Average Annual Increment Research Articles

Optimization of Eucalyptus benthamii progeny test based on Near-Infrared Spectroscopy approach and volumetric production

A progeny test of half-siblings of Eucalyptus benthamii was analyzed using wood quality traits combined with volumetric information. The test was designed in completely randomized blocks design with a total of 1394 trees planted in the city of Encruzilhada do Sul, Brazil. At six years of age, all the trees were measured and sawing samples were collected from 87 trees, which were processed and read through the NIR. Regression models were calibrated by the partial least squares (PLS) method to correlate the NIR spectra with wet chemical measurements, allowing the assembly of models to estimate values of basic density and pulp yield for all the population. From the values of basic density and pulp yield, obtained by the models, and average annual increment of wood (MAI), the average annual increment of cellulose (MAIpulp) was calculated for each individual in the test. Two types of optimizations were tested: balanced and unbalanced. The balanced optimization consisted of selecting for MAIpulp, on average, 9 individuals in the 40 best families. The unbalanced optimization was performed through the simulation of 72 scenarios. The effect size (Ne), inbreeding rate (F), and accumulated gain were calculated for each scenario. The selection prioritized the best families and the top ranked individuals within each family. Results revealed that the individual heritability in the restricted sense (h²a) for density (0.331) and pulp yield (0.322) were classified as moderate magnitude. For MAIpulp, the h²a was considered high (0.514), which suggested the presence of genetic control and the possibility of obtain gains through selection. The accuracy for all the traits was higher than 77.3%. In addition, the NIR prediction correlation coefficient presented values above 85% in PLS-OPS for basic density and pulp yield, indicating a high predictive potential of technology for selection of E. benthamii genotypes. In the balanced scenario, 369 individuals were selected with a Ne of 119 and a genetic gain of 36%. In the unbalanced scenario, the scenario 53 was selected, which demonstrated the maintenance of 100 individuals and 36 families is necessary to obtain a Ne equal to 54 and a gain of 64.21% relative to the original population. The estimated genetic parameters indicated favorable conditions for selection. The results suggested the necessity to improve the process through the use of NIR technology. For this process, future research may need to adopt models specific to breeding regions and make alterations in the calibration model for each species. The unbalanced optimization was more efficient than the balanced. Using the unbalanced procedure, researchers may be able to accomplish considerable genetic gains with less individuals in the population while maintaining the same rate of genetic variability.

Modern drug therapy of prostate cancer through the example of Moscow

Background. The average annual increment (5,09 %) of the prostate cancer (PC) incidence was highest across male oncological diseases registered in Russia from 2007 to 2017. 4643 new cases of PC were diagnosed in Moscow in 2017. As of 1st January 2018, the total number of living males with PC registered within Moscow healthcare system was 31,567.The study objective was to obtain the structure of factual costs related to medicine therapy of PC covered by the budget funds of the Moscow Healthcare Department in 2016–2017, that would help to further improve the system of subsidized drug provision for Moscow residents.Materials and methods. Using data from the information database of the Center for Medicine Provision of the Moscow City Department of Healthcare the following parameters were determined: total sum of expenses on drug purchase, mean treatment cost per 1 patient, number of patients receiving therapy, number of prescriptions, number of prescribed drug packs, mean pack cost, and others. The analyzed medicines were classified based on pharmacological and clinical groups. Costs for each class of therapies were studied.Results. During studied period (2016–2017), the most funds in Moscow were spent on abiraterone and goserelin. In 2016–2017, the amounts of prescribed packs were highest for androgen deprivation therapy: luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists – goserelin and buserelin. In the group comprising 10 therapeutic regimens associated with highest costs, the percentages of costs for hormonal therapy and chemotherapy were respectively as following: 80 % and 16 % in 2016 and 75 % and 23 % in 2017. In the simplified model of costs associated with androgen deprivation therapy and treatment of metastatic castration-resistant PC without consideration of androgen deprivation therapy constituted 39 % and 61 % in 2016 and 36 % and 64 % in 2017. In the population of patients with prostate cancer, zoledronic acid, abiraterone, docetaxel, cabazitaxel were the most used medications in 2017 and the rate of enzalutamide usage was lowest.Conclusion. The highest costs are associated with treatment of metastatic castration-resistant PC. There is a growing necessity for improvement of funds spending on medications for patients with castration-resistant PC. This improvement could be achieved through development of medical methodologies that facilitate the selection of the most cost-effective approaches for early diagnosis and treatment.

