Forest Land Research Articles

Research on Hyperspectral Surface Reflectance Dataset of Typical Ore Concentration Area in Hami Remote Sensing Test Field

Abstract. Surface reflectance data is the basic data source for the hyperspectral parametric remote sensing products and remote sensing quantitative application, which is widely used in various application fields such as natural resources and ecological environment monitoring. At present, multispectral data takes the leading role among the common land surface reflectance datasets and the reflectance data mainly involves the types of ground objects such as farmland, forest land, water body, soil, etc., while the datasets relatively less targets the types of rock and mineral surface objects, yet especially the reflectance datasets with the combination of time series and multi-scale satellite-earth are even more scarce. In order to better promote the application of hyperspectral surface reflectance and explore the advantages of joint application of satellite-earth multi-scale reflectance data, on the basis of field-measured rock and mineral target spectral, a comprehensive surface reflectance dataset was generated by using domestically produced hyperspectral satellite data as the data source in this study, mainly focusing on the typical ore concentration area in the Hami Remote Sensing test field in Xinjiang. The dataset includes multi-period hyperspectral satellite surface reflectance images, field measured rock and mineral spectral data, and multi-period sub-pixel spectral data collected based on ground spectral measured points, which can provide significant support for the research and development and accuracy verification as well as performance evaluation of algorithms such as surface reflectance inversion, mineral identification and ground object classification.

Description of new predatory behavior of Palm Tanager (Thraupis palmarum) on forest land snail with validation through citizen science data

Description of new predatory behavior of Palm Tanager (Thraupis palmarum) on forest land snail with validation through citizen science data

Assessment of Plant Diversity and Soil Quality Management in Forest Land of West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India

The field experiment was set in home-garden areas under forest land of eight small towns viz. Borampalem, Venkatapuram, Gundugolanukunta, Ramannapalem, Abdullapuram, Tirumaladevpeta, Venkatakrishnapuram, Appalarajugudem in West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh during November to March in 2021–22 assess the Plant and Tree Diversity and Soil quality parameters. The plant/tree species Phoenix sylvestris, reported the highest frequency (245.00), dominance (3.27), and basal area (7542.96 cm2). Plumbago zeylanica had the highest relative density (6.96) and relative abundance (6.81) among all the shrub species. Plumbago zeylanica reported the highest Important value index (IVI) 17.10 while Herb species with highest density was found in Centella asiatica (0.95), frequency (35), and highest Important value index (IVI) 14.60. Soil quality parameters reflects that at the depth 0-15cm the average value of pH is found to be7.52, organic carbon is 0.56%, the amount of available nitrogen is 213.78 kg/ha, amount of available of phosphorus is 41.25 kg/ha and available potassium is 38.22 kg/ha. At the depth of 15-30 cm the Average value of pH is found to be 6.61, organic carbon is 0.39%, the amount of available nitrogen is 189.51 kg/ha, amount of available of phosphorus is 34.75 kg/ha and available potassium is 31.37 kg/h.

Challenges for sustainable development goal of land degradation neutrality in drylands: Evidence from the Northern Slope of the Tianshan Mountains, China

The SDG 15.3.1 target of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) only has 15 years from conception (in 2015) to realization (in 2030). Therefore, investigating the effectiveness and challenges of LDN has become a priority, especially in drylands, where fragile ecosystems intersect with multiple disturbances. In this study, solutions are proposed and validated based on the challenges of LDN. We chose the Northern Slope of the Tianshan Mountains as a case study and set baselines in 2005 and 2010. The region and degree of land change (including degraded, stable, and improved) were depicted at the pixel scale (100 × 100 m), and LDN realization was assessed at the regional scale (including administrative districts and 5000 × 5000 m grids). The results showed a significant disparity between the two baselines. The number of areas that realized the LDN target was rare, regardless of the scale of the administrative districts or grids. Chord plots, Spearman's correlation, and curve estimation were employed to reveal the relationship between LDN and seven natural or socioeconomic factors. We found that substantial degradation was closely related to the expansion of unused, urban, and mining land and reduction in water, glaciers, and forests. Further evidence suggests that agricultural development both positively and negatively affects LDN, whereas urbanization and mining activities are undesirable for LDN. Notably, the adverse effects of glacier melting require additional attention. Therefore, we consider the easy-to-achieve and hard-to-achieve baselines as the mandatory and desirable targets of LDN, respectively, and focus further efforts in three aspects: preventing agricultural exploitation from occupying ecological resources, defining reasonable zones for urbanization and mining, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate warming. Overall, this study is expected to be a beneficial addition to existing LDN theoretical systems and serve as a case validation of the challenges of LDN in drylands.

