Tree Damage Research Articles

Study on wind damage grade model for eucalyptus plantation in Guangxi, China

Wind damage is one of the dominant natural disasters that have the greatest impact on the growth of plantations. However, little attention has been paid to the wind damage grade model. Based on eucalyptus plantations from national forest inventory data and field investigations in Guangxi, ten significant factors that are susceptible to wind damage were selected to perform multiple linear regression analysis on wind damage grade model. Through assessing the level of wind damage based on forest characteristic and site conditions, we aimed to reduce the loss of economic benefits caused by wind damage. The results showed that the age group of eucalyptus trees, slope, soil thickness, management grade, and total vegetation coverage had significant effects on the wind damage of eucalyptus trees in this area. Therefore, it is necessary to protect the vegetation coverage of forest land and to strengthen the management of forest land to improve the wind resistance of eucalyptus forests in the future.

Recovery of Forest Structure Following Large-Scale Windthrows in the Northwestern Amazon

The dynamics of forest recovery after windthrows (i.e., broken or uprooted trees by wind) are poorly understood in tropical forests. The Northwestern Amazon (NWA) is characterized by a higher occurrence of windthrows, greater rainfall, and higher annual tree mortality rates (~2%) than the Central Amazon (CA). We combined forest inventory data from three sites in the Iquitos region of Peru, with recovery periods spanning 2, 12, and 22 years following windthrow events. Study sites and sampling areas were selected by assessing the windthrow severity using remote sensing. At each site, we recorded all trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 10 cm along transects, capturing the range of windthrow severity from old-growth to highly disturbed (mortality > 60%) forest. Across all damage classes, tree density and basal area recovered to >90% of the old-growth values after 20 years. Aboveground biomass (AGB) in old-growth forest was 380 (±156) Mg ha−1. In extremely disturbed areas, AGB was still reduced to 163 (±68) Mg ha−1 after 2 years and 323 (± 139) Mg ha−1 after 12 years. This recovery rate is ~50% faster than that reported for Central Amazon forests. The faster recovery of forest structure in our study region may be a function of its higher productivity and adaptability to more frequent and severe windthrows. These varying rates of recovery highlight the importance of extreme wind and rainfall on shaping gradients of forest structure in the Amazon, and the different vulnerabilities of these forests to natural disturbances whose severity and frequency are being altered by climate change.

Efficacy and Nontarget Effects of Net Exclusion Enclosures on Apple Pest Management.

Management of direct apple pests, such as codling moth, continues to be problematic despite the widespread implementation of behavioral and chemical controls. Apple growers have increased their use of netting to protect fruit from environmental injury, with some structures enclosing the entire orchard. These enclosures represent a new pest management tactic through physical exclusion. We conducted a two-year trial to examine the effects of full exclusion netting on pests and natural enemies of apples. Insect densities and damage in trees under fully enclosed (net) cages were compared with conventionally (insecticide only) treated and untreated plots. Caged plots had 18.1- and 11.4-fold less codling moth damage than the check, and 4.9- and 4.2-fold less damage than the insecticide-only plots in 2016 and 2017, respectively. However, densities of woolly apple aphid and its parasitoid Aphelinus mali (Haldeman) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) were significantly greater in the caged plots. Densities of earwigs, a typically flightless generalist predator, were not different among treatments, while adults of more mobile flying generalist predators, lacewings and syrphids, were significantly lower in cages compared with uncaged plots. These results demonstrate that although biological control may be partially disrupted, net enclosures have significant potential as a holistic apple management technique.

Changes of tree species diversity in peatland impacted by moderate fire severity at Teluk Meranti, Pelalawan, Riau Province, Indonesia

