Forest Conditions Research Articles

Multi-Year Hurricane Impacts Across an Urban-to-Industrial Forest Use Gradient

Coastal forests in the eastern United States are increasingly threatened by hurricanes; however, monitoring their initial impacts and subsequent recovery is challenging across scales. Understanding disturbance impacts and responses is essential for sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, and climate change adaptation. Using Sentinel-2 imagery, we calculated the annual Normalized Difference Vegetation Index change (∆NDVI) of forests before and after Hurricane Michael (HM) in Florida to determine how different forest use types were impacted, including the initial wind damage in 2018 and subsequent recovery or reactive management for two focal areas located near and far from the coast. We used detailed parcel data to define forest use types and characterized multi-year impacts using sampling and k-means clustering. We analyzed five years of timberland logging activity up to the fall of 2023 to identify changes in logging rates that may be attributable to post-hurricane salvage efforts. We found uniform impacts across forest use types near the coast, where winds were the most intense but differences inland. Forest use types showed a wide range of multi-year responses. Urban forests had the fastest 3-year recovery, and the timberland response was delayed, apparently due to salvage logging that increased post-hurricane, peaked in 2021–2022, and returned to the pre-hurricane rate by 2023. The initial and secondary consequences of HM on forests were complex, as they varied across local and landscape gradients. These insights reveal the importance of considering forest use types to understand the resilience of coastal forests in the face of potentially increasing hurricane activity.

DASR-Net: Land Cover Classification Methods for Hybrid Multiattention Multispectral High Spectral Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery

The prompt acquisition of precise land cover categorization data is indispensable for the strategic development of contemporary farming practices, especially within the realm of forestry oversight and preservation. Forests are complex ecosystems that require precise monitoring to assess their health, biodiversity, and response to environmental changes. The existing methods for classifying remotely sensed imagery often encounter challenges due to the intricate spacing of feature classes, intraclass diversity, and interclass similarity, which can lead to weak perceptual ability, insufficient feature expression, and a lack of distinction when classifying forested areas at various scales. In this study, we introduce the DASR-Net algorithm, which integrates a dual attention network (DAN) in parallel with the Residual Network (ResNet) to enhance land cover classification, specifically focusing on improving the classification of forested regions. The dual attention mechanism within DASR-Net is designed to address the complexities inherent in forested landscapes by effectively capturing multiscale semantic information. This is achieved through multiscale null attention, which allows for the detailed examination of forest structures across different scales, and channel attention, which assigns weights to each channel to enhance feature expression using an improved BSE-ResNet bilinear approach. The two-channel parallel architecture of DASR-Net is particularly adept at resolving structural differences within forested areas, thereby avoiding information loss and the excessive fusion of features that can occur with traditional methods. This results in a more discriminative classification of remote sensing imagery, which is essential for accurate forest monitoring and management. To assess the efficacy of DASR-Net, we carried out tests with 10m Sentinel-2 multispectral remote sensing images over the Heshan District, which is renowned for its varied forestry. The findings reveal that the DASR-Net algorithm attains an accuracy rate of 96.36%, outperforming classical neural network models and the transformer (ViT) model. This demonstrates the scientific robustness and promise of the DASR-Net model in assisting with automatic object recognition for precise forest classification. Furthermore, we emphasize the relevance of our proposed model to hyperspectral datasets, which are frequently utilized in agricultural and forest classification tasks. DASR-Net’s enhanced feature extraction and classification capabilities are particularly advantageous for hyperspectral data, where the rich spectral information can be effectively harnessed to differentiate between various forest types and conditions. By doing so, DASR-Net contributes to advancing remote sensing applications in forest monitoring, supporting sustainable forestry practices and environmental conservation efforts. The findings of this study have significant practical implications for urban forestry management. The DASR-Net algorithm can enhance the accuracy of forest cover classification, aiding urban planners in better understanding and monitoring the status of urban forests. This, in turn, facilitates the development of effective forest conservation and restoration strategies, promoting the sustainable development of the urban ecological environment.

