of microclimate and urban trees.

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 1996-2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Giroud ◽  
Alain Cloutier ◽  
Jérôme Alteyrac

Normal paper birch ( Betula papyrifera Marsh.) wood has a clear and uniform color. However, some paper birch trees contain reddish-brown-, discolored wood known as red heartwood. Its occurrence, proportion, and vertical distribution were investigated. One hundred and fifty trees were randomly sampled from three stands located at the Montmorency Forest, 75 km north of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. A subsample of 18 trees showing occurrence of red heartwood at stump height were felled, and 5 cm thick disks were cut at every 0.5 m of height. Red heartwood volume, proportion, and vertical distribution were determined from the disks. Trees with larger diameter at breast height and lower tree height had a higher probability of red heartwood occurrence. Red heartwood starts occurring in 40-year-old trees on average in the stands studied. The volume of red heartwood was positively correlated with tree age, and the proportion of red heartwood was positively related to tree age, and negatively related to the amount of sunlight on the live crown. Red heartwood proportion was 13.3% of the tree merchantable volume, mostly located under the live crown.


1994 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Hilmo

AbstractThe distribution of epiphytic lichens on branches of a stand of Picea abies has been mapped, and patterns of succession and community structure are described. Many crustose species are of particular interest since little is known about their ecological requirements (e.g. Fuscidea pusilla Tønsb., Japewia subaurifera Muhr & Tønsb. and Gyalideopsis alnicola Noble & Vězda). Numerical treatment (correspondence analysis and canonical correspondence analysis) of the species data was used to study the lichen distribution in relation to measured environmental variables. Tree age, tree height and branch height above ground are shown to be the most important variables to explain the species distribution. No significant relationship was found between branch compass point and the distribution of lichens. The species composition and cover changed from young to old trees. The largest variation in the lichen vegetation was found on the branches of young trees. A more homogeneous and stable lichen community appears on branches of mature trees. A clear zonation of the epiphytic vegetation develops as the branches grow, resulting in the occurrence of typical ‘branch-tip’ and ‘branch-base’ species. The highest number of species was recorded on the outermost part of branches before lichen cover reached the maximum. Hyperepiphytic thalli were mainly located in specific areas with high lichen cover on the branches. Lichens with reduced vitality were most common at the base of branches.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 990
Author(s):  
Bixia Chen

Urban trees are under unprecedented pressure and competition worldwide with other land uses. Homestead windbreaks in urban areas are an important part of urban forests because of their proximity to settlements. To aid in the conservation of old-growth homestead trees in the urban setting on Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan, this article surveys the dimensions and spatial distribution of century-old trees planted as windbreaks along homestead borderlines on Ishigaki Island in the Ryukyu Archipelago and the historical change caused by urban sprawl. The homesteads studied in this article do not match the scale of a traditional Western context and usually consist of an area of less than 200 square meters on Okinawa. A combined approach consisting of field surveys and the study of aerial photos was applied to identify changes in spatial distribution of tree lines surrounding the houses in 1945, 1972 and the present. We measured the dimensions of 1659 Fukugi trees with a minimum diameter at breast height (DBH) of 5 cm. The mean tree height, mean DBH and mean estimated tree age were 7.3 m, 26.9 cm and 107.5 years, respectively. Homestead trees are not only useful as windbreaks, timber sources and musical instruments, but have also been historically resilient in the face of strong typhoons and catastrophic tsunamis in the region. Over 60% of the surveyed trees were planted on the east and north sides of homesteads as protection from typhoons and monsoonal winds in the winter. In addition to G. subelliptica, other tree species, namely Podocarpus macrophyllus and Diospyros egbert-walkeri, have been commonly used as homestead windbreaks. However, homestead windbreaks in highly urbanized regions are generally declining and have experienced fragmentation, lower tree density and shorter tree height than those in rural areas. Because of the small number of trees older than 200 years, we assume that high urbanization has jeopardized old-growth trees. The demand for settlement land dramatically increases as the population increases and household-size decreases, creating more households. Therefore, a conservation project involving multiple stakeholders must be developed to conserve old-growth trees in urban settings.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 194008291987213
Author(s):  
Waseem R. Khan ◽  
Syaizwan Z. Zulkifli ◽  
Mohamad Roslan B. M. Kasim ◽  
Ahmad Mustapha Pazi ◽  
Roslan Mostapa ◽  
...  

