scholarly journals Early Performance of Tree Species in a Mountain Reforestation Experiment

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 256
Author(s):  
Robert Jandl ◽  
Georg Kindermann ◽  
Cecilie Foldal ◽  
Silvio Schüler ◽  
Christina Bouissou
Keyword(s):  
Norway Spruce ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Tree Seedlings ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
Limited Experience ◽  
Candidate Species ◽  
Early Performance

Climate change requires forest managers to explore new concepts in reforestation. High-elevation sites are posing challenges because the range of tree species that can cope with present and future conditions is small and limited experience with candidate species is available. Methods: We selected a mountain site with nutrient-poor silicatic soils. The previous Norway spruce (Picea abies) stand performed poorly. We established a reforestation experiment with 27 tree species that were planted in different combinations in order to evaluate silvicultural options. Site preparation activities and planting techniques reflected the locally applied regular procedures. After planting, we monitored height growth and phenological characteristics of needle/leaf development in spring. The presently dominant Norway spruce was genetically characterized. Results: Tree seedlings planted at high elevation are highly vulnerable. The temporal course of needle/leaf sprouting varies widely. Early developers are vulnerable to frost, impairing tree development. Biotic stressors such as high population densities of weevils or mice can cause high mortality. Conclusion: we suggest a conservative approach to tree species selection because present site conditions in mountain areas may impair the development of many tree species that could be viable options in a considerably warmer climate.

Impact of wild herbivorous mammals and birds on the altitudinal and northern treeline ecotones

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 1-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friedrich-Karl Holtmeier
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Tree Seedlings ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Herbivorous Mammals ◽  
High Elevation Forests

Wild herbivorous mammals may damage treeline vegetation an cause soil erosion at a local scale. In many high mountain areas of Europe and North America, large numbers of red deer have become a threat to the maintenance of high-elevation forests and attempts to restore the climatic treeline. In northern Fennoscandia, overgrazing by reindeer in combination with mass outbreaks of the autumnal moth are influencing treeline dynamics. Moose are also increasingly involved damaging treeline forest. In the Alps, the re-introduction of ibex is causing local damage to subalpine forests and tree establishment above the forest limit as well as aggravating soil erosion. High-elevation forests and treeline in Europe are susceptible to the deleterious impact of wild ungulate populations because of former extensive pastoral use. Rodents may damage tree seedlings and saplings by girdling, root cutting, bark stripping and burrowing. Hares damage young trees by gnawing. Large numbers of small rodents may occasionally impede tree regeneration by depleting the seed sources. Rodents do not contribute to forest expansion beyond the current treeline. Among birds, nutcrackers are highly effective in influencing tree distribution patterns and treeline dynamics. Without the nutcracker caching of stone pine seeds any upward advance of the trees in response to climatic warming would be impossible. Some bird species such as black grouse, willow grouse and ptarmigan can impair tree growth by feeding on buds, catkins and fresh terminal shoots.

scholarly journals Fire suppression and seed dispersal play critical roles in the establishment of tropical forest tree species in southeastern Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomohiro Fujita
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Tree Seedlings ◽  
Seedling Mortality ◽  
Forest Tree Species ◽  
Seed Deposition ◽  
Syzygium Guineense

AbstractThis study examined the mechanisms of facilitation and importance of seed dispersal during establishment of forest tree species in an Afrotropical woodland. Seedling survival of Syzygium guineense ssp. afromontanum was monitored for 2.5 years at four different microsites in savannah woodland in Malawi (southeastern Africa) under Ficus natalensis (a potential nurse plant), Brachystegia floribunda (a woodland tree), Uapaca kirkiana (a woodland tree), and at a treeless site. The number of naturally established forest tree seedlings in the woodland was also counted. Additionally, S. guineense ssp. afromontanum seed deposition was monitored at the four microsites. Insect damage (9% of the total cause of mortality) and trampling by ungulates (1%) had limited impact on seedling survival in this area. Fire (43%) was found to be the most important cause of seedling mortality and fire induced mortality was especially high under U. kirkiana (74%) and at treeless site (51%). The rate was comparatively low under F. natalensis (4%) and B. floribunda (23%), where fire is thought to be inhibited due to the lack of light-demanding C4 grasses. Consequently, seedling survival under F. natalensis and B. floribunda was higher compared with the other two microsites. The seedling survival rate was similar under F. natalensis (57%) and B. floribunda (59%). However, only a few S. guineense ssp. afromontanum seedlings naturally established under B. floribunda (25/285) whereas many seedlings established under F. natalensis (146/285). These findings indicate that the facilitative mechanism of fire suppression is not the only factor affecting establishment. The seed deposition investigation revealed that most of the seeds (85%) were deposited under F. natalensis. As such, these findings suggest that in addition to fire suppression, dispersal limitations also play a role in forest-savannah dynamics in this region, especially at the community level.