Transformation of Agriculture in Damoh District of Madhya Pradesh

India has been considered as a land of villages and from very beginning agriculture has been main means of livelihood of the residents of the country specially people living in rural areas. Agriculture plays a vital role in the nation's economy. About two third of the working population earn their living through agriculture and agriculture sector contributes about 26 per cent in the gross domestic production of the country. The present study examines the transformation of the various dimension of the agriculture in the Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh based on secondary data. With the growing pressure of population, demand for land for non-agricultural activities, implementations of rural development programmes and activities, the land use pattern, cropping pattern, irrigational facilities, farming techniques and other allied activities in the study area has transformed during the period 1990 to 2020. Damoh district is located in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and is part of Sagar division. Total geographical area of the district is 7306 sq.km. out of which 323386 hectares land is available for cultivation with 293599 hectares of irrigated land. The proportion of forest and fallow land has decreased in last two decades while the proportion of net shown area, other uncultivated land, land not available for agriculture and double cropped area has increased during the period. The cropping pattern of the study region, also transformed. The use of modern agricultural implements, fertilizers and pesticides too has increased during 1990-2020.

Soil mycobiomes in native European aspen forests and hybrid aspen plantations have a similar fungal richness but different compositions, mainly driven by edaphic and floristic factors

BackgroundThe cultivation of short-rotation tree species on non-forest land is increasing due to the growing demand for woody biomass for the future bioeconomy and to mitigate climate change impacts. However, forest plantations are often seen as a trade-off between climate benefits and low biodiversity. The diversity and composition of soil fungal biota in plantations of hybrid aspen, one of the most planted tree species for short-rotation forestry in Northern Europe, are poorly studied.MethodsThe goal of this study was to obtain baseline knowledge about the soil fungal biota and the edaphic, floristic and management factors that drive fungal richness and communities in 18-year-old hybrid aspen plantations on former agricultural soils and compare the fungal biota with those of European aspen stands on native forest land in a 130-year chronosequence. Sites were categorized as hybrid aspen (17–18-year-old plantations) and native aspen stands of three age classes (8–29, 30–55, and 65-131-year-old stands). High-throughput sequencing was applied to soil samples to investigate fungal diversity and assemblages.ResultsNative aspen forests showed a higher ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungal OTU richness than plantations, regardless of forest age. Short-distance type EcM genera dominated in both plantations and forests. The richness of saprotrophic fungi was similar between native forest and plantation sites and was highest in the middle-aged class (30–55-year-old stands) in the native aspen stands. The fungal communities of native forests and plantations were significantly different. Community composition varied more, and the natural forest sites were more diverse than the relatively homogeneous plantations. Soil pH was the best explanatory variable to describe soil fungal communities in hybrid aspen stands. Soil fungal community composition did not show any clear patterns between the age classes of native aspen stands.ConclusionWe conclude that edaphic factors are more important in describing fungal communities in both native aspen forest sites and hybrid aspen plantation sites than forest thinning, age, or former land use for plantations. Although first-generation hybrid aspen plantations and native forests are similar in overall fungal diversity, their taxonomic and functional composition is strikingly different. Therefore, hybrid aspen plantations can be used to reduce felling pressure on native forests; however, our knowledge is still insufficient to conclude that plantations could replace native aspen forests from the soil biodiversity perspective.

Simulating the land use change effects on non-point source pollution in the Duliujian River Basin.