The productivity of mixed mountain forests comprised of Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies, and Abies alba across Europe

Abstract Mixed mountain forests of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst), and silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) cover a total area of more than 10 million hectares in Europe. Due to altitudinal zoning, these forests are particularly vulnerable to climate change. However, as little is known about the long-term development of the productivity and the adaptation and mitigation potential of these forest systems in Europe, reliable information on productivity is required for sustainable forest management. Using generalized additive mixed models this study investigated 60 long-term experimental plots and provides information about the productivity of mixed mountain forests across a variety of European mountain areas in a standardized way for the first time. The average periodic annual volume increment (PAI) of these forests amounts to 9.3 m3ha−1y−1. Despite a significant increase in annual mean temperature the PAI has not changed significantly over the last 30 years. However, at the species level, we found significant changes in the growth dynamics. While beech had a PAI of 8.2 m3ha−1y−1 over the entire period (1980–2010), the PAI of spruce dropped significantly from 14.2 to 10.8 m3ha−1y−1, and the PAI of fir rose significantly from 7.2 to 11.3 m3ha−1y−1. Consequently, we observed stable stand volume increments in relation to climate change.

Silvicultural performance of eucaliptus and animal behavior in a silvopastoral system

Silvopastoral system, in which trees and forage species are grown in the same area together with animals, has emerged as a sustainable alternative of agricultural production systems. However, information on different silvicultural arrangements and combinations of forest, animal and grazing components in this system are still scarce. Thus, this study followed the silvicultural performance of the forest component (Eucalyptus urophylla x E. grandis, eucalyptus hybrid, clone I-144) under different population arrangements in a silvopastoral system through periodic dendrometric evaluations and determined the impact of animal component (Nellore females) on tree development and ingestive behavior of animals subjected to rotational grazing in Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu. The study was conducted at Agropecuária Ouro Branco, located in Bandeirantes, MS, Brazil. Total height, diameter at breast height, and wood volume per hectare were evaluated in three- and five-row ranks. To indicate plant growth, the current and average annual increments were calculated. Animal behavior was evaluated based on the periodic observation of 15 animals randomly selected in the lot. The initial performance of forest component was satisfactory in both populations, but growth indicators indicated greater current and average annual increments in the five-row rank. The presence of forest component does not interfere with the ingestive behavior and wellbeing of animals in the silvopastoral system, as well as, the presence of animal component does not interfere in the plants silvicultural development.

Assessment of land use/land cover changes induced by Jizan Dam, Saudi Arabia, and their effect on soil organic carbon

Land use change has been influenced by human activity and has altered an enormous part of the natural landscapes of developing countries. Meanwhile, as the largest pool of terrestrial organic carbon, soils interact strongly with atmospheric composition, climate, and land cover change. The objectives of this study were to assess the land cover and existing land use changes in Jizan Basin, Jizan Province, Saudi Arabia, as an aftermath when Jizan Dam started working, and, subsequently, to assess soil organic carbon distribution in different land uses in the study area. Three cloud-free Landsat MSS, ETM+, and OLI images covering the study area were employed for analysis. Images were acquired in years 1972, 2000, and 2017, respectively. All images were manipulated using ERDAS Imagine 10 software to achieve the aims of this study. The final output maps have been produced using Arc GIS 10.1. Different methods of data transformation and analysis were applied including normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). A supervised classification approach was applied to categorize the images in different land cover classes. Five land use/land cover classes were identified: vegetation, bare soil (sand), bare soil (rocks), urban area, and water bodies. The results show that the vegetation of Jizan Basin increased between 1972 and 2017. The area increased 4% of its total area between 1972 and 2000 with an average annual increment of 0.45%. This annual rate increased to 1.05% during the period of 2000–2017. The major change has been found in the bare area (sand) cover which decreased during the period of 2000–2017 to about 42 km2 (9%). The results prevail that there is a significant increase in vegetated land in Jizan Basin which could be connected to Jizan Dam construction. It is important to mention that in conducting the present study, actual clear land cover changes took place as the result of agricultural land development. These changes in land cover influenced soil organic carbon sequestration.