A new species of smooth-skinned Spinomantis frog (Anura: Mantellidae) from south-eastern Madagascar

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4317 (2) ◽  
pp. 379
Author(s):  
MIGUEL VENCES ◽  
JÖRN KÖHLER ◽  
FRANK GLAW
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Type Specimen ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Type Locality ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Reciprocal Monophyly ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Candidate Species

We present molecular evidence for the presence of two species morphologically similar to Spinomantis bertini in Andohahela National Park, south-eastern Madagascar, differing by 5.5−6.3% pairwise DNA sequence divergences in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. One of these was observed at higher elevations of ca. 1650 m above sea level, whereas the other was found at lower elevations of ca. 715 m a.s.l., close to the type locality of S. bertini (Isaka-Ivondro), and in one other location (Andreoky, ca. 1050 a.s.l.). We herein assign these low- to mid-elevation specimens to S. bertini based on their occurrence near the type locality and general agreement in colour pattern with the type specimen of Gephyromantis bertini Guibé, 1947. The high-elevation form is described as Spinomantis beckei sp. nov. based on its molecular divergence and reciprocal monophyly with respect to S. bertini, lower expression of greenish dorsal colour and less distinct frenal stripe. Based on a comparison of published call descriptions for S. bertini and our recordings of S. beckei, we hypothesize that S. bertini has a lower note repetition rate in advertisement calls. Molecular data suggest that the S. bertini species complex is more diverse than previously recognized, with at least two more candidate species identified: S. sp. Ca7 from Ranomafana National Park, and a newly identified candidate species S. sp. Ca12 from Pic d’Ivohibe Special Reserve. 

scholarly journals Tree Species Selection in the Face of Drought Risk—Uncertainty in Forest Planning

Forests ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Albert ◽  
Ralf-Volker Nagel ◽  
Robert Nuske ◽  
Johannes Sutmöller ◽  
Hermann Spellmann
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Forest Planning ◽  
Drought Risk ◽  
The Face ◽  
Risk Uncertainty

Overstory treatment and planting season affect survival of replacement tree species in emerald ash borer threatened Fraxinus nigra forests in Minnesota, USA

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (12) ◽  
pp. 1728-1738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher E. Looney ◽  
Anthony W. D’Amato ◽  
Brian J. Palik ◽  
Robert A. Slesak
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Group Selection ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Emerald Ash Borer ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Control Group ◽  
High Survival ◽  
Fraxinus Nigra ◽  
Black Ash

Fraxinus nigra Marsh. (black ash) wetland forests in northern Minnesota, USA, are threatened by the invasive insect, emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (EAB)). A potential management option is promoting regeneration of tree species that are not EAB hosts to maintain ecosystem functions. Using an operational-scale field experiment, we examined the survival of 12 alternative tree species in response to different canopy treatments. We planted the seedlings in 1.6 ha plots assigned to four replicated canopy treatments: untreated control, group selection (0.04 ha gaps, 20% of stand), black ash girdling to emulate EAB-induced mortality, and clearcut. Fall and spring plantings were used to compare the effects of spring ponding. Control (32.9%), group selection (34.5%), and girdling (33.3%) treatments had comparable overall seedling survival. Survival in the clear-cut treatments was significantly lower (22%). Species selection, overstory treatment, and season of planting together resulted in survival rates ranging from 0.08% to 94.1%. Conifer species had low overall rates of survival (10.7%), whereas some species with native ranges not presently overlapping with northern F. nigra forests, e.g., Quercus bicolor Willd. (75.5%), had high survival rates. If growth is light-limited, group selection may be effective in promoting recruitment and supporting a larger variety of species.

scholarly journals Combining Leaf Shape and Texture for Costa Rican Plant Species