Abstract. Syaufina L, Hamzah AA. 2021. Changes of tree species diversity in peatland impacted by moderate fire severity at Teluk Meranti, Pelalawan, Riau Province, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 2899-2908. Riau is one of the fire-prone provinces in Indonesia, which contributes to environmental problems not only in the country but also in neighboring countries. Peatland fire occurs annually in the province that causes transboundary haze pollution. Despite being an important threat to biodiversity, study on peatland fire impacts seems limited. The aims of this study are to analyze changes in tree species diversity due to fire and to assess fire severity. The study was conducted at Teluk Meranti Sub-district, Pelalawan District, Riau Province, Indonesia by establishing 18 sample plots in six transect lines for both burned and unburned areas. Fire severity classification was assessed by aggregate scoring of vegetation condition (individual tree damages, burned vegetation severity, and biodiversity) and soil condition (physical properties, chemical properties, and burned peat depth) indicators. The research revealed a significant change in tree species diversity from 24 species (unburned area) to 2 species (burned area) from high diversity index (2.86) to low diversity index (0.57); only 29% of burned trees can survive; average burned peat depth was about 33 cm; a significant difference of soil condition for both areas was observed. The severity of forest fires in Teluk Meranti, Pelalawan, Riau was classified as the moderate category, with a total score of 58.80%.

Damage and loss magnitudes of Eucalyptus pellita and Acacia mangium stands due to 2D-seismic activity

2D-seismic activity for oil and gas exploration was conducted in Jambi, Indonesia in 2014-2015. The seismic lines passed through the area of HTI (Industrial Plants Forest), Oil Palm Estate, and people’s plantation as well. The 2D-seismic activity was conducted in such a careful way, that any negative impact had to be avoided, minimized, managed, and monitored. However, any damage and loss of the other party occurred. Inventory of cultivated plants or trees damage was conducted for loss compensation purposes. In fact, from a total of 1,376 shot points of the 2D-seismic activity in the HTI-plants traversing about 183,008 plants, which each shot point represented 133 growing plants, involved 286 damaged plant categorized in slight, medium, and heavy damage. Plant age was categorized in juvenile, very young, young, and higher plants. The damaged plants were found only equivalent to 0.00001% of the total growing plants. The total economic loss of timber Plantation due to the 2D-seismic activity consisted of Loss of Expected Value, Loss of Expected Benefit Value, Loss of the Damage of Installation, and Infrastructure of timber plantation and Loss due to Inefficiency Value as well was estimated less than USD 0.01 per ha.

Safety Analysis of THAAD Anti-Missile System Launcher

Safety analysis is a very important link in the assessment of damage effect before combat operations, and it is also the premise of war damage assessment of weapon targets. This paper takes the launcher of THAAD anti-missile system as the research object, analyzes the structure and functional characteristics of the launcher of THAAD anti-missile system based on literature, reconstructs the three-dimensional model of the launcher, classifies its damage grade, and defines the key vulnerable parts of the launcher. Taking the fragment detonation warhead as an example, the failure mode and damage grade of the key vulnerable parts under the action of fragments are analyzed, and the K and F damage tree models of the launcher of the THAAD anti-missile system are constructed, which provide reference for the security evaluation and research of the THAAD anti-missile system.

FRUIT VIBRATION HARVESTING TECHNOLOGY AND ITS DAMAGE. A REVIEW

Manual harvesting of large area fruits is inefficient, which consumes manpower and resources. Mechanized harvesting is the inevitable trend of fruit harvest. Vibration harvesting is one of the important forms in terms of fruit mechanized harvesting. According to the different striking parts of fruit trees, the vibration modes were classified as trunk, crown, and branch types. The harvesting efficiency of fruit is an important index to measure the quality of all fruit harvesting machines. The reduction of fruit damage is considered in the harvesting of vulnerable fruits. In this study, the development of vibration harvesting technologies were studied in terms of vibration mode. The development of fruit damage, harvesting efficiency, and fruit tree modeling were discussed. Finally, the development direction of fruit vibration mechanized harvesting was looked forward. Machinery instead of manpower, fully mechanized harvesting is the inevitable development direction of fruit harvesting.

