Cypress Research Articles

Features of planted cypress trees vulnerable to damage by Japanese black bears

The Japanese black bear (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) causes serious and persistent damage to conifer plantations in some areas of Japan. From 2006–08, we examined bear damage and tree characteristics (diameter at breast height [DBH], width of growth rings, and amount and nutritional content of newly-developing vascular tissues) in 7 even-aged stands of Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) growing at similar elevations in a university forest. Larger-diameter trees were more likely than smaller trees to be damaged by bears in each stand. The major nutritional component of vascular tissues was sugar, mainly sucrose. Sugar concentration of vascular tissues showed little variation, and was correlated with neither DBH nor stand age. Mass of vascular tissues was highly variable and was positively correlated with DBH, but not with stand age. To reduce bear damage, foresters should concentrate direct protection efforts on larger-diameter trees.

A Historic Dugout from the Apalachicola River, Florida

During May of 2006, loggers removed a large logboat from the Apalachicola River, in Franklin County, Florida. Investigation revealed the vessel to be carved from a single cypress (Taxodium sp.) tree and measuring over 50 feet in length; one of the longest dugout craft known in Florida. Based on the rectilinear and angular shape, evidence for fabrication with metal-edged tools, and radiometric radiocarbon analysis, the craft appears to be a 19th-century colonial canoe hybrid, designed for the transport of cargo. Now designated 8Fr961 in the Florida Master Site File, it is unlike any other on record in Florida and its study has provided a unique opportunity to contribute to the growing body of information regarding Florida’s historic watercraft.

Estimating the economic benefits of the landscape function of ornamental trees in a sub-Mediterranean area

An ornamental tree intimately associated with the image of Lake Garda (northern Italy), in terms of urban forestry as well as urban greening, is the Cupressus sempervirens L. (cypress). This pleasing landscape is threatened by the so-called ‘cypress canker’ ( Seiridium cardinale), a pathogen that is destroying cypresses in the north of Italy. In order to combat this disease effectively, the trees need to be monitored, treated and possibly replaced by resistant varieties. Such interventions are quite costly for cash-strapped policymakers and can only be justified economically if the disappearance of the cypress trees would demonstrably reduce the landscape value of the area. In order to evaluate the social benefits promoted by the cypress landscape protection policy, we used the Contingent Valuation Method, interviewing in situ and face-to-face 411 randomly drawn tourists (response rate 75%). For the evaluation scenario, different pictures were used, some representing the landscape with cypress trees and some without. Then we examined willingness to pay (WTP) for research expenditure and treatments to preserve the cypresses. The WTP elicitation format used was a payment card, while the Quantile Regression and Cameron and Huppert models were estimated for parametric analysis of the data. Once we had eliminated the protest bids (15%) and the outliers (10%), we assessed the per person WTP of €1.28 (parametric mean) and 1.11 (non-parametric mean) and reached an annual value of nearly three million Euros. The present value exceeds 100 million Euros and indicates the economic efficiency of public expenditure in caring for the cypress.

CO 2 and water vapor fluxes above a subtropical mountain cloud forest—The effect of light conditions and fog

From the 4 August through 22 September 2006, the turbulent vertical fluxes of CO 2 and water vapor were measured above a cypress tree ( Chamaecyparis species) plantation within the subtropical mountain cloud forest range of NE Taiwan. The study site is characterized by a high frequency of orographic fog. During the day, humid air is transported uphill and causes condensation and fog as it cools. CO 2 and water vapor fluxes were measured on two instrumented micrometeorological towers aligned along the valley axis. Despite the large reduction of solar radiation during foggy conditions by 64% as compared to clear situations, the reduction of the CO 2 uptake is rather small at tower 1, for which Chamaecyparis is the dominating species within the footprint area. The Chamaecyparis species perform well under these extreme conditions of reduced light. A large section of the footprint area of tower 2 is vegetated with Cryptomeria japonica. CO 2 flux comparison at both towers during foggy and non-foggy conditions, and direct tower-totower comparisons showed a significant difference statistically in the CO 2 fluxes. While the photosynthesis rate of Chamaecyparis was hardly reduced during fog that of Cryptomeria japonica decreased strongly during foggy conditions. Cryptomeria japonica is less well adapted to the low light conditions. The net water vapor flux was dominated by evaporation of intercepted fog. Transpiration contributed only little to the water vapor flux during the 7-week experimental field study.