Biomass Production and Nutritional Characterization of Eucalyptus benthamii in the Pampa Biome, Brazil

The objective of this study was to evaluate the biomass production and to characterize a 7-year-old Eucalyptus benthamii stands in the Pampa-RS Biome. Initially, a sample inventory was performed for the dendrometric characterization of the stand. For the determination of biomass, nine trees were felled and fractionated in wood, bark, branch and leaves. Soil samples and plant tissues were collected and analyzed for nutritional characterization and determination of biological utilization coefficient (BUC). The average annual increment (AAI) with bark was 49.87 m3 ha-1. The biomass production was 192 Mg ha-1, distributed in wood (81.2%)> branches (11%)> bark (6,5%)> leaves (1,3%). The leaves component presented the highest nutrient concentration and the wood the highest amounts of nutrients allocated in the biomass, except for Ca and Mg, observed in the bark. The highest BUC was observed in the wood. Mg was the nutrient that provided the best efficiency with a yield of 6,014 kg of wood per kg of Mg used, followed by S, P, Ca, K and N.

Evaluating the Most Suitable Tree Species Using Land Expectation Value: A Case Study from Plantation in North of Iran

Plantation in north of Iran is rapidly increasing by local farmers and state but it is not clear which species is most suitable for perpetual timber production. Thus, this study is carried out to evaluate the most suitable timber species among ash (Fraxinus excelsior), elm (Alnus glutinosa), maple (Acer velutinum), oak (Quercus castanifolia), bald cypress (Taxodium distichumin) in north of Iran for evaluation of most suitability using Land Expectation Value (LEV). Data such as wood price at forest road side and variable harvesting cost was collected from secondary souce especially General Office of Natural Resources in Guilan province for a period of 20 years. Average annual increment of different species derived from previous researches. Consumer Price Index (CPI) was used for deflation of stumpage price. Regression analysis was used to predict the stumpage price of different species. Then, the mean price process was determined for different species. Faustmann's formula was used to determine the LEV or Net Present Value (NPV) for a perpetual timber production of different species. The results showed that the LEV of ash, elm, maple, oak and bald cypress were 2623.883, 4653.042, 4319.9644, 2206.8788, 8064.667 (0.33 US dollar/ m3), respectively. The LEV of bald cypress was the highest, so it can be concluded that this species is the most suitable for timber production.

Сезонна динаміка флористичної та екоморфічної структури трав’яного покриву урочища балка Тунельна (м. Дніпро)

Наведено результати аналізу біолого-екологічних та структурних особливостейтравостою степового, лучного та лісового фітоценозів урочища балка Тунельна (м. Дніпро), вивчених за допомогою геоботанічних методів. Показано особливості сезон-ної динаміки екоморфічного складу та флористичної структури досліджених угру-повань, визначено їхню ступінь антропогенної трансформації в умовах промислово-го мегаполісу.

RELAÇÕES BIOMÉTRICAS E AMBIENTAIS NO INCREMENTO DIAMÉTRICO DE <i>Araucaria angustifolia</i> NO PLANALTO SERRANO CATARINENSE