Rapid Assessment of Tree Damage Resulting from a 2020 Windstorm in Iowa, USA

A need to quantify the impact of a particular wind disturbance on forest resources may require rapid yet reliable estimates of damage. We present an approach for combining pre-disturbance forest inventory data with post-disturbance aerial survey data to produce design-based estimates of affected forest area and number and volume of trees damaged or killed. The approach borrows strength from an indirect estimator to adjust estimates from a direct estimator when post-disturbance remeasurement data are unavailable. We demonstrate this approach with an example application from a recent windstorm, known as the 2020 Midwest Derecho, which struck Iowa, USA, and adjacent states on 10–11 August 2020, delivering catastrophic damage to structures, crops, and trees. We estimate that 2.67 million trees and 1.67 million m3 of sound bole volume were damaged or killed on 23 thousand ha of Iowa forest land affected by the 2020 derecho. Damage rates for volume were slightly higher than for number of trees, and damage on live trees due to stem breakage was more prevalent than branch breakage, both likely due to higher damage probability in the dominant canopy of larger trees. The absence of post-storm observations in the damage zone limited direct estimation of storm impacts. Further analysis of forest inventory data will improve understanding of tree damage susceptibility under varying levels of storm severity. We recommend approaches for improving estimates, including increasing spatial or temporal extents of reference data used for indirect estimation, and incorporating ancillary satellite image-based products.

Tree Diversity and Damage by Cypress Aphid, Cinara cupressi, on Juniperus procera in Gulele Botanical Garden and Entoto

Juniperus procera is an important tree species in Ethiopia. Increasing demand for fuelwood and construction material has also created markets for J. procera products. The impact of cypress aphid, Cinara cupressi, on J. procera is becoming catastrophic in the country. However, the level of cypress aphid damage on J. procera has never been studied in Entoto Mountain forest and Gullele Botanical Garden (GBG) in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to assess the cypress aphid densities and extent of damage caused by the cypress aphid on solely and mixed planted J. procera in Entoto Mountain forest and GBG in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by evaluating aphid adult and nymph densities and damage to J. procera trees. Eight plots of 50 m ∗ 50 m planted with pure J. procera and mixed J. procerawere selected at each site. Five 5 m ∗ 5 m subplots were formed. To assess aphid density hthree tree twigs per whorl were sampled from each tree in the subplots randomly. The collected samples were examined in the laboratory for the presence of nymph and adult cypress aphid. Tree damage was assessed by visually observing the percentage of infestation in the tree crown and was scored on a 1–5 scale. The results showed significant differences in aphid densities between the sites. The highest aphid count was observed at Entoto Mountain. Besides, the solely planted J. procera trees had higher cypress aphid numbers than the mixed plantation. The mean percentage of aphid-infested trees in Entoto and GBG was 53.6 and 46.4, respectively. Tree mortality was extremely low in both sites and planting systems. The level of aphid damage was also significantly different between the planting systems, where mixed plantations had a lower aphid infestation level. Tree damage was directly correlated with the density of aphids collected. In conclusion, cypress aphid was apparent in both sites, and most of the trees were infested by this pest. However, the extent of damage varied with the planting system. Therefore, it is recommended to consider a mixed plantation of trees as one of cypress aphid management tools in J. procera.

Designing the mechanized first thinning in a pine stand: assessment of productivity, costs and tree damage

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the productivity, costs, and tree damage caused by machines in first thinning operations. The study was carried out in a 10 year old pine stand with two thinning operations: TH5, with the removal of each 5th row and selective thinning between these rows; and TH7, with the removal of each 7th row and selective thinning between these rows. Harvester and forwarder machines were used in the thinning operations, considering a tree maximum reach of 10 m. Working cycle times, productivity, energy efficiency and production costs were determined through a time–motion study. The tree damage was also quantified in the thinning operations. Cycle time values and tree damage were compared using the Mann–Whitney test for two independent samples (α = 0.05). The highest productivity and lowest cost for the harvester were observed in TH5, while the highest productivity for the forwarder was obtained in TH7, due to the higher log stack volume. On the other hand, TH5 was the most inexpensive operation, with a total of USD$4.62 m−3, although only USD$0.37 less expensive than TH7. Furthermore, TH5 and TH7 presented a similar percentage of tree damage of 20.9% and 19.1%, respectively. Therefore, TH5 was most cost-effective, while TH7 enables increasing the selective thinning area and improves the pine stand quality.

The ectomycorrhizal community of urban linden trees in Gdańsk, Poland.