Impact of stem water storage on diurnal estimates of whole‐tree transpiration and canopy conductance from sap flow measurements in Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress trees

AbstractThe amount of water stored in the stem introduces uncertainty when estimating diurnal whole‐tree transpiration (ET) and canopy stomatal conductance (GC) using sap flow measured at the base of the stem (Q). Thus, to examine how ET can be calculated from Q, we obtained ET using sap flow and stem water content measurements and a whole‐tree water balance equation, and compared it with Q. In this study, we measured sap flows in 33‐year‐old individual trees of Cryptomeria japonica D. Don and Chamaecyparis obtusa Endl. using constant‐heat sap flow probes. Sap flows were measured at several depths at the base of the stem, and at the upper trunk as a surrogate of ET. Stem water contents were measured at three vertical positions on the trunk using amplitude‐domain reflectometry (ADR) sensors. We also measured sapwood volumes of the study trees. Using simultaneous sap flow and stem water content measurements along the tree stem, we confirmed that stem water storage has impacts on the transpiration stream. These include sap flow lags along the tree heights and an enhanced peak of transpiration from stem sap flow. These results enabled us to calculate the correct ET by multiplying Q by 1·18 and shifting its time series forward by 30 min. The ET value was then used to calculate GC for both tree species. The factor of 1·18 is based on the fact that at noon, the value of ET was higher than that of Q, due to the prolonged Q during the evening. Establishing the time lag was relatively simple and was determined by comparing Q and vapor pressure deficit. The multiplier is more challenging to ascertain due to the difficulty in obtaining ET correctly. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Seed germination enhancement for bald cypress (Taxodium distichum [L.] Rich.)

Bald cypress has been retreating in the estuary ecosystem of the Loxahatchee River Watershed in southeastern Florida because of the negative impacts of anthropogenic activities. Seed germination of bald cypress is an important means to increase the arbor population in the vegetation community and accelerate restoration of the wetland ecosystem. The objective of this research was to find an effective method to enhance seed germination of bald cypress, an ecologically and economically important tree species. Bald cypress seeds were hand collected under mature bald cypress trees in southeastern Florida, and kept under refrigeration at 4oC prior to the commencement of the study. The seeds were chemically treated in either 1% NaOH, 95% ethyl alcohol, 0.03 to 0.3% H2O2, or 1% HCl, or mechanically cut into two halves, or heated on a burner for 3.0 s. After treatment, all of the seeds were sown in Park's seed-starting trays with 72 Cellswith Pro Mix BX growth medium. The results showed that soaking the seeds in a 1% NaOH solution for 5 min and then in H2O for 24 h had the best germination rate of approximately 50%. However, heating the seeds on a gas burner was the least effective, resulting in almost no germination. Unlike the results seen in other species, H2O2 did not enhance germination in the seeds. Therefore, 1% NaOH was shown to be the best treatment because it could neutralize the acidity of the seed resin. Our study has verified that acidity was the chief limitation for germination of the seeds. Key words: Taxodium distichum, germination enhancement, acidity of seed resin, germination rate.