Este estudo analisa relações existentes entre o incremento médio anual em diâmetro e variáveis biométricas, morfométricas e ambientais em uma floresta nativa de Araucaria angustifolia no município de Lages-SC. Foram utilizados dados dendrocronológicos obtidos de 121 árvores dominantes e competidoras. Os indivíduos foram separados em 3 classes diamétricas, abrangendo indivíduos com DAP de 10 cm a 29,9 cm (C1), entre 30 e 49,9 cm (C2) e acima de 50 cm de DAP (C3). O banco de dados foi formado por uma matriz com as 121 árvores e 23 variáveis do ambiente, dendrométricas e morfométricas, que incluiu direcionamento de fluxo, acúmulo de fluxo, radiação solar, face de insolação, declividade, altitude, incremento médio em diâmetro, diâmetro, altura, distância (dominante/competidor), raios de copa por direção geográfica, área basal, idade, raio médio de copa, diâmetro de copa, área de copa, incremento em diâmetro por direção geográfica. Sendo que estas variáveis foram obtidas por meio dos algoritmos a partir do Modelo Digital de Elevação da área. As relações foram interpretadas com base nos resultados da análise multivariada, fazendo uso da análise de Cluster, análise fatorial e análise de componentes principais. As árvores apresentavam diâmetros variando entre 10 e 87,6 cm e alturas entre 5,3 e 21 m, com incremento médio anual em diâmetro de 0,708 cm, com média para 40 anos em análise retrospectiva. Constatou-se distinção de dois grupos e seis fatores diferenciados, que explicaram 81,5% da variância, sendo formados pelas características morfométricas e biométricas e pelas relações do incremento com as variáveis ambientais. As técnicas de análise multivariada podem ser aplicadas para auxílio na tomada de decisão no manejo florestal, pois comprovaram a correlação entre o incremento médio em diâmetro (essencial para compor o ciclo de corte florestal) e sua relação aos fatores do ambiente, índices de forma, espaço e dimensão dos indivíduos.

Early assessment of tree species with potential for carbon offset plantations in degraded area from the southeastern Brazil

A database on the performance of native plants under different environmental conditions can improve the selection of species most suitable for carbon offset programs. The objective of this work was to identify the potential of 25 tree species for carbon offsetting in a degraded area in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, with a scoring system based on the survival rate (SV) and average annual carbon increment (IMAC). The diameter and height of trees were measured to estimate the annual increments to select those to be scaling by species by the non-destructive method, and to estimate the volume and carbon of each plant by species. The mean SV of trees was 47% with high variability ranging from 5 to 100%, especially for Schinus terebinthifolius (100%); Sapindus saponaria (95%); Senna multijuga (80%); Handroanthus chrysotricha (80%); Plathymenia foliolosa (75%); Cassia grandis (75%) and Colubrina glandulosa (60%), all pioneers except for H. chrysotricha and C. grandis. The lowest SV were for Caesalpinia peltophoroides (20%); Tibouchina granulosa (10%); Anadenanthera pavonina (5%); Cariniana legalis (5%); Samanea inopinata (5%) and Syzygium jambos (5%), all non-pioneering species, except for A. pavonina. The growth of non-pioneer species was generally lesser than pioneer ones, except for Ceiba speciosa. Among non-pioneers, T. granulosa, Bombacopsis glabra and C. grandis stood out for the hight growth. None of the species reached a maximum score (10 points) for the sum of the parameters considered. The highest scores (nine points) were for Schizolobium parahyba and S. multijulga, both pioneers. The lowest scores (two points) were for A., Cariniana legalis, Lecythis pisonis, Samanea Inopinata and S. jambos followed by Cedrela fissilis, Caesalpinia peltophoroides, Cytharexyllum myrianthum, Hymenaea courbaril, Psidium guineense and Tibouchina granulosa (three points) and Anadenanthera macrocarpa and Sterculia chicha (four points). The methodology adopted allowed the assessment on of the potential of plant species for carbon offsetting projects in degraded areas, specifically in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Linkages between the Structure of Annual Rings of Scots Pine and Stand Density in the Region of the Chernobyl Accident

We have studied the features of annual ring development in stands of Bryansk oblast polluted by radionuclides from the Chernobyl accident. The evidence of relationships between average annual radial increment and the average width of spring and summer layers of timber within an annual ring and stand density is observed in 80-year-old blueberry pine forests. We find direct links between annual increment and its spring and summer components with average distance between trees. The stand density has the most pronounced effect on the spring growth of timber, with an increment gradient from 0.204 to 0.244 mm m–1. In summer it varies from 0.038 to 0.066 mm m–1. The contribution of the late timber in a tree ring increases from 50.4–54.8% in the least dense to 72.5–75.8% in the densest stands. However, chronic irradiation does not differ across the stand density gradient. The stimulation of the annual growth increment by irradiance is estimated from 50.4 to 51.9%. It contributes from 39.1 to 46.1% of the spring increment to 43.2–58.6% of the summer increment with 95% confidence.