State Forests’ “Spend the Night in the Forest” Program in the Context of Education for Responsible Tourism in Poland

The aim of the article is to present the key elements of the State Forests’ “Spend the Night in the Forest” program as well as the selected results of its evaluation in the view of education for responsible tourism. The article is divided into two parts. The first, theoretical part, presents the assumptions of the idea of Leave No Trace outdoor ethics, which tally with the paradigm of education for responsible tourism. Its task is to develop the skills, knowledge and competences in the field of rational and responsible use of natural resources. At the same time, it lays the grounds for the “Spend the Night in the Forest” program. In the second, empirical part, the author presents selected results of the evaluation of the “Spend the Night in the Forest” program including demographic characteristics of its participants, their motivations, preferences regarding the choice of area, the way of organizing the camping, types of activities undertaken as well as assessment of the principles corresponding to the Leave No Trace idea. In addition, the article presents suggestions regarding the division of respondents into user groups. The cited results indicate that the respondents declared their willingness to take care of the forest as a common good and tried to educate and influence other tourists camping in a way inconsistent with the Leave No Trace principles. It can be concluded that the “Spend the Night in the Forest” program supports education for responsible tourism. By enabling the participants to experience nature in its natural state, it helps rebuild human relationship with nature. Moreover, the program serves the purpose of shaping public awareness that we all influence the environment and that we all are responsible for its current and future state.

Stand Characteristics, Leaf Traits and Growth of Threatened Conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum (Cupressaceae) in Southern Patagonia, Argentina

Pilgerodendron uviferum is an endemic Cupressaceae of Patagonia (Argentina) that is restricted to a small group of individual trees, growing in isolated populations (relicts) along its distribution. The main objective was to evaluate the habitat, forest structure, leaf traits, leaf nutrient reabsorption and growth of four relicts (area between 0.3 and 0.86 ha) in the Santa Cruz province (Argentina) to improve the available information for forest conservation purposes. Principal components analysis was conducted to determine the separation between relict populations based on their ecological characteristics (individual and habitat levels). We found contrasting environmental and forest structure conditions among the four studied relicts. For example, two relicts associated with Nothofagus antarctica showed higher values of P. uviferum tree density, DBH and dominant height at the stand level. Alongside that, these relicts presented a higher sapling density (1950–3167 ind ha−1) and understory plant diversity compared to pure P. uviferum relicts growing near the ecotone with the steppe grassland. Specific leaf area, carbon and nutrient concentrations in P. univerum leaves varied depending on the relict conditions and tree age of the individuals. The mean nutrient resorption efficiency varied according to relicts and particular nutrients, ranging from 18.1% to 49.5% for Ca and P, respectively. The diameter growth of the dominant P. univerum trees ranged from 0.33 to 0.46 mm yr−1, indicating that the species follows a stress-tolerant strategy. The information of this work may assist in the conservation of marginal P. uviferum forest communities spatially disconnected with continuous forests, growing in relicts.

The Wetu Telu Community’s Customary Chief Influence on the Management of Indigenous Forests in Bayan, North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara

The existence of an institution system and customary chief is very important for the sustainability of customary forest management. This study attempts to explain the function of the traditional chief of Wetu Telu community in the management of indigenous forests in the Bayan Sub-District, North Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara Province, as well as the institutional framework and changes in that function. Observation, interviews, and documentation were used to collect data. The data obtained was analyzed thematically using Nvivo 12 Software, while a descriptive analysis used the Milles and Huberman Model. The results show that customary chiefs have the following roles: raise public awareness, spearhead conservation efforts, convey moral and spiritual messages, guide and oversee conservation efforts, mediate conflicts of interest related to nature, lead religious activities related to nature, and establish communication and collaboration. The institutional system of the Wetu Telu community’s customary chief consists of several components, including special requirements, an appointment mechanism, personnel, a term of office, a source of income, and a dismissal mechanism. The role of the customary chief in indigenous forest management continues to be strengthened from time to time. The reasons for strengthening the role of the customary chief are the issuance of the Constitutional Court Decision Number 35 of 2012 concerning the status of indigenous forests, the recognition of the success of local wisdom-based forest management patterns, increasing public awareness of the importance of environmental conservation, global warming, and, the development of ecotourism. Keywords: customary chief, indigenous forest management, local government, Wetu Telu community

Visceral value: Nature-based recreation and embodied more-than-capitalist practices on United States Forest Service trails