The uncertainty in the generation and formation of non-point source pollution makes it challenging to monitor and control this type of pollution. The SWAT model is frequently used to simulate non-point source pollution in watersheds and is mainly applied to natural watersheds that are less affected by human activities. This study focuses on the Duliujian River Basin (Xiqing section), which is characterized by a dense population and rapid urbanization. Based on the calibrated SWAT model, this study analyzed the effects of land use change on non-point source pollution both temporally and spatially. It was found that nitrogen and phosphorus non-point source pollution load losses were closely related to land use type, with agricultural land and high-density urban land (including rural settlements) being the main contributors to riverine nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. This indicates the necessity of analyzing the impact of land use changes on non-point source pollution loads by identifying critical source areas and altering the land use types that contribute heavily to pollution in these areas. The simulation results of land use type changes in these critical source areas showed that the reduction effect on non-point source pollution load is in the order of forest land > grassland > low-density residential area. To effectively curb surface source pollution in the study area, strategies such as modifying urban land use types, increasing vegetation cover and ground infiltration rate, and strictly controlling the discharge of domestic waste and sewage from urban areas can be implemented.

Quantification of Soil Erosion and Sediment yield using the RUSLE model in Boyo Watershed, Central Rift Valley Basin of Ethiopia

Changes in land use and land cover (LULC) are becoming recognized as critical to sustainability research, particularly in the context of changing landscapes. Soil erosion is one of the most important environmental challenges today, particularly in developing countries like Ethiopia. The objective of this study was evaluating the dynamics of soil loss, quantifying sediment yield, and detecting soil erosion hotspot fields in the Boyo watershed. To quantify the soil erosion risks, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model was used combined with remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) technology, with land use/land cover, rainfall, soil, and management approaches as input variables. The sediment yield was estimated using the sediment delivery ratio (SDR) method. In contrast to a loss in forest land (1.7%), water bodies (3.0%), wetlands (1.5%), and grassland (1.7%), the analysis of LULC change (1991-2020) showed a yearly increase in the area of cultivated land (1.4%), built-up land (0.8%), and bare land (3.5%). In 1991, 2000, and 2020, respectively, the watershed's mean annual soil loss increases by 15.5, 35.9, and 38.3 t/ha/y. Approximately 36 cm of the watershed’s economically productive topsoil was lost throughout the study's twenty-nine-year period (1991-2020). According to the degree of erosion, 16% of the watershed was deemed seriously damaged, while 70% was deemed slightly degraded. Additionally, it is estimated for the year 2020 that 74,147.25 t/y of sediment (8.52% of the total annual soil loss of 870,763.12 t) reach the Boyo watershed outlet. SW4 and SW5 were the two sub-watersheds with the highest erosion rates, requiring immediate conservation intervention to restore the ecology of the Boyo watershed.

Improving evapotranspiration estimation models through quantitative watershed parameter analysis and remote sensing applications

AbstractNumerous models had been developed to predict the annual evapotranspiration (ET) in vegetated lands across various spatial scales. Fu's (Scientia Atmospherica Sinica, 5, 23–31) and Zhang's (Water Resources Research, 37, 701–708) ET simulation models have emerged as highly effective and have been widely used. However, both formulas have the non‐quantitative parameters (m in Fu's model and w in Zhang's model). Based on the collected 1789 samples from global long‐term hydrological studies, this study discovered significant relations between m (or w) and vegetation coverage or greenness in collected catchments. Then, we used these relations to qualify the parameters in both Zhang's and Fu's models. Results show that the ET estimation accuracies of Fu's (or Zhang's) model are significantly improved by about 13.49 mm (or 6.74 mm) for grassland and cropland, 38.52 mm (or 29.84 mm) for forest and shrub land (coverage<40%), 19.74 mm (or 16.17 mm) for mixed land (coverage<40%), respectively. However, Zhang's model shows higher errors compared with Fu's model, especially in regions with high m (or w) values, such as those with dense vegetations or P/E0 (annual precipitation to annual potential ET) smaller than 1.0. Additionally, this study also reveals that for regions with vegetation cover less than 40%, the annual ET is not only determined by vegetation types, but also relates to the sizes of vegetation‐covered areas. Conversely, for regions with vegetation cover more than 40%, the annual ET is mainly determined by the vegetation density rather than vegetation types or vegetation coverage. Thus, linking m (or w) parameters with vegetation greenness allows leveraging remote sensing for forest management in data‐scarce areas, safeguarding regional water resources. This study pioneers integrating vegetation‐related indices with basin parameters, advocating for their crucial role in more effective hydrological modelling.