Impacts of climate change on annual diameter increment of natural Calabrian pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) forests in Kahramanmaras

The effects of global warming on climate change have been recognized in global scale and it is expected that these effects will become even more obvious in near future. The climate change, especially in arid, semi-arid, and semi-humid regions, may result in detrimental effects on forests and water resources. Turkey is among the most affected countries from climate change due to located in Mediterranean region. With the global climate change, dams and ponds also influence on tree growth. This study was carried out in Menzelet watershed dam located in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Menzelet dam was established during 1980-1989 and water deposition started in 1990. The climate of research area is semi-arid and characterized by extreme summer drought. The purpose of this study was to investigate the local climate effects on diameter increments resulted by Menzelet Dam Lake on the naturally distributed Calabrian pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) forests. Therefore, sampling areas were chosen from two different places namely as dam site and control site. Sample plots in dam site and control site were selected from the same stand structure and have the same properties such as site index, altitude, age distribution classes and aspect. Increment cores were taken from 20 Pinus brutia trees using increment borer at breast height (1.30 m) in each sample plots and two increment cores were taken from each tree. WinDENDRO software package was used on the measurement and determination of annual diameter increment. Annual diameter increment of trees in dam site and control site were compared with independent t test using SPSS 20.0 statistical program. The relationships between annual diameter increment and climatic factors such as temperature and precipitation were evaluated using Pearson correlation analysis. According to results, there is a statistically significant difference between average annual diameter increment in dam site and control site and dam influenced forest areas positively with respect to annual diameter increment. The values of the mean annual diameter increment of the trees in dam site are greatly higher than trees in control site. According to correlation analysis, temperature increase negatively affects annual diameter increment in control site. Important increase or decrease of annual total rainfall cause more significant changes in annual diameter increment in control site compare to dam site.

Competition, tree age and size drive the productivity of mixed forests of pedunculate oak, beech and red oak

In order to understand the relationship between tree diversity and forest productivity, it is crucial to understand what is going on at the level of individual trees, since each tree responds to the prevailing environmental conditions and interacts with his neighbours. We explored tree interactions in 53 forest plots in northern Belgium (TREEWEB platform) containing all possible combinations of pedunculate oak, beech and red oak. We cored 307 trees and determined the average annual basal area increment for the last 10 years for each sampled tree. We investigated the importance of neighbourhood competition, tree age an size for tree-level growth and then scaled up the species-specific tree growth to stand-level productivity. By exploring how competition, tree age and size varied along the studied gradient of tree species richness, we were able to explain the observed species-specific tree level and stand-level growth along the tree species richness gradient. We found no relationship between tree species richness and forest productivity, due to contrasting growth patterns of the three species along the richness gradient: the growth of pedunculate oak decreased, growth of beech was constant and growth of red oak increased along the tree species richness gradient. Increased heterospecific competition was the main reason for the observed lower growth of pedunculate oak in mixtures, whereas variation in tree age and size along the studied tree species richness gradient were the main drivers for the observed growth patterns of beech and red oak. Species-specific age differences along the tree species richness gradient could be linked with the species composition. We observed a multi-aged stand structure with the light-demanding pedunculate oak being older than the more shade-tolerant beech and red oak, probably a consequence of management interventions needed to enable long-term coexistence of light-demanding and shade-tolerant species. Our study highlights that the management history of mature forests may influence diversity-productivity relationships and should therefore be taken into account during the analysis.