On United States public lands, large-scale structural capitalocentric valuations are at odds with the embodied non-monetary valuations expressed by nature-based recreators. Valuing United States Forest Service lands through a capitalocentric lens does not account for the more-than-capitalist (MtC) valuations occurring within these sites, and has facilitated large-scale selloffs and reduction of these lands for commercial and extractive purposes. Capitalocentric valuations often fail to express the local, embodied, and intimate valuations of nature in these spaces. These lands are covered by the US public lands multiple-use mandate which defines recreational access as equal in importance to that of natural resource extraction. However, in practice, recreational and non-extractive (ie. non-monetary) access is not well represented in valuation methods, and its true value is not reported and recognized as equally valuable against corporate and national capitalocentric monetary valuations. So recreational, non-monetary, and local valuations of US public lands are un-accounted for or under- represented in large-scale structural valuations of US public lands. This article argues that nature-based trail recreators actually value US public lands via non-monetary visceral value – valuation strategies that are rooted in intimate and embodied interactions with nature – directly challenging the strictly monetary value given to these lands by national and corporate entities. The article develops the concept of visceral value in MtC valuations, using the embodied experiences of nature-based recreators using USFS trails. Rescaling the assessment of value to the site of the individual recreator body directly confronts capitalocentric urges to universalize all used, usable and potential resources into monetary, extractive, production or labor use-values.

First use of Chironomid Pupal Exuvial Technique in freshwater biomonitoring in Cameroon: Ecological aspect and morphological description of Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera)

The biodiversity of urban streams is gradually degrading as a result of anthropogenic pollution. In this study, chironomid pupal exuviae were used as surrogates to assess urban streams and a lake in Douala Cameroon. We compared these assessments with samples collected from a suburban forest stream. Based on their highly adaptive capability, we predicted that chironomid communities would present high diversity and abundance in urban habitats. Chironomid pupal exuviae were collected using the chironomid pupal exuvial technique in 14 urban and 2 forest reference stations during dry and rainy seasons. Measurements of the environmental variables were done simultaneously. Physicochemical analysis revealed that all urban sites have had very poor ecological health status whereas forest site had good water quality as shown by the hierarchical cluster analysis. This ecological survey identified 8 species/morphotypes of chironomids all belonging to the subfamily Chironominae, tribe Chironomini. These are Chironomus holomelas(?), Chironomus sp.1, Chironomus sp.2, Chironomus sp.3, Chironomus (Lobochironomus) sp., Stenochironomus sp., Dicrotendipes sp. and Dicrotendipes pulsus. No midge pupal exuviae were recorded at the forest stations (S1 & S2) and the stations S6 and S7 located downstream industrial mill effluents. The species richness of the study sites was significantly very low as compare to other Afrotropical studies. Canonical redundancy analysis revealed that high values of water temperature, ammonium, nitrates and phosphates, and low oxygen concentration were significant predictors of the distribution and high abundance of Chironomidae. This survey highlighted the impacts of anthropogenic activities on chironomid diversity and distribution, with great decrease of their diversity due to industrial pollution.

Global Gain, but Local Loss—National Park and Municipal Revenues in Poland

The paper analyzes the problem of stagnation in the creation of new national parks in Poland, identifying key barriers and proposing solutions. The background to the study refers to the role of national parks in nature conservation, but at the same time highlights the problem of the limited development of the park network in Poland, which remains at 1.05% of the country’s area—well below the EU average. The main obstacles identified by the author are the resistance of local governments due to the reduction in forest tax revenues and the differences in salaries between employees of national parks and state forests. Research methods included legal and economic analysis and a review of the literature on national park management. The results indicate that the problem can be solved by adequate financial compensation to local communities and the introduction of a co-management model that integrates the interests of local governments and parks. The article suggests that a change in the approach of the government administration and a more participatory management model can help to break the stagnation and increase the number of national parks, which is relevant not only for Poland but also for other countries struggling with similar challenges.