Seiridium cardinaleis a new threat to cypress trees in Cyprus

Seiridium cardinale is a serious fungal pathogen of cypress trees, causing branch and trunk cankers. It is common in the Mediterranean region (Graniti, 1998) but has not been found in regular surveys in Cyprus, where Cupressus spp. are highly valued endemic trees and widely planted. In February 2007, bark necrosis and resin exudation on 10-year-old Cupressus macrocarpa‘Goldcrest’ was observed in a nursery in Lemesos (Limassol). Acervuli with characteristic conidia of S. cardinale were found and the fungus was isolated from necrotic bark tissues from three different plants. Colonies on potato dextrose agar (PDA) were dense, floccose, with grey aerial mycelium and radial growth rate of 10–12 mm per week on PDA at 25°C, similar to reference cultures of S. cardinale from Greece and Italy. Conidia were 5-septate, oblong-fusiform (20–29 × 8–10 µm), with characteristic hyaline, conical apical cells, about 1 µm long, again typical of S. cardinale. In March 2007, 3-year-old plants of C. sempervirens and C. macrocarpa were stem inoculated (Tsopelas et al., 2007) with isolate ATHUM 5661, deposited in the culture collection of the University of Athens. Stem cankers (3–4 cm long) developed on both species 3 months after inoculation. Acervuli of S. cardinale were present in some cases. Control plants inoculated with sterile agar plugs remained healthy. Seiridium cardinale was consistently re-isolated from infected plants. This is the first report of S. cardinale in Cyprus. Cypress trees were imported by the nursery from Italy, where the disease is widespread, several years ago but none were imported since. The diseased trees had advanced symptom development (branch dieing), suggesting that the pathogen was introduced on the imported trees. Trees with young cankers (bark necrosis) suggested spread within the nursery. There is a strong possibility that infected trees have been sold. Active surveillance of ornamental plantings is needed to prevent establishment of a damaging disease.

Lobomyia neotropica, a new genus and species of Tachinidae (Diptera) from the Neotropical Region

A new genus and species, Lobomyia neotropica gen. nov., sp. nov., (Diptera: Tachinidae) is described from material from Colombia (type locality), Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Trinidad. The Colombian material was reared from Glena bisulca Rindge (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), a defoliator of introduced cypress trees. Costa Rican material was reared from several species of Lepidoptera: Notodontidae.

Cenotaphs and cypress trees: commemorating the citizen-soldier in the Year II

Much of the scholarship on commemoration and collective memory has identifi ed World War I as the decisive event in the making of ' modern memory ' in Western Europe. However, this article contends that many of the cultural practices that historians have singled out as specifi c to the twentieth century, the commemoration of the common soldier, the erection of monuments aux morts inscribed with the names of the dead and the honouring of unknown soldiers, had already emerged during the Revolutionary wars of the 1790s, and more particularly, during the Revolution's most ' democratic ' phase, the Terror. By examining the evolution of these commemorative practices within the Jacobin club network in 1793 and 1794, this essay explores the interaction between the Revolutionary politics of mass mobilization and the customary culture of commemoration and argues that the ' modern ' culture of memory may not be quite as modern as historians assume.

Inter‐annual variations of leaf‐fall phenology and leaf‐litter nitrogen concentration in a hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa Endlicher) stand

AbstractInter‐annual variations in leaf‐fall phenology and leaf‐litter nitrogen concentration were investigated for 13 years in a coniferous plantation of hinoki cypress trees (Chamaecyparis obtusa Endlicher) in Kochi, southern Japan. Mean annual nitrogen concentration in the leaf litter ranged from 5.97 to 7.12 g kg−1. The removal of 30 percent of the trees’ basal area in the 3rd year had little effect on leaf‐litter nitrogen concentration. The nitrogen concentration in the leaf litter was not correlated with the mean temperature from March to October. The leaf‐fall duration, i.e., time between 10 and 90% of the annual leaf fall, was shorter and the leaf‐litter nitrogen concentration was lower when the solar radiation from March to October was higher. The results suggest that the hinoki trees shed their leaves abruptly and have lower leaf‐litter nitrogen concentration when the solar radiation is higher and that effects of temperature on leaf‐fall properties may not be strong in warm climate areas.