The linden tree (Tilia spp.) is a popular tree for landscaping and urban environments in central and northwest European countries, and it is one of the most popular in cities in Poland. Ectomycorrhizal fungi form a symbiosis with many urban tree species and protect the host plant from heavy metals and against salinity. The aim of this study was to characterise the ECM fungal community of urban linden trees along the tree damage gradient. The study was performed on two sites located in the centre of the city of Gdańsk, in northern Poland. The vitality assessment of urban linden trees was made according to Roloff’s classification. Tree damage classes were related to soil characteristics using principal component analysis. The five ectomycorrhizal fungal species were shared among all four tree damage classes, and Cenococcum geophilum was found to be the most abundant and frequent ectomycorrhizal fungal species in each class. Soil samples collected in the vicinity of trees belonging to the R0 class had significantly lower pH Na, Cl and Pb content than other soils. Our knowledge of ectomycorrhizal communities in urban areas is still limited, and these findings provide new insights into ectomycorrhizal distribution patterns in urban areas.

Liver histopathology in COVID-19 patients: A mono-Institutional series of liver biopsies and autopsy specimens

Few studies have focused on COVID-19 patients’ hepatic histopathological features. Many of the described morphological landscapes are non-specific and possibly due to other comorbidities or to Sars-CoV-2-related therapies. We describe the hepatic histopathological findings of 3 liver biopsies obtained from living COVID-19 patients in which active SARS-CoV-2 infection was molecularly confirmed and biopsied because of significant alterations of liver function tests and 25 livers analyzed during COVID-19-related autopsies. Main histopathological findings were (i) the absence of significant biliary tree or vascular damages, (ii) mild/absent lymphocytic hepatitis; (iii) activation of (pigmented) Kupffer cells, (iv) hepatocellular regenerative changes, (v) the presence of steatosis, (vi) sinusoidal ectasia, micro-thrombosis and acinar atrophy in autopsy specimens No viral particle actively infecting the hepatic or endothelial cells was detected at in situ hybridization. The morphological features observed within the hepatic parenchyma are not specific and should be considered as the result of an indirect insult resulting from the viral infection or the adopted therapeutic protocols.

Nitrogen Fertilization Increases Windstorm Damage in an Aggrading Forest

Storms are the most significant disturbance events in temperate forests. Forests impacted by nitrogen deposition may face more severe storm damage as changes in soil and wood chemistry impact tree growth allocation, wood strength, and species composition. To examine these potential effects of nitrogen deposition, we measured tree damage from a windstorm in an aggrading forest that is part of a nitrogen fertilization experiment. We discovered that within the nitrogen fertilization treatment area there was significantly more basal area and stems damaged when compared to the reference treatment, and the nitrogen fertilization treatment had more snapped and severely damaged trees. Additionally, the effect of treatment and amount of damage to trees was different depending on tree species. If our results are indicative of the large and globally-distributed regions of temperate forests impacted by nitrogen deposition, then the increased windstorm disturbance risk posed by climate change could be more significant due to the effects of nitrogen deposition.

Short Communication: Assessing the state and change of forest health of the proposed arboretum in Wan Abdul Rachman Grand Forest Park, Lampung, Indonesia

Abstract. Safe’I R, Latumahina FS, Dewi BS, Ardiansyah F. 2021. Short Communication: Assessing the state and change of forest health of the proposed arboretum in Wan Abdul Rachman Grand Forest Park, Lampung, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 2072-2077. Forest health is the fundamental of sustainable forest management. As such, forest health needs to be continually monitored and maintained. This study assessed the state and change of forest health of the prospective arboretum in Wan Abdul Rachman Grand Forest Park (Tahura WAR), Lampung, Indonesia, aiming that the arboretum can serve for integrated conservation and education forest (Tahura War). This research used the Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) method by combining the parameters of vitality (i.e., tree damage and tree crown condition) and biodiversity (tree species diversity) across four Forest Health Monitoring plot clusters. The results showed there was a change in the state of forest health of the prospective arboretum in Tahura WAR. The first measurement showed that 50% of plot clusters had a status of bad, while 25% was moderate and 25% was good. The results of the second measurement showed that 50% of plot clusters had a status of moderate, while 25% was bad and 25% was good. This finding suggests that the prospective arboretum experienced changes toward better conditions in health status. Even so, it is still necessary to carry out regular forest health monitoring activities to determine trends.