Influence of the ecological conditions on the productive potential of grey alder

The aim of the study is to analyse the productive potential of grey alder (Alnus incana (L.) Moench) along an altitudinal gradient to verify coincidence ofproductive and ecological optimum and to identify climatic factors that control the growth. Along the altitudinal gradient of the river basin, dendrometric data has been analysed on the eight permanent research plots at the altitude of 525–705m. Correlations between standard chronology and average monthly climate characteristics were calculated for the period 1969–2015. Significant differences in the average basal area increments have been recognized among the investigated altitudinal zones. The highest basal area increment (1661±975mm<sup>2</sup>y<sup>-1</sup>) was detected in the zone of altitude 605m. and the average annual volume increment of the model grey alder stand was 4.59m<sup>3</sup>. The radial growth of grey alder has been positively affected only by the temperature of the current April and negatively by precipitation of the previous growing season. Based on the pointer year analysis can be claimed that condition of the root system is the most influential factor in relation to the radial growth and is dependent on water stress in the previous year. Investigated relationships may significantly influence decision making process in the forest management focused on grey alder re- or afforestation.

Influence of the ecological conditions on the productive potential of grey alder

The aim of the study is to analyse the productive potential of grey alder (Alnus incana (L.) Moench) along an altitudinal gradient to verify coincidence ofproductive and ecological optimum and to identify climatic factors that control the growth. Along the altitudinal gradient of the river basin, dendrometric data has been analysed on the eight permanent research plots at the altitude of 525–705m. Correlations between standard chronology and average monthly climate characteristics were calculated for the period 1969–2015. Significant differences in the average basal area increments have been recognized among the investigated altitudinal zones. The highest basal area increment (1661±975mm<sup>2</sup>y<sup>-1</sup>) was detected in the zone of altitude 605m. and the average annual volume increment of the model grey alder stand was 4.59m<sup>3</sup>. The radial growth of grey alder has been positively affected only by the temperature of the current April and negatively by precipitation of the previous growing season. Based on the pointer year analysis can be claimed that condition of the root system is the most influential factor in relation to the radial growth and is dependent on water stress in the previous year. Investigated relationships may significantly influence decision making process in the forest management focused on grey alder re- or afforestation.

Produtividade da palma forrageira em aleias com Gliricídia sepium sob adubação orgânica em diferentes espaçamentos no Semiárido

No Semiárido brasileiro, a pecuária é uma das principais atividades econômicas. No entanto, a produção de biomassa pelas forrageiras é instável ao longo do tempo, pela irregularidade das chuvas, causando um desequilíbrio entre a oferta e demanda de forragem para alimentar os rebanhos. Uma das estratégias para contornar essa problemática diz respeito ao cultivo de Palma forrageira em consorcio com espécies arbóreas leguminosas. O presente trabalho foi realizado na Estação Experimental do Instituto Nacional do Semiárido e objetivou-se avaliar o efeito do espaçamento e adubação orgânica, sobre o crescimento e produtividade da palma forrageira em sistema de cultivo de aléias com Gliricídia sepium. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos ao acaso, em arranjo fatorial 3 × 4, sendo três espaçamentos (2 × 1 m; 1 × 1 m e 1 × 0,5 m) e quatro adubações (substâncias húmicas, algas marinhas, bocashi e controle), com quatro repetições, totalizando 48 unidades experimentais. As maiores produtividades, incremento corrente anual e o incremento médio anual da palma foram obtidas com o espaçamento 1 × 0,5 m. As adubações orgânicas, não influenciaram significativamente na produtividade da palma. Somando-se a forragem produzida pela gliricídia mais a biomassa produzida da palma forrageira, o sistema de cultivo em aléias, produziu anualmente, em média 7,3 t ha-1 de biomassa e 14,2 st de lenha, tornando este sistema em um excelente banco de proteína e fonte de energia, como estratégia para promover maior estabilização na produção de biomassa para alimentação animal.

Can trees at high elevations compensate for growth reductions at low elevations due to climate warming?