The transition from shifting cultivation to indigenous agroforestry as nature-based solution for land restoration in the Indian Eastern Himalayas

In the Indian Eastern Himalayas, shifting cultivation has long been a major cause of land degradation. However, indigenous communities, like the Hmar, have successfully transitioned from shifting cultivation to agroforestry systems such as pineapple agroforestry, leading to land restoration and increased household incomes. Despite these positive outcomes, little is known about how soil health indicators change during this transition. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate changes in selected soil health indicators and erodibility across different age classes of pineapple agroforestry systems (<5, 5–10, 11–15, and > 15 years old) compared to shifting cultivation and nearby natural forests. Soil samples were collected from six sites, including different stages of pineapple agroforestry systems, shifting cultivation phases, and a natural forest. At each site, three (10 × 10 m) quadrats were selected, and two (1 × 1 × 1 m) vertical soil pits were dug in each quadrat, sampling soil depths from 0 to 100 cm. The transition from shifting cultivation to pineapple agroforestry improved soil organic carbon (SOC) and stratification ratios while reducing soil erodibility. SOC stocks were estimated at 182.7 Mg C/ha for natural forest land and 188.2 Mg C/ha for the cropping phase in shifting cultivation. On the other hand, estimated SOC stocks for < 5, 5–10, 11–15 and > 15 years old stands of pineapple agroforestry system were 169.7 Mg C/ha, 157.2 Mg C/ha, 168.9 Mg C/ha and 177 Mg C/ha respectively. Thus, the estimated SOC stocks under > 15 years of pineapple agroforestry were comparable with adjacent natural forest land. The stratification ratios (SR > 2) for SOC and macronutrients indicated better soil quality in the pineapple agroforestry system than in the cropped land. The clay and modified clay ratios decreased with increasing age of pineapple agroforestry system stands. The highest clay ratio was recorded in the topsoil of < 5-year-old pineapple agroforestry system, indicating a greater risk of exposure to rainfall events than in natural forest land and the cropping phase in the shifting cultivation cycle. It is concluded that transitioning from shifting cultivation to a pineapple agroforestry is a nature-based solution to restore degraded lands and presents an excellent opportunity for sustainable soil health and carbon sink management.

Evidence of mesophication following selective cutting and shelterwood in Virginia’s eastern deciduous forest, USA

The replacement of oaks (Quercus) with mesic tree species in the eastern deciduous forests of North America involves a positive feedback loop being driven by fire suppression and climate change. In this study, we explored the impact of timber harvesting as a potential facilitator of mesophication. Young stands resulting from shelterwoods (on federal lands) and selective cutting (on private lands) were sampled to compare the composition and density of seedlings, saplings, and trees in western Virginia, USA. Oak overstory trees had lower importance values and densities at selective cutting sites compared to shelterwood sites. Among saplings, mesic species had higher importance values and densities than oaks at both selective cutting and shelterwood sites. Evidence of mesophication was found at both selective cutting and shelterwood sites; but a higher level of mesophication appeared to be occurring at the selective cutting sites than at shelterwood sites. At selective cutting sites scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea) was absent from all sampled plots and a dense midstory of subcanopy trees, especially eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), appeared to be hindering successful oak regeneration. Our results indicate timber harvesting, without regard for the composition of the regeneration layer, may facilitate mesophication in the eastern deciduous forest, with selective cutting resulting in more successful establishment of mesic species compared to shelterwoods. These findings have implications for mesophication on private forest lands, where selective cutting is a very common method of timber harvesting.