A Bayesian network approach to assess the ecosystem integrity of mangroves in Tampamachoco, Veracruz, Mexico

Given the alarming rates of mangrove forest loss, resource managers must count on information regarding the condition of the mangrove forests. We propose a Bayesian network (BN) to assess mangrove forests' ecosystem integrity (EI) to support a mangrove monitoring system in Mexico. This approach allowed us to infer the system's condition based on variables on forest structure and function. We defined the BN structure based on informal interviews with specialists on vegetation and coastal geomorphology. We applied the expectation-maximization learning algorithm to train the model. Data from plots in two mangrove areas of an Avicennia germinans forest, defined based on their undisturbed and disturbed conditions, were used as training datasets. We applied sensitivity analysis to determine the degree of influence of each model variable. We evaluated the prediction capacity of the BN with a k-fold cross-validation (the process is repeated five times, starting from the database in 2 parts). The variables selected for the model were the Holdridge complexity index (HCI, Holdridge et al., 1971), Leaf area index (LAI), litter production (g/month/m2), leaf C, N and P concentration (%), and leaf N:P ratio. The most critical variable to infer mangrove condition was leaf N:P (Variance reduction = 11%), followed by forest structure variables HCI and LAI (Variance reduction > 5%). The cross-validation to test the model resulted in a minimum square error of 0.3, which indicates a reasonable capacity to predict the condition of mangrove integrity. The BN constructed can diagnose the integrity of a monospecific mangrove forest with acceptable precision, considering the environmental factors that define the forest structure and functioning locally. We then asked the experts to review and modify the model to apply to multispecies mangrove ecosystems and environmental contexts.

Analysis of the Severity of Heterogeneity Protection Forest based on SVM and PCA

Forest heterogeneity indicates the forest condition on producing more carbon into environment. Semidang Bukit Kabu Hunting Park Forest is a nature reserve lies over two districts of Central Bengkulu and Seluma, Bengkulu Province, which should have a heterogeneous forest to protect its natural resources. However, the data showed that the condition of it does not appear to have dense forest heterogeneity anymore, and its rate still remain unknown. Remote sensing as one of tools to help the remote monitoring was believed to be helpful to this question. This study showed changes in the heterogeneity from 2016 to 2021. Sentinel-2 imageries were occupied to help the process of classification of forest and non-forest areas. Support Vector Machine, as one of powerful machine learning tools, was also help the process with the integrating of Principal Component Analysis to optimize forest characteristics. This study indicates that there are significant reductions of forest heterogeneity over the area. The number of forest (heterogeny areas) continues to decline from 8122 ha in 2016 to 4339 ha in 2021. Furthermore, this study had proven that the algorithm of support vector machines showed significant performance to build the model towards the data with overall accuracy rate of 0.9434 and a kappa index of 0.9833.

Tree growth decline to warm-wet conditions in boreal forests is linked to stand density

Warm-wet climatic conditions are widely regarded as conducive to remarkable tree growth, alleviating climatic pressures. However, the notable decline in tree growth observed in the southern edge of boreal forests has heightened concerns over the spatial-temporal dynamics of forest decline. Currently, attaining a comprehensive grasp of the underlying patterns and their propelling factors remains a formidable challenge. We collected tree ring samples from a network of 50 sites across the Greater Xing’an Mountains. These samples were subsequently grouped into two distinct clusters, designated as Groups A and B. The percentage change of growth (GC, %) and the proportion of declining sites were utilized to assess forest decline. The decline in tree growth within Larix gmelinii forests exhibits significant regional variation, accompanied by temporal fluctuations even within a given region. Group A exhibited a pronounced increase in frequency (59.26%) of occurrences and encountered more severe declines (21.65%) in tree growth subsequent to the 1990s, contrasting sharply with Group B, which observed lower frequencies (20.00%) and relatively less severe declines (21.02%) prior to the 1980s. The primary impetus underlying the opposite radial growth increments observed in Larix gmelinii trees from the interplay between their differential response to temperatures and wetter climatic conditions, which is significantly influenced by varying stand densities. In cold-dry conditions, low-density forests may experience soil water freezing, exacerbating drought conditions and thereby inhibiting tree growth, in Group A. Trees growth in high-density stands is enhanced under warm-wet conditions, in Group B. These results provide new insights into the variability at the southern edge of the boreal forest biome with different responses to density and climate.