The damage trees study for a good and save roadside greenery planning in Surakarta City, Central Java

Purpose: This research question is ‘how to plan a good and save the road side greenery in Surakarta?’ The research objectives are: Identification of the trees characteristics (type and size); Identification level of the health trees, and Trees location. Methodology: This research used categorized methods by health of tree, that is: health, little damage, moderate damage and heavy damage. The research location at Slamet Riyadi street, Jenderal Sudirman street and Urip Sumohardjo street at Surakarta City. Results: This research has built a Tree Inventory Application, named SIPPOHON. Through SIPPOHON trees can be inventoried by the name, type and characteristics. Tree location is integrated in a global positioning system (GPS); The Polyalthia longifolia, Mangifera kemanga, Diospyros blancoi have a strong endurance tree; Pterocarpus indicus, Erythrvna, Manilkara kauki, Langerstroemia and Casuarina tend to be damaged or unhealth; Some forms of tree damage are caused by: hole and trunks hollow; mechanical damage (scratches and cuts at the tree until the cortex); the brittle stems caused by pest attacks; swelling of the stem; the dead of partial canopy; trees tilted into the electricity grid; and roots appear to the surface of land. Applications: The result of the research are an SIPPOHON application to manage the green roadside, especially: Treatment of pest are needed to prevent the spread of disease and Routine maintenance and monitor the tree condition.

The rise big data for maintenance roadside greenery (Study the damage tree database in Surakarta, Central Java)

This research question is ‘how to build the database of trees roadside in Surakarta?’ The reasearch objectives are: (1) Identification of the trees characteristics (type and size); (2) Identification level of the healthy trees, and (3) Trees location. This research used categorized methods by healthy of tree, that is: healthy, little damage, moderate damage and heavy damage. The research location at Jalan Slamet Riyadi, Jalan Jenderal Sudirman and Jalan Urip Sumohardjo at Surakarta City. There are several resuts can be drawn: (1) This research has build a Tree Inventory Application, named SIPPOHON. Through SIPPOHON trees can be inventoryed by the name, type and characteristics. Tree location is integrated in a global positioning system (GPS); (2) The Polyalthia longifolia, Mangifera kemanga, Diospyros blancoi have a strong endurance tree; (3) Pterocarpus indicus, Erythrina, Manilkara kauki, langerstroemia and Casuarina tend to be damaged or unhealthy; (4) Some forms of tree damage are caused by: hollow and hollow trunks; mechanical damage (scratches and cuts that hurt the tree to the cortex); pest attacks that cause the stems to become brittle; swelling of the stem; the partial canopy is dead; trees tilted into the electricity grid; and roots come to the surface. The result of the research are applicaton to manage the green roadside, expecialy: (1) Treatment of pest are needed to prevent the spread of disease; (2) Routine maintenance and monitor the tree condition.

「シリーズ：木や森に関わる鳥獣害を考える」をはじめるにあたって

「シリーズ：木や森に関わる鳥獣害を考える」をはじめるにあたって

Do pheromone trapping always reflect Ips typographus (L.) population level? A study from the Tatra National Park in Poland

Abstract Pheromone traps are used for monitoring I. typographus populations in Norway spruce stands of the Tatra National Park (TPN) in Poland. The presented study is based on the set of pheromone traps of precisely known location (23) located in the whole area of the TPN and operated continuously in 2010–2019. The data on the captures of beetles were compared with two kinds of data concerning the mortality: the area covered by standing dead trees (airborne photographs) in the no-intervention zone, and the volume of trees infested by bark beetles processed in the active protection zone. No relationship was found between the mean numbers of beetles captured yearly in all pheromone traps in the whole TPN area and the volume of infested trees removed from the stands in the active protection zone. The captures in the two selected study areas were correlated with the area of spots with dead trees in the 500 m circle around the traps, however, this correlation is not statistically significant. There is no relation of captures to the volume of processed infested trees. The captures decreased in the growing seasons after the wind damage, and increased markedly after the drought started in 2015. The results of pheromone trapping are affected by several factors, as wind damage and defence potential of trees resulting from their physiological status. Pheromone traps represent valuable source of information about the bark beetle I. typographus population dynamics, although the collected data do not enable direct definition of its population level, especially in the protected areas with different and unstable (changed in 2017) approach to the protection of stands. As most of the information on beetles is captured in the first half of the growing season, the data collected till the end of July are sufficient for monitoring purposes; thus, the trapping should be reduced to the period May–July.