FOREST AND ITS RESOURCES IN PRE-COLONIAL MIZORAM

Northeastern Indias Mizoram state is landlocked and surrounded by Bangladesh on the west and Myanmar on the east and south. It shares boundaries with Manipur and Assam to the north, and with Tripura to some extent to the west. The hill forests are an essential resource that indigenous groups rely on for their way of life. Because of the biomass these trees produced and the occasional removal of those woods for farming, Mizorams livelihoods were formerly totally depended on those forests. More precisely, jhuming was the only source of income for the pre-colonial Lushai civilization, with some hunting and gathering providing additional support. Thus, forest land is a pivot around which the peoples lives revolve their hunting, festivals, farming, and migration patterns all center on the area they own. People in traditional societies rely heavily on wild plants for sustenance, medicine, and leisure. That was especially true during the pre-colonial era, when the majority of items used were made of vegetative materials that could be found in the nearby forest. The sociocultural resource domain appeared to be limitless to the early inhabitants. There was not much competition for space because of the incredibly low population density.

Analysis of Land Use and Land Cover Change Detection for Indore District of Malwa Plateau Region Using Supervised Machine Learning

The main aim of this work is to find out LULC classes for the Indore region. For the last seven years, Indore has been crowned the cleanest city in India according to the latest ranking of 2023. In the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, the city and district of Indore are situated on the southern edge of the Malwa plateau. The municipalities of the Indore district majorly cover Manpur, Depalpur, Goutampura, Mhow, Hatod, Betma, Rau and Sanwer, with an area of approximately 3900 square kilometers. In contrast, Indore covers a land area of approximately 530 square kilometres. It is in charge of the nation’s slow but steady industrialization and population growth found in the last three decades. The city was much smaller and had a far smaller population thirty years ago. However, to evaluate the changes and decide on Indore city's future planning, Indore has taken over responsibility for the city's economic activities in recent years. New appropriate patterns should be recommended based on local factors like topography characteristics. The satellite image with multiple spectrums was used for the investigation. ArcGIS is based on pixel-by-pixel supervised classification using the maximum likelihood approach of Landsat satellite images from 2003 and 2023. The ground area, agriculture, and urbanization are linked to the LULC features. The various categories of classified land use and land cover features include the area of built-up regions, water bodies, cropland, forest, and barren land taken to predict the broad changes. Remotely sensed Landsat 5 images of 2003 and 8 images of 2023 were utilized to identify changes to accomplish this goal. This work clarifies the comparison of LULC classes for the Indore region.

Wildfire risk management in the era of climate change.

The August 8, 2023R Lahaina fire refocused attention on wildfires, public alerts, and emergency management. Wildfire risk is on the rise, precipitated through a combination of climate change, increased development in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), decades of unmitigated biomass accumulation in forests, and a long history of emphasis on fire suppression over hazard mitigation. Stemming the tide of wildfire death and destruction will involve bringing together diverse scientific disciplines into policy. Renewed emphasis is needed on emergency alerts and community evacuations. Land management strategies need to account for the impact of climate change and hazard mitigation on forest ecosystems. Here, we propose a long-term strategy consisting of integrating wildfire risk management in wider-scope forest land management policies and strategies, and we discuss new technologies and possible scientific breakthroughs.

Perlindungan Hukum Hak Memunggut Hasil Hutan Bagi Suku Anak dalam di Propinsi Jambi

The right to collect forest products (forestry right) is one of the rights to land originating from customary land law which is then recognized as part of land rights that are permanent in the Agrarian Act Number 5 of 1960. The concept of the right to collect forest products is now interpreted as a right what big entrepreneurs can have in managing forests is of economic values, and not as a basis for the rights of indigenous/local peoples who have a living culture by relying on the existence of forest products. This different interpretation ultimately gave birth to policies and legal actions that deprived indigenous/local peoples of their rights to the forest as stated and recognized by the 1945 Constitution as part of protected customary rights. One of the indigenous/local people who use forest products as their source of life is the Suku Anak Dalam (Orang Rimba) community in the Sarolangun Regency area. The many functions of forest land conversion into industrial plantations, as well as the licensing of business use rights over customary forests make the living space and movement of these communities increasingly limited, even in the end giving birth to various land conflicts between indigenous peoples and forest entrepreneurs in the region. Therefore in the future a law is needed that regulates the right to collect forest products as permanent land rights and can provide justice to indigenous people through legal certainty, where the Suku Anak Dalam community is no longer seen as forest looters, or illegal occupation.