Experimental Study on Spatial Distribution of Throughfall Under a Japanese Cypress Tree

ヒノキにおける樹冠通過雨の空間分布特性を明らかにするため，大型降雨実験施設において室内実験を行った．施設内に樹高11 mのヒノキを植栽し，グリッド状に配置した120個の測定容器により10分間の雨量を測定した．降雨強度（雨滴の運動エネルギー）・枝下高をそれぞれ変化させ，測器間隔の差異・樹木の無い状態での人工降雨を含めて11パターンの測定を行った．樹冠通過雨量は，与えた降雨よりも測点ごとのばらつきが大きく，その範囲は与えた降雨の40-484 ％であった．ばらつきの範囲は，降雨強度の大きさによって異なった．樹幹から遠ざかるほど雨量が増加し樹冠縁に沿って雨量が多くなる傾向が見られ，特に雨滴エネルギーが小さい降雨の場合に明瞭であった．雨量の多い集中滴下点は樹幹近くに多く存在することが確認された．また，枝の切り落としの前後で雨量が大きく変化した地点が，いずれも切り落とした枝の近辺に存在した．以上より，樹冠通過雨の空間分布特性について，幹からの距離及び最下層に位置する枝の配置により整理されうることが示された．

The use of cypress tree bark as an environmental indicator of heavy metals deposition in Fuheis City, Jordan

The present study focused on the use of cypress tree bark as an environmental indicator of heavy metal deposition in Fuheis City, Jordan, and the evaluation of the impact of emissions from the cement industry in the adjacent environment. Tree bark samples were collected from four directions (north, south, east and west) in the vicinity of the cement factory. The samples were analysed for heavy metal content: Mn, Cu, Ni, Co, Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr, and Fe. The results showed variations in heavy metal concentrations between sites. The levels of heavy metal were divided into three groups: mean concentrations of Co and Cd ranged from 1 to 4 mg/kg; Mn, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and Cr ranged from 9 to 109 mg/kg; and finally, Fe ranged from 2238 to 3393 mg/kg.

The Écloga dos Faunos of Luís de Camões: Imitation or Intertextuality?

In a humorous scholarly piece penned in the form of a prose eclogue, the commentator Manuel de Faria e Sousa debates the comparatist Lusitânia Nau on the Écloga dos Faunos by Luís de Camões. He encounters numerous imitations of other texts in the Portuguese poet’s seventh eclogue ; she focuses on intertextual processes beyond his interpretative ken and that of his readers. All this with the participation of Mato Grosso, Tasmânio, Samosata and her dog Shep, goats, sheep, and a venerable cypress tree.

Environmental Condition and Cypress Canker Disease

Cypress canker by Seiridium cardinale (Wag.) Sutt. & Gibson is a disease particularly harmful for cypress trees in Tuscany where the landscape value of this species is very important. The paper reports on the relationship among S. cardinale and environmental factors that may influence the spreading of the fungus using GIS technology. The study conduced in the neighbourhood of Florence recording the occurrence of the fungus on a sample of about 6900 trees, demonstrate that the damage by S. cardinale varied according to the environmental conditions of the area. The study showed that the fungus affects the trees under relatively high humidity and mild temperature that in Tuscany occur during the growing season and enhance Cypress susceptibility to the disease.

Effect of Trimming Cypress Tree on Pollination

RATIONALE: Cypress pollinosis is nowadays a widespread and debilitating condition. Apart from medicines, one should try to prevent pollen exposure. In this respect, trimming cypress trees before pollination could reduce pollen exposure.

Development and Practical Application of Undepletable Energy Resource

This study aims for a sustainable development of local community and the value creation contributing to the global environmental conservation by developing a sustainable circulatory energy system. It is important for Kochi prefecture, where 84% of the land is forest, to have the point of view that considering forest resources not only for the lumber use but also as a valuable energy resource, and it could be a new possibility to break through the current situation for Kochi. Since Japanese cedar and cypress trees planted after the War have not been taken care of, it is possible that not only their property value does not increase but also they could cause the devastation of mountainous area. Utilization of wood-based energy managed within their growth level is an effective method to maintain neutralization of CO2 and has recently been recognized as an important circulatory energy. We have been taking economical, environmental, and social approaches to develop the circulatory wood-based energy system. In this report, we explain a survey on greenhouse farmers, development of the effective combustion appliance, assessment of the tree properness for fuel, evaluation of the process and calculation of the cost, and finally states direction of the future study.