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Carranza-Rojas ◽  
Erick Mata-Montero
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Leaf Shape ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Automatic Identification ◽  
Leaf Margin ◽  
Best Value ◽  
Candidate Species ◽  
Image Dataset ◽  
Northeast Us

In the last decade, research in Computer Vision has developed several algorithms to help botanists and non-experts to classify plants based on images of their leaves. LeafSnap is a mobile application that uses a multiscale curvature model of the leaf margin to classify leaf images into species. It has achieved high levels of accuracy on 184 tree species from Northeast US. We extend the research that led to the development of LeafSnap along two lines. First, LeafSnap’s underlying algorithms are applied to a set of 66 tree species from Costa Rica. Then, texture is used as an additional criterion to measure the level of improvement achieved in the automatic identification of Costa Rica tree species. A 25.6% improvement was achieved for a Costa Rican clean image dataset and 42.5% for a Costa Rican noisy image dataset. In both cases, our results show this increment as statistically significant. Further statistical analysis of visual noise impact, best algorithm combinations per species, and best value of k , the minimal cardinality of the set of candidate species that the tested algorithms render as best matches is also presented in this research.

scholarly journals KAJIAN POTENSI KOLEKSI POHON LOKAL KEBUN RAYA CIBODAS UNTUK FUNGSI ESTETIKA DALAM LANSKAP

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Amin Shodiq ◽  
Tati Budiarti ◽  
Nizar Nasrullah
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Botanical Garden ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Species List ◽  
Aesthetic Quality ◽  
Native Tree ◽  
Native Tree Species ◽  
The Aesthetic

Trees in the landscape have many important roles; one of them is aesthetics function. Therefore, tree species selection must be considered well. Indonesia has big number of tree biodiversity that can use for tree selection purposes. The selection can be considered based on physical characteristics and ecological characteristics of the tree species. Therefore, purposes of this study are 1) to identify ecological distribution of native tree species in Java island, 2) to identify native tree species which have high aesthetic value, and 3) to arrange native tree species list that have potential to be developed for aesthetic use in the landscape. This study conducted in Cibodas Botanical Garden. The method used for this research is literature study from Botanical Garden Catalogue, direct survey method, aesthetic analyze using Key Performance Index for aesthetic quality assessment. The results of this research is there are 223 Java Island native tree species collection in Cibodas Botanical Garden. The habitat of these collections of tree species is evenly distributed throughout the island of Java. Most can grow well in tropical zones (0-1000 masl) and tropical-mountain zones (0-2400 masl). Based on the aesthetic criteria assessment there are 50 species belonging to the good category, 101 species are included in the moderate category, and only one species is categorized as bad.

scholarly journals Pedogenic Threshold in Acidity Explains Context-Dependent Tree Species Effects on Soil Carbon

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Desie ◽  
Bart Muys ◽  
Boris Jansen ◽  
Lars Vesterdal ◽  
Karen Vancampenhout
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Forest Soils ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Litter Quality ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Species Effects ◽  
Tree Species Effects ◽  
Soc Stocks ◽  
The Way

Despite the general agreement that maximizing carbon storage and its persistence in forest soils are top priorities in the context of climate change mitigation, our knowledge on how to steer soil organic carbon (SOC) through forest management remains limited. For some soils, tree species selection based on litter quality has been shown a powerful measure to boost SOC stocks and stability, whereas on other locations similar efforts result in insignificant or even opposite effects. A better understanding of which mechanisms underpin such context-dependency is needed in order to focus and prioritize management efforts for carbon sequestration. Here we discuss the key role of acid buffering mechanisms in belowground ecosystem functioning and how threshold behavior in soil pH mediates tree species effects on carbon cycling. For most forests around the world, the threshold between the exchange buffer and the aluminum buffer around a pH-H2O of 4.5 is of particular relevance. When a shift between these buffer domains occurs, it triggers changes in multiple compartments in the soil, ultimately altering the way carbon is incorporated and transformed. Moreover, the impact of such a shift can be amplified by feedback loops between tree species, soil biota and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Hence, taking into account non-linearities related to acidity will allow more accurate predictions on the size and direction of the effect of litter quality changes on the way soil organic carbon is stored in forest soils. Consequently, this will allow developing more efficient, context-explicit management strategies to optimize SOC stocks and their stability.

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