Effects of Land uses on Soils Quality in Rwandan Central Plateau Agro-Ecological Zone

Conversion of land use from forest to agricultural uses modifies soil quality through physiochemical soil properties changes. This study was conducted in Rwanda’s central plateau agro-ecological zone to evaluate the effect of forest and agricultural land uses on soil quality. The study was conducted in 2020. Soil samples were collected at the top, middle and bottom positions of each of the two land uses. We analyzed soil bulk density, soil moisture content, soil pH, soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (Av P), and CEC for each position of the land uses. Data were analyzed using ANOVA in GENSTAT version 13. The results revealed that soil properties were significantly affected by land use change. Analysis of variances (LSD&lt;0.05) results showed, however, that treatments were not significantly different within the same land use. The results showed that treatments from top position of forest lands had the highest mean values for soil organic matter and total N parameters with the respective mean values of 6.58 %, and 0.37 %. Treatments from middle position of forest lands had the highest mean values for soil moisture content and Av P parameters respectively with 23.60 % and 29.56 ppm. But, soil bulk density was high on top position of agricultural land with a mean value of 1.49 g/cm3. Land users are advised to apply crop and soil management techniques which maintain soil quality and productivity on agricultural lands.  

Analysis of Land Use/Cover Characteristics and Dynamic of Changes in Huai River Basin from 2000 to 2020

Globally, land use is considered as one of the most closely related link between human being and nature. But land use/cover change (LULC) is regarded as the main cause for global environmental change with possible serious impact on human livelihoods and many parts of social and physical environmental aspects. Huai River Basin (HRB) is among the global river-land ecosystems that has been intensively altered by land use change. Unfortunately, the increasing land use change in HRB is not well scientifically addressed and still, related existing problems are not solved putting the basin ecological status and its basic grain production agricultural capacity at risks. This study adopted data image processing software and various mathematical statistical models to analyze the current LULC characteristics and dynamics of change in the study basin. From the analysis that adopted combined scientific techniques of CA-Markov, InVEST models with ArcGIS and IDRISI software, the results indicate that in 20 years of study, area of cultivated land in HRB declined by -4.34%, grassland declined by -21.28%, forest land declined by -3.22% and unused land declined by -18.84% while area of construction land increased by 26.38% and water area increased by 11.62%. Cultivated land was the major land use type in the basin while unused land was the minor land use type. Land use projection trend of HRB in 2035 predicts decline of areas coverage on cultivated land by -6.92%, on forestland by -9.20% and on grassland by -12.29%. But the basin is expected to have area increase on construction land by 30.07%, on water area by 15.03% and on unused land by 18.45%. Pictorial summary for the analysis of land use/cover characteristics and dynamic of changes in HRB is shown below.

Private Landowner Willingness to Manage Their Land for Carbon Sequestration in New York State

Abstract Efforts to enhance carbon sequestration, including afforestation and reforestation, are critical strategies to meet the New York State (NYS) climate goals. In NYS, converting underutilized lands to mature forests can mitigate 4.9 million metric tons of CO2 annually, but 97% of suitable lands are privately owned. These mitigation figures do not consider landowner willingness to grow mature forest. Drawing on a survey of 979 NYS landowners, we explored interest in growing mature forest, potential barriers, and how they can be mitigated. Survey results indicate landowners seem reasonably interested (about one-third were “very interested”) in converting at least some of their land to mature forest for carbon sequestration. Respondents were most willing to convert land in young forest and shrubland and least willing to convert fallow fields, grassland, and agricultural land. Key barriers are related to inadequate labor and financial resources. Incentives focused on finances most increase willingness but only modestly so. Study Implications: Land availability for carbon sequestration can only be realistically understood if we consider private landowner willingness to grow forests. We observed relatively strong enthusiasm for converting young forest and shrubland. Land conversion proponents could tailor management and communication strategies to owners of these land types. Conversion is tied to overcoming negative attitudes about the potential conflict between current management and managing for carbon sequestration and providing resources for conversion. Landowner willingness was less when the agricultural footprint was greater. With much farmland in NYS, the amount of land available for reforestation may be lower than what landcover-based estimates suggest.