This study used productivity models and above ground biomass to investigate productivity in different sites of MMFR. Ninety Rhizophora apiculata leaf samples were collected from different compartments (18, 31, 71, 74, 42 and 55) based on tree age and management. For biomass calculation, tree height and diameter were measured in plot of 10m x 10m in compartment 18, 31, 71, 74 and 67. The age of the trees were as follows: compartment 18 and 31 with 15-year-old, compartment 71 and 74 with 25-year-old and compartment 67 with 30-year-old mangrove trees. Compartment 42 and 55 are classified as virgin jungle reserve (VJR). Compartment 67 was not taken as a sample site due to technical reason and compartments in VJR were not considered for biomass estimation. Sixteen variables; stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N), macronutrients (C, N, P), cations (Ca, Mg, Na, K) and trace elements (Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn) were analyzed. Productivity models and calculated biomass for investigated compartments showed similar trends. In 15-year age group; compartment 18 showed higher productivity than in 31. For the 25-year age group; compartment 74 had higher productivity than 71. No prominent increase was observed in biomass between 15-year old and 30-year old trees. Furthermore, with moderate N and δ15N loading input, compartments showed more productivity. The results conclude that MMFR is a sustainably managed mangrove forest and its productivity could be monitored using nutrient productivity models.


Horticulturae ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Amandeep Kaur ◽  
Louise Ferguson ◽  
Niels Maness ◽  
Becky Carroll ◽  
William Reid ◽  
...  

Pecan is native to the United States. The US is the world’s largest pecan producer with an average yearly production of 250 to 300 million pounds; 80 percent of the world’s supply. Georgia, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, California, Louisiana, and Florida are the major US pecan producing states. Pecan trees frequently suffer from spring freeze at bud break and bloom as the buds are quite sensitive to freeze damage. This leads to poor flower and nut production. This review focuses on the impact of spring freeze during bud differentiation and flower development. Spring freeze kills the primary terminal buds, the pecan tree has a second chance for growth and flowering through secondary buds. Unfortunately, secondary buds have less bloom potential than primary buds and nut yield is reduced. Spring freeze damage depends on severity of the freeze, bud growth stage, cultivar type and tree age, tree height and tree vigor. This review discusses the impact of temperature on structure and function of male and female reproductive organs. It also summarizes carbohydrate relations as another factor that may play an important role in spring growth and transition of primary and secondary buds to flowers.


Author(s):  
Athanase R. Cyamweshi ◽  
Shem Kuyah ◽  
Athanase Mukuralinda ◽  
Catherine W. Muthuri

AbstractAlnus acuminata Kunth. (alnus) is widely used in agroforestry systems across the globe and is believed to provide multiple ecosystem services; however, evidence is lacking in agroforestry literature to support the perceived benefits, particularly in Rwanda. To understand carbon sequestration potential and other benefits of alnus, a household survey, tree inventory and destructive sampling were conducted in north-western Rwanda. Over 75% of the respondents had alnus trees in their farms. The trees provide stakes for climbing beans, firewood and timber. They also improve soil fertility and control soil erosion. Farmers had between 130 and 161 alnus trees per hectare with an average height of 7.7 ± 0.59 m and diameter at breast height of 16.3 ± 1.39 cm. The largest biomass proportion was found in stems (70.5%) while branches and leaves stock about 16.5 and 13% of the total biomass, respectively. At farm level, aboveground biomass of alnus trees was estimated to be 27.2 ± 0.7 Mg ha−1 representing 13.6 Mg of carbon (C) per hectare. Biomass carbon increased with tree size, from 7.1 ± 0.2 Mg C ha−1 in 3 years old trees to 34.4 ± 2.2 Mg C ha−1 in 10 years old trees. The converse was observed with elevation; biomass carbon decreased with increasing elevation from 21.4 ± 1.29 Mg C ha−1 at low (2011–2110 m) to 9.6 ± 0.75 Mg C ha−1 in the high elevation (> 2510 m). In conclusion, alnus agroforestry significantly contributes to carbon sequestration, although the magnitude of these benefits varies with tree age and elevation. Planting alnus trees on farms can meet local needs for stakes for climbing beans, wood and soil fertility improvement, as well as the global need for regulation of climate change.