First record of Biscogniauxia mediterranea (De Not.) Kuntze on Quercus rubra L. in Bulgaria

The endophytic fungus Biscogniauxia mediterranea, a causal agent of charcoal canker disease, was established for the first time on red oak (Quercus rubra) in Bulgaria. Symptomatic trees were found in 2023-2024 in the field protective forest belts planted in the State Hunting Enterprise Balchik (Sokolovo and Trigortsi villages) and State Forest Enterprise Dobrich (Kozloduytsi Village) in northeastern Bulgaria. Water stress during the last growing seasons seems to reduce red oak trees’ resistance and predispose them to be infected with the pathogen B. mediterranea. The disease has caused dieback of infected trees and increased their vulnerability to attacks by xylophagous insect pests.

Forest management with fire simulation

In this work, we address a forest management problem for timber production with fire concerns, employing a novel simulation-based optimization approach wherein forest management is iteratively guided by the feedback from fire spread simulations.The forest management problem involves selecting an alternative prescription for each stand, subject to various restrictions (e.g. bounds on ecosystems services), to maximize the net present value. For each stand, prescriptions involve projecting forest conditions and outcomes using species-specific growth and yield models, combined with different fuel treatment scenarios. In each iteration, the optimization problem is solved. Fire travel times between adjacent points in a grid representing the forest are calculated, based on fuel models associated with the selected prescriptions and other conditions as wind and slopes. Fire spread is simulated for all potential ignitions. Fire paths with a rate of spread greater than a given threshold are identified and constraints are added to the forestry problem to exclude their associated prescriptions to be jointly selected. This problem is re-optimized and the process is repeated until there are no such paths.We describe computational experiments in a Portuguese forest showing how trade-offs between the net present value and the maximum fire rate of spread can be obtained. When too restrictive conditions are imposed on fire, the approach suggests a set of stands to become fire breaks. We also conducted experiments to demonstrate how the impact of the forest surroundings, as well as bounds on ecosystem services, can be evaluated with respect to these trade-offs.

Studies to assess natural resource recovery and evaluate monitoring methods for restored bottomland hardwood forests.

The Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration process assesses natural resource injury due to oil or chemical spills and calculates the damages to compensate the public for those injuries. Ecological restoration provides a means for recovering resources injured or lost due to contamination from oil or chemical spills by restoring the injured site after remediation, or acquiring or reconstructing equivalent resources off site to replace those lost due to the spill. In the case of restored forests, once restoration is implemented, monitoring of forest ecology helps keep recovery on track, with the maturation of forest vegetation, recovered soil conditions, and development of microbial, fungal, and faunal communities, necessary for ecologically functioning forests. This series of papers focuses on applying methods for monitoring restoration progress in forest vegetation and soils, and amphibian, avian, and mammalian communities, assessing strengths and weaknesses of different methods, and evaluating levels of effort needed to obtain accurate indications of forest ecological condition. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;00:1-5. © 2024 The Author(s). Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Timber Harvest Planning Using Reinforcement Learning: A Feasibility Study

This study developed a forest management plan model using reinforcement learning (Q-learning) to optimize both the economic and ecological functions of forests. Management objectives for national forests were established, and forest conditions were analyzed using GIS spatial data and administrative records. A 60-year forest management plan was formulated to predict timber production and management performance across different regions and time periods. Our analysis revealed that Scenario 3 (Carbon Storage Priority) demonstrated the highest economic value, starting at approximately KRW 576.2 billion in the initial period and escalating to KRW 775.7 billion over six 10-year periods, totaling 60 years. In addition to its economic performance, Scenario 3 effectively improved forest age class structure and ensured a stable timber supply, making it the most balanced approach for sustainable forest management. By focusing on carbon storage as a key management goal, this approach highlights the potential for achieving both economic and environmental benefits concurrently. These results suggest that reinforcement learning is a powerful tool for developing long-term forest management strategies that address multiple objectives, including economic viability, ecological sustainability, and resource optimization.