СОСТОЯНИЕ И ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ ЗЕМЕЛЬ В НИЖЕГОРОДСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ И ЗАДАЧИ ЗЕМЛЕУСТРОЙСТВА

The author, based on record of the Federal Service for State Registration, Cadaster and Cartography (Rosreestr), the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Resources of the Nizhniy Novgorod Region, the territorial body of the Federal State Statistic Service of the Nizhniy Novgorod Region, gives a comprehensive analysis of the state and the use of agricultural lands of the Nizhniy Novgorod region. The necessity of carrying out required measures for planning and organizing the rational use of agricultural lands and their protection, having regard to the specifics of the region, is substantiated. It was revealed that, despite the provision of the region with land resources, the following negative trends are observed in the change of the land fund of the studied subject of the Russian Federation: reduction of agricultural, including arable land, increase in the area of forest lands due to agricultural land and reserve lands, decrease in acreage, the presence of unused arable land and unclaimed land shares, deterioration of the quality condition soils, the annual increase in washed-away soils of agricultural lands. The main causes of negative processes are anthropogenic factors, such as: historically established remoteness of land from economic centers, short-term lease, low resource availability, non-compliance with crop rotations, and natural conditions. Due to the fact that the region is inhomogeneous in terms of soil, climatic, material, technical and labor resources, the author provides a comparative description of the state and use of agricultural land by zone. As a result of the research, the necessity of carrying out required land management works (hold a complete inventory, drafting inter-farm and farm land use planning of agricultural organizations, with the implementation of the proper crop rotations and the development of a set of anti-erosion measures), performing pedological, geobotanical and other surveys of agricultural lands, taking into account the specifics of the region, within the framework of the regional program for the use and protection of land, provided for in paragraph 1 of Article 10 of the Land Code of the Russian Federation, dated 25 October 2001, No. 136-FZ.

Combination Mechanism of Soil Dissolved Organic Matter and Cu2+ in Vegetable Fields, Forests and Dry Farmland in Lujiang County

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) serves as a critical link in the migration and transformation of heavy metals at the soil–solid interface, influencing the migration behaviour and transformation processes of Cu2+ in soil. There have been studies on the combination mechanisms between DOM and Cu2+ in paddy soils. However, the adsorption/complexation and redox processes between DOM and Cu2+ in other agricultural soil types (such as dry farmland and vegetable fields) are unclear. In order to reveal the combination process of DOM with Cu in different agricultural soil types and the dynamic changes in chemical behaviour that occur, this study analysed the variability of DOM components and structure in three soils using three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In addition, the priority order of different DOM compounds in combination with Cu and the change process in relation to the Cu valence state in the soil of Lujiang County, Anhui Province, was revealed based on laboratory experiments. The results showed that the composition of soil DOM was mainly composed of humic-like and fulvic-like substances with a clear terrestrial origin and that the organic matter showed a high degree of decomposition characteristics. The results indicated that the composition of soil DOM is mainly composed of humic and fulvic acid-like substances, and they have obvious characteristics of terrestrial origin. In addition, the soil organic matter showed high decomposition characteristics. The complex stability constants (lgKM) of humic acid-like substances with Cu2+ follow the order of forest land (lgKM = 5.21), vegetable land (lgKM = 4.90), and dry farmland (lgKM = 4.88). The lgKM of fulvic acid-like substances with Cu2+ is in the order of dry farmland (lgKM = 4.51) and vegetable land (lgKM = 4.39). Humic acid-like substances in soil DOM combine preferentially with Cu2+, showing a stronger chelating affinity than fulvic acid-like substances. Cu2+ complexes mainly include hydroxyl, phenolic hydroxyl and amino functional groups are included in soil DOM, accompanied by redox reactions. In comparison to dry farmland, the soil DOM in forest and vegetable fields undergoes more intense redox reactions simultaneously with the chelation of Cu2+. Therefore, the application of organic fertilisers to vegetable and forest soils may lead to uncertainties concerning the fate of heavy metals with variable chemical valence. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of the interaction mechanisms between DOM and Cu2+ in agricultural soils.