Ancient Austrocedrus Tree-Ring Chronologies Used to Reconstruct Central Chile Precipitation Variability from a.d. 1200 to 2000

Abstract An expanded network of moisture-sensitive tree-ring chronologies has been developed for central Chile from long-lived cypress trees in the Andean Cordillera. A regional ring width chronology of cypress sites has been used to develop well-calibrated and verified estimates of June–December precipitation totals for central Chile extending from a.d. 1200 to 2000. These reconstructions are confirmed in part by historical references to drought in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and by nineteenth-century observations on the position of the Río Cipreses glacier. Analyses of the return intervals between droughts in the instrumental and reconstructed precipitation series indicate that the probability of drought has increased dramatically during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, consistent with selected long instrumental precipitation records and with the general recession of glaciers in the Andean Cordillera. This increased drought risk has occurred along with the growing demand on surface water resources and may heighten socioeconomic sensitivity to climate variability in central Chile.

Habitat complexity as a determinate of benthic macroinvertebrate community structure in cypress tree reservoirs

We analyzed benthic samples (n = 128) collected from four cypress-tree population areas within a large, shallow Arkansas reservoir over a 2-year period to investigate macroinvertebrate community distribution patterns and their relation to physical and chemical parameters. The calculated biomass, abundance and diversity of the benthic macroinvertebrate community varied significantly both temporally and spatially. Variations of these variables are most likely explained by significant differences in the concentration of carbon and nitrogen in sediments across lake sites, and on a smaller scale, the presence or absence of cypress trees. Benthic macroinvertebrate abundance, biomass, and diversity significantly decreased with distance from tree.

A model for the relationship between form-factors for stem volume and those for stem surface area in coniferous species

A model that describes the relationship between the form-factors for stem volume and those for stem surface area in coniferous species is proposed. The model is derived assuming that the stem form of a tree can be expressed by Kunze's equation. The model indicated that the form-factor for stem surface area was directly proportional to the square root of the form-factor for stem surface volume, independent of the stem position. The proposed model expressed the relationship of the form-factors for Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) and Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa Endl.) trees well. Therefore, the form-factors for stem surface area could be estimated from those for stem volume. No significant difference in the coefficient was found between Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress trees, indicating that the proportional coefficient would be common between the two species. Many studies have shown that the form-factors for stem volume at 0.7 and 0.5 in relative height were, respectively, almost steady at 0.7 and 1.0, independent of species, district, density control, and growth stage. Substituting these universal values into the proposed model, the form-factors for stem surface area at 0.7 and 0.5 in relative height were estimated to be 0.730 and 0.873, respectively. The estimated values of the form-factors for stem surface area would be universal for coniferous species. The proposed model also showed that the breast height form-factor for stem surface area decreased sharply with the increase in total tree height, when the height was less than 10m. However, after the tree attained the total height of 10m, the breast height form-factor gradually decreased with the total tree height approaching its asymptotic value of 0.605. In conclusion, the model proposed here can be used to describe the relationship between form-factors for stem volume and those for stem surface area successfully.

The Last Supper

gan to accumulate them already in Moscow, right after the death of Katya. And then in Milan. There he complained of insomnia, and Paolo, a doctor acquaintance, had written him a prescription. And by now here in Jerusalem, where he had been living for two months, he had more than a hundred. But Andrei had still not made up his mind. It was the beginning of December. By evening the entire room was flooded by the sun as it set behind Mordecai Hill. On the summit of the hill grew pines and cypress trees, needles pointing into the rose-colored evening sky. The flat roofs of the houses on the hill looked like white stone terraces. Pre-