Radial tree stem growth of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.), European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), and stone pine (Pinus cembra L.) was monitored from 2012 to 2015 across sites in Austria with high-resolution dendrometers. Seasonal cumulative diameter increment was modeled using a hierarchical nonlinear mixed-effects model framework based on a logistic growth curve. In the dry and warm year 2015, the average annual diameter increment of 0.30 cm decreased by 50% on lower elevation sites and by 10% on higher elevation sites. In the cool and moist year 2014, Norway spruce achieved a higher annual diameter increment than European beech, whereas the opposite occurred in the dry and warm years 2013 and 2015. In the mixed beech–spruce stand, beech’s consumptive water-use strategy has obviously caused intensified stress for spruce in these drought periods. On higher elevation sites, Norway spruce reacted more sensitively to climate fluctuation compared with stone pine, but overall reactions were only weak. Productivity varied strongly depending on the social status of the tree, with dominant and intermediate trees suffering more from drought. As warming and drought lowers increment rates on lower elevation sites and as trees on higher elevation sites react less flexibly, productivity losses are expected for Austrian forests due to climate warming.

Dendrochronology and climatic signals in the wood of Nectandra oppositifolia from a dense rain forest in southern Brazil

Nectandra is one of the most representative genera of Lauraceae in the subtropical Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The objective of this work was to study the dendrochronological potential of Nectandra oppositifolia Nees and Mart. from two sites in Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil. A tree-ring chronology of 34 trees was developed. The time span ranged from 1843 to 2013. The oldest and youngest trees were 171 and 47 years-old and the average length of the series was 103 years. Average diameter and annual increment were 20.64 cm and 0.74 mm a−1; diameter and age were unrelated. The species has good dendrochronological potential with an intercorrelation of 0.61 between sites, indicating the existence of a synchronous pattern in the development of the trees. The climate response of the species could be seen by negative tree growth effects for previous hot and current rainy growth seasons.

ДИНАМІКА І ПРОДУКТИВНІСТЬ СОСНОВИХ ДЕРЕВОСТАНІВ СУХОГО ЛИШАЙНИКОВОГО БОРУ В УМОВАХ ЗАХІДНОГО ПОЛІССЯ

За результатами аналізу структури лісового фонду Західного Полісся встановлено, що сухі бори у регіоні досліджень займають 13259,7 га, що становить 3,4 % від площі вкритих лісовою рослинністю земель. Досліджено хід росту соснових деревостанів в умовах сухого бору, за висотою, діаметром, сумами площ перерізів, запасами та кількістю стовбурів, а також використано аналіз ходу росту модельних дерев різних вікових груп. Встановлено, що усі деревостани на пробних площах є низькопродуктивними та належать до IV класу бонітету. Аналіз росту модельних дерев вказує на їх повільний ріст за висотою і діаметром. Встановлено, що кульмінація середнього і поточного приростів за висотою настає у віці 20-25 років, при цьому середній приріст за висотою не перевищує 0,25 м. Середні прирости за діаметром із зростанням віку збільшуються від 0,25 (20 років) до 0,27 см (60 років). Доведено, що середні прирости за висотою і діаметром сосни збільшуються у напрямку із заходу на схід регіону досліджень. Проаналізовано процеси зріджень деревостанів з віком та підтверджено його нерівномірний характер. У дослідних деревостанах 60-річного віку залишається не більше 13 % дерев від початкової їх кількості. Використавши регресійні рівняння для математичного моделювання динаміки таксаційних показників з віком, розраховано фрагмент таблиці ходу росту соснових деревостанів IV класу бонітету в умовах Західного Полісся.

Rapid expansion of the American mink poses a serious threat to the European mink in Spain

AbstractThe American mink (Neovison vison) was introduced in Europe for fur farming in the 1920s and feral populations were formed due to escapes or intentional releases to the wild thereafter. Nowadays, the species is widely distributed across much of the continent, and is considered the main cause of extinction of the European mink (Mustela lutreola). In Spain, the first populations of the American mink were formed in the 1980s and since then a continuous expansion in their range has been observed. We describe the expansion process of the American mink based on reports of its distribution in the literature, focusing particularly on its increasing overlap with the distribution of the native, endangered European mink. Over the 27 years (1985–2012), the distribution area of non-native mink in Spain increased by 17 times, with an average annual increment of 16.5% and no significant variation among populations. By 2012, a quarter of continental Spain was occupied by the American mink and its presence was confirmed in one-third of the distribution area of the European mink. The status of native mink has worsened drastically in Spain over the last years and urgent conservation measures are required to stop further spread of the American mink.