Effectiveness of pre-fire forest management on post-fire forest conditions in southeastern Arizona

BackgroundWestern forests in the United States are facing multiple threats that have the potential to permanently alter forest composition and structure. In particular, wildfire can either have beneficial or adverse effects on overall forest health and resilience. Monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of existing forest treatment plans for meeting forest management goals is becoming more critical to increase the capacity for managers to prepare for and accommodate uncertainty associated with changing disturbance regimes. We used a combination of fine-scale vegetation and microclimate surveys on 57 plots, active remotely sensed data (light detection and ranging: LiDAR), and high-resolution satellite imagery to evaluate the effectiveness of an existing management strategy to increase disturbance resistance and resilience of an isolated mixed-conifer forest following a recent large-scale wildfire in southeastern Arizona, USA. We specifically assessed the effectiveness of forest overstory live tree thinning treatments (silviculture) as well as understory fuel reduction treatments (fuel) for influencing post-fire abiotic and biotic conditions, reducing direct post-fire tree mortality, and increasing resilience as compared to untreated forest stands.ResultsWe found that forest silviculture and fuel reduction treatments implemented prior to a large wildfire had mixed results on post-fire fine-scale vegetation composition and structure, microclimate conditions, tree mortality, and tree resilience. Fine-scale vegetation characteristics within silviculture- and fuel-treated forest units displayed higher herbaceous diversity and decreased density of new tree snags as compared to untreated units post-fire. Relevant to seedling emergence, we found that variance in spring soil moisture content was lower overall in treated units; however, units that received overstory thinning (silviculture) treatments were also associated with higher average summer high soil temperatures as compared to untreated units. Additionally, direct tree mortality and rate of recovery of trees post-fire differed between two treatment types (silviculture and fuel reduction) when compared to untreated units and among contrasting levels of burn severity. Post-fire tree mortality and tree resilience did not differ between control and silviculture units; however, these characteristics did differ between control and fuel units. Unlike control units, probability of tree mortality changed little between burn severity categories in fuel treatments (53.4% of mortality occurring in unburned/low vs. 46.7% in moderate/high severity) and resilience increased an average of 2.04% for trees from unburned/low to moderate/high-severity burn categories.ConclusionsOur methodology could be applied to any forested system experiencing increasing intensity and frequency of wildfire. Our results indicate that post-fire forest conditions and resilience are influenced by forest management strategies, particularly fuel reduction treatments. To accommodate uncertainty associated with changing disturbance regimes and climate change, implementing post-fire and post-treatment assessments and monitoring as presented in this study will be essential for developing attainable goals and for maintaining desired forest conditions.

Historical pyrodiversity in Douglas-fir forests of the southern Cascades of Oregon, USA

Our understanding of forest dynamics and successional pathways in coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var menziesii) forests with relatively frequent mixed-severity fires is limited by a lack of annually precise dendroecological reconstructions that combine records of historical fires and tree establishment. The processes by which old-forest heterogeneity developed under historical fire regimes with recurrent low- and moderate-severity fires has not been well studied at fine temporal scales and across spatial scales. We developed crossdated multi-century records of fire and tree establishment histories in old forests (170 – 550 years) at 34 plots distributed across six sites. Study sites include warm-dry to cool-moist Douglas-fir forest types found in the southern west Cascades of Oregon, USA. Spatial variability in historical fire frequency and fire effects resulted in tremendous diversity in forest developmental histories, age structure, and forest conditions. Most historical fire intervals were very frequent (<10 years) to frequent (<25 years) in dry Douglas-fir forests. Exceptionally high fire frequency and an abrupt decrease in fire frequency after European colonization in dry Douglas-fir forests adds to growing evidence and recognition of Indigenous fire stewardship in montane Douglas-fir forests. In moist forests where Douglas-fir is seral to western hemlock, fire intervals were frequent to moderately frequent (<50 years), but intervals varied substantially over time. Relatively young moist forests burned frequently while mature moist forests had long fire intervals (50–160 years). Nearly all tree establishment cohorts were preceded by either stand-replacing (28 %) or non-stand-replacing fires (64 %). However, tree cohorts only provided evidence of 16 % of historical fire events that we reconstructed from cambial fire scars. This study demonstrates that frequent fire can be an important driver of forest development and in some contexts shapes the structure of coastal old-growth Douglas-fir forests, which are often characterized as developing from endogenous disturbances during long fire-free periods. The high level of pyrodiversity we observed was associated with variation in and interactions of micro-climate, topography, fuels, and Indigenous fire stewardship. We recommend rigorous dendroecological reconstructions across the coastal Douglas-fir region to refine our understanding of the geography of fire-mediated forest developmental dynamics in this important forest type, to inform forest management, conservation, and ecocultural restoration.