2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 602-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi E Morgantini ◽  
John L Kansas

Weyerhaeuser Company Ltd. is developing harvest strategies that will maintain appropriate levels of late to very late seral stages ("old growth") in its Drayton Valley Forest Management Area. This management area encompasses 490 570 ha in the Foothills and Rocky Mountain Natural Regions of west-central Alberta. In planning for future forest landscapes, Weyerhaeuser intends to maintain a range of age structures consistent with the ecological processes characteristic of each natural region and subregion. The absence of a discrete point separating mature forest from old growth means that the age at which a stand is currently identified as "old growth" and subject to special management practices is arbitrary. In a research study initiated in the summer of 2000, we seek to understand the differences in structure and composition between forests of various ages and topographic site conditions (elevation, aspect, and slope angle). Using 95 sampling plots in a 123-km2 study area in the Upper Foothills and Subalpine Natural Subregions, we quantified vegetation structure and composition for stands ranging in age from 70 to 300 years. Variables measured and analysed included live-tree height and diameter, snag density, diameter and decay class, downed woody material volume, diameter and decay class, vascular plant species richness, sapling and regeneration density, and duff depth. An old-growth index was developed for each sampled stand that took into account multiple attributes. Preliminary results indicate that specific attributes (snag basal area and density, decay stage and density of downed woody material, variation in live-tree age, and variation in live-tree height and age) separate a younger forest from a more mature one and hence may describe "old-growth" conditions. The age of onset of these old-growth attributes is variable but appears to occur between 160 and 180 years. Key factors other than stand age that contribute to or modify the development of old-growth attributes (as measured by the old-growth index) are elevation and moisture regime (as modified by site position). Further investigation is required to more accurately assess the effect of site factors on old-growth attributes. These results are now used by Weyerhaeuser to address retention of late seral stages in long-term forest planning. Key words: old growth, mature forests, old growth protection, forest management, Alberta, Weyerhaeuser, Rocky Mountains foothills


2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1314-1318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter V Blenis ◽  
Wuhan Li

Infection of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) by western gall rust has been shown to decrease with tree height and age, but the effects of those two factors have not been separated. Five replicate artificial inoculations were done on a total of 327 trees of different ages in two height classes. Temperature and percentage of spore germination at the height of inoculation, shoot development (stem elongation at the time of inoculation as a proportion of final shoot elongation), main stem leader length at the time of inoculation, tree height, and tree age were measured. Modeled percentages of infected trees and the number of galls per 10 cm of shoot length decreased by 85% and 88%, respectively, as tree age increased between 2 and 10 years, indicating the undesirability of early, aggressive precommercial thinning of lodgepole pine stands in areas where western gall rust is common. By controlling and (or) statistically accounting for inoculum, microclimate, and phenological factors, it was possible to demonstrate that changes in susceptibility with tree age are sufficient to account for the reduction in infection with tree height.


IAWA Journal ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Quilhó ◽  
Helena Pereira ◽  
Hans Georg Richter

The axial variation of bark thickness and quantitative anatomical features of Eucalyptus globulus bark were analysed for one site based on individual measurements of ten 15-year-old trees at six height levels (DBH, 5%, 15%, 35%, 55% and 75% of total tree height). The parameters studied were: length, tangential diameter and percentage of sieve tubes; length, width, cell wall thickness and percentage of fibres; height and percentage of rays; percentage of sclereids in the secondary phloem. Bark thickness decreases from base to top of the tree. Fibre width and wall thickness decrease from base upwards. No distinct axial patterns of variation were observed for the other biometric variables studied. Parenchyma is the main cell type of the bark (50%) followed by fibres (27.9%), rays (12.1%), sieve tubes (2.7%), and sclereids (7.3%). The cell type proportions vary significantly within the tree, i.e., parenchyma, ray and sclereid proportions decrease, fibre and sieve tube proportions increase towards the top of the tree.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 9617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesam M. Elbardisy ◽  
Mohamed A. Salheen ◽  
Mohammed Fahmy

In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, studies focused on the relationship between urban planning practice and climatology are still lacking, despite the fact that the latter has nearly three decades of literature in the region and the former has much more. However, such an unfounded relationship that would consider urban sustainability measures is a serious challenge, especially considering the effects of climate change. The Greater Cairo Region (GCR) has recently witnessed numerous serious urban vehicular network re-development, leaving the city less green and in need of strategically re-thinking the plan regarding, and the role of, green infrastructure. Therefore, this study focuses on approaches to the optimization of the urban green infrastructure, in order to reduce solar irradiance in the city and, thus, its effects on the urban climatology. This is carried out by studying one of the East Cairo neighborhoods, named El-Nozha district, as a representative case of the most impacted neighborhoods. In an attempt to quantify these effects, using parametric simulation, the Air Temperature (Ta), Mean Radiant Temperature (Tmrt), Relative Humidity (RH), and Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) parameters were calculated before and after introducing urban trees, acting as green infrastructure types that mitigate climate change and the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Our results indicate that an optimized percentage, spacing, location, and arrangement of urban tree canopies can reduce the irradiance flux at the ground surface, having positive implications in terms of mitigating the urban heat island effect.


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