The effect of drought on wood-boring in trees and saplings in tropical rainforests

Droughts are predicted to increase in severity in many regions due to climate change and there is strong evidence that such events can lead to increased insect attack and consequent widespread tree mortality in temperate forests. Much less is known about the impact of increased drought on tropical rainforests but in the few large-scale drought manipulation experiments in tropical rainforests, larger trees had higher mortality rates than smaller trees although the cause of death is often uncertain. Previously, we modelled what the impact of drought might be on different types of herbivorous insects and suggested that in rainforests severe drought conditions might lead to increased attack from wood-boring insects. We tested this in a drought manipulation experiment, in Australian tropical rainforest, where we excluded more than 30% of rainfall for two years prior to our study and during it. We compared wood-boring damage of small and large trees between the experiment and a nearby control site. We hypothesized that larger trees would experience greater wood boring whereas smaller trees would present more surface damage. We surveyed 1,778 trees in total across both plots and found that the proportion of trees with termites, hole boring, and surface damage caused by borers (lateral tracks, frass, resin, latex or kino exudation) was significantly higher at the drought plot than at the control plot. There was a significant difference in the proportion of trees with fresh wood-boring damage at the drought site (35%) than at the control site (23%). While all size classes of trees had a higher percentage of fresh wood-boring damage at the drought site compared to control site this was only significant for small trees (dbh < 10 cm). The lack of significant difference for medium sized trees (dbh > 10 cm & <20 cm) and large trees (dbh > 20 cm) may be due to small sample size. Recent termite activity and termite damage was also significantly more frequent in the drought site compared to the control. We conclude that increased severity of drought appears to drive fundamental changes in borer and termite infestation levels with potentially important consequences for long-term tree health and mortality. Increases in tree mortality elevates the risk of forest fires, which are normally rare events in rainforests. Determining which wood boring beetles are responsible for the increased infestation requires further investigation since more than 100 wood-boring beetle species have been collected previously at the study site, including species of Platypodinae, Scolytinae, Anobiidae and Cerambycidae.

First-Decade Biomass and Carbon Accumulation, and Woody Community Change after Severe Wind Damage in a Hemlock-White Pine Forest Remnant

Studies of biomass and carbon dynamics and community composition change after forest wind disturbance have predominantly examined trends after low and intermediate severity events, while studies after very severe wind disturbance have been few. This study documents trends in aboveground biomass and carbon across 10 years of forest recovery after severe wind disturbance. In July 1989, a tornado struck mature Tsugacanadensis-Pinusstrobus forest in northwest Connecticut, USA, causing damage across roughly 8 ha. Canopy tree damage and regeneration were surveyed in 1991 and 1999. Two primary hypotheses were tested, both of which derive from regeneration being primarily via the release of suppressed saplings rather than new seedling establishment: (1) Biomass and carbon accumulation will be faster than accumulation reported from a similar forest that experienced similar severity of wind disturbance; and (2) The stand will experience very little change in species composition or diversity. Estimated immediate post-disturbance (1989) aboveground live-tree carbon was 20.7 ± 43.9 Mg ha−1 (9.9% of pre-disturbance) Ten years after the disturbance, carbon in aboveground live tree biomass increased to 37.1 ± 47.9 Mg ha−1; thus for the first decade, annual accumulation averaged 1.6 Mg ha−1 of carbon; this was significantly faster than the rate reported in a similar forest that experienced similar severity of wind disturbance. The species diversity of woody stems ten years after the disturbance was significantly higher (nonoverlapping confidence intervals of rarefaction curves) than pre-disturbance canopy trees. Thus, hypothesis 1 was confirmed while hypothesis 2 was rejected. This study augments the limited number of longer-term empirical studies that report biomass and carbon accumulation rates after wind disturbance, and can therefore serve as a benchmark for mechanistic and modeling research.