Eastern pygmy possum (Cercartetus nanus) populations persist in Central Coast forests after the Black Summer bushfires

The 2019–2020 Black Summer bushfires are an example of Australia’s climate-induced, changing fire regimes, where flora and fauna suffer both direct and indirect impacts as the result of large fires. The eastern pygmy possum (Cercartetus nanus) is a species that may be affected and, although its general ecology is well understood, there is limited knowledge of its response to wildfire. Using clusters of nest boxes across two state forests on the New South Wales Central Coast, detection histories were created from 2017 to 2023. Estimates of occupancy, detection and extinction were produced, where the top ranked model included Fire severity as a covariate of extinction. Extinction probability was highest in unburnt areas, 0.55 (95% CI = 0.13–0.82) and lowest in moderate fire severity areas, 0.15 (95% CI = 0.003–0.52), although all estimates were highly uncertain. Detection probability was 0.35 per cluster visit (95% CI = 0.26–0.45) and occupancy probability was 0.77 (95% CI = 0.39–0.98), indicating a high probability of occupancy at sites affected by fire. This suggests that eastern pygmy possums may benefit from post-fire resources, such as flowering shrubs, as well as their flexible den selection, providing a niche that other arboreal animals may be unable to exploit so soon post fire.

On the Conservation of the Canarian Laurel Forest: What Do Lichens Have to Say?

The fragmentation and degradation of primary forests are serious threats to the long-term persistence not only of the tree species they comprise, but also of many organisms inhabiting them. The Canarian laurel forest, known as monteverde, is a highly threatened endemic forest of the Macaronesian region. Lichens are considered ideal bioindicators for assessing the effects of human disturbances on ecosystems and anticipating the response of other less sensitive organisms. However, no studies have used them as model organisms to analyze the conservation status of this primary forest in the Macaronesian region. In the present study, we analyzed several variables of the lichen biota of the Canarian laurel forest on the islands with the highest representation within this archipelago: La Gomera, La Palma, and Tenerife. We analyzed the species richness (and its relationship to island size with the real and potential vegetation areas of the laurel forest); the lichen diversity value, the number of shared and exclusive species on each of the islands as well as lichen functional traits as they have become important for evaluating the response of epiphytic lichens to environmental changes. The results indicate that there are signs of a potential extinction debt occurring in the diversity of epiphytic lichens in some areas. Furthermore, it has been observed that, despite the presence of some exclusive species on each island, the overall composition does not differ between them. Considering the functional traits of lichens, there are patterns that can provide information about the unique characteristics of the laurel forest of each of the studied islands.

Retrodiction of forest demography: Backward simulation with reverse matrix models

Abstract Reconstructing past ecological population dynamics and demographic events is crucial for understanding the dynamics of ecological processes, evaluating the impact of environmental changes and making informed conservation decisions. In forest ecosystems, retrodiction (i.e. the backward projection of ecological populations) plays a pivotal role in understanding historical forest carbon levels and the factors that have influenced their variation over time, because forest demography is a major determinant of the amount of carbon stored in forest ecosystems. The persistent lack of quantitative methods has been a significant obstacle in retrodicting forest demography, especially in applications of a broad geographical scale. While there is a wealth of models for predicting future forest conditions, models that can project these conditions backward in time are scarce. This study presents reverse matrix model (RMM), an innovative retrodiction modelling approach grounded in the principles of transition matrix models. RMM is designed to deduce past demographic characteristics of ecological populations using current data, making it one of the first models capable of projecting the fine‐scale dynamics of forest demography into the past. We assessed the retrodictive performance of RMM by fitting it to a dataset of a disturbed tropical rainforest in French Guiana in 2001–2023, then comparing the retrodictions to observations back to 1983 when the disturbance occurred. We further empirically evaluated the viability of retrodiction over a defined duration by inverting the density‐dependent matrix model by Lin et al. (1996), which predicts the dynamics of northern hardwoods in the United States. The case studies demonstrate significant potential for RMM application in various domains of forestry and conservation, including ecosystem management and conservation planning, global change impact assessment and biodiversity monitoring.