Natural Forest Areas Research Articles

Advanced green bioprocess of soil carbohydrate extraction from long-term conversion of forest soil to paddy field

The present research aims to study the long-term impacts of soil extractable carbohydrate content from the conversion of forest to paddy field, using three environmentally friendly methods: ultrasound assist (37 Hz/30 min), hot water (80 °C/4 h), and cold water (25 °C/30 min). Soil samples collected at the depth of 0–15 cm from natural forest, rice paddy, and border area were extracted by distilled water at the ratio 1:10 (soil: water). Contents of soil organic carbon (SOC) and extracted carbohydrate (ECH) in the natural forest and rice paddy were similar, and higher than in border area by 50%. Results showed the highest content of ECH was extracted using hot water (304–691 mg.Carbohydrate/kg soil, 4% of SOC), followed by ultrasound (102–305 mg.Carbohydrate/kg soil, 1.7% of SOC), and the lowest amount addressed to cold-water extraction (65–252 mg.Carbohydrate/kg soil, 1.2% of SOC). The ECH/SOC ratios in three soil types were the same and ranged from 0.9% to 4.2%. We conclude the long-term conversion of forest to rice paddy maintain both SOC and ECH, furthermore, hot water extraction at 80 °C/4 h is the optimum method for extraction of carbohydrate using non-chemical solvents.

Geographic distribution modeling and taxonomy of Stephadiscus lyratus (Cothouny in Gould, 1846) (Charopidae) reveal potential distributional areas of the species along the Patagonian Forests.

BackgroundStephadiscus lyratus (Couthouy in Gould, 1846), an endemic Charopidae from southern South America, was described from few dry shells. The distribution of this species is known on scattering occurrences, mainly from material deposited in museum collections. We provide here new information on anatomy, habitat, and microhabitat preferences and estimate the potential geographic distribution of the species to test if it is exclusively endemic to the Subpolar Magellanic Forest.MethodsFieldwork was carried out in the National Parks of the Patagonian Forests. Snails were photographed, measured, and dissected for anatomical studies; shells were studied with scanning electron microscopy. Estimation of the species geographical distribution (EGD) was obtained through correlative ecological niche modeling (ENM). We designed a calibration area a priori with known species points of occurrence in the Magellanic Subpolar Forests and borders of the Patagonian steppe. Seven bioclimatic variables of the WorldClim database were used. The best ENMs were calibrated and selected using a maximum entropy method with Maxent v3.3.3K through the R package “kuenm”. Candidate models were created by combining four values of regularization multiplier and all possible combinations of three feature classes. We evaluated candidate model performance based on significance (partial ROC), omission rates (E = 5%), and model complexity (AICc). From the best models obtained, a final model was transferred to a region “G” consisting of the calibration area plus the Valdivian Temperate Forests and whole Patagonian steppe, where we hypothesize that the species could be present. Finally, we obtained binary presence-absence maps. We quantified the proportion of the occurrence points and distribution range of S. lyratus in different land cover categories. To explore the degree of protection of S. lyratus’EGD, we quantified the proportion of its distributional range within protected areas.ResultsA be-lobed kidney, a close secondary ureter, the terminal portion of the uterus forming a compact glandular mass, and the vas deferens with a dilatation are new anatomical information that distinguishes this species. Stephadiscus lyratus inhabit cold native forest areas, mainly living on or under humid logs in contact with the ground. The main constraining variables to explain S. lyratus distribution in the EGD were BIO3, BIO12, BIO6, and BIO4. The potential area of distribution obtained almost duplicates their original range (140,454 km2) extending to the Valdivian Temperate forests mainly in Chile. Natural and semi-natural terrestrial vegetation was predominant in the potential area of distribution of S. lyratus. However, only 14.7% of this area occurs within current protected areas from Argentina and Chile. The ectothermic physiological traits of this species, low dispersal capacity, and its narrow habitat requirements turn S. lyratus into a potentially vulnerable species.

Isolation and identification of fungi associated with natural forest land and post-mining areas of PT. Vale Indonesia: Preliminary study

This study aimed to determine the types of fungi that can provide information on microbes associated with the post-mining forest land area of PT. Vale Indonesia. This study used a descriptive method by recording and describing the phenomena obtained. Sampling in the field was done by taking 500 g of soil/point (with three replications). Soil samples were taken around the roots or rhizosphere areas with 10 - 30 cm depth in natural and reclamation forest areas. Isolation of microbial growth was conducted by using the dilution technique. The purification of the obtained isolates was carried out by inoculation in PDA media with the point method, then incubated for ± 5 days at 27°C, and their growth was observed. Characterization of microscopic fungi isolates was identified based on the characteristics of the morphological structures. Based on preliminary research results of fungi soil samples originating from reclamation and natural forest areas, 11 rhizosphere fungi isolates were obtained. The fungi colonies’ color at the top and bottom had various colors and different textures. Greenish and whitish colors dominated the colony color, but some isolates had white, brown, cream, gray, yellowish, whitish, greenish colors, and some had spots. Colony texture was dominated by velvet, but some isolates had the texture of fine cotton and coarse cotton, presumably Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus sp, Fusarium oxysporum, Pénicillium sp., Trichoderma harzianum, and Trichoderma viride. This research will be continued to ascertain the type and function of each isolate.

An overview of the gasohol market in Vietnam, the next direction?

To ensure energy security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase agricultural output, the Vietnamese government has issued several policies to promote gasohol, resulting in remarkable achievements in gasohol development in recent years. However, unexpected limitations have been seen by other countries after a period of using this fuel such as air pollution, threats to food security, deterioration of natural forest area and severely depleted freshwater resources. This paper presents an overview of the current state of Vietnam's gasohol market and a brief analysis of policy, supply - demand - price information, from which some hindrances are identified and a few more optimistic directions to develop this type of fuel in the future are proposed.

Analisis Kebijakan Pemerintah Dalam Perlindungan Satwa Langka Di Indonesia

Protection and management of conservation, biodiversity and ecosystems in Indonesia is very necessary, one of that is the protection of endangered species. The existence of endemic species in a conservation area can be an indicator that the protection and management of the area is running well and sustainable. The area of ​​Indonesia's original natural forests is currently shrinking rapidly. So now animals life is increasingly threatened because of human growth that is more rapidly and human civilization that more sophisticated. Therefore, this journal aims to analyze the protection and preservation of endangered species in Indonesia’s by using normative legal research methods. The approach method in this research is a statute approach with secondary data sources. The secondary data referred to include primary legal materials, secondary legal materials, and tertiary legal materials.

Mosquitos (Diptera: Culicidae) en trampas de oviposición puestas en fragmentos de selva estacional semidecidua de dominancia Atlántica, Estado de Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

This study aimed to compare the mosquito fauna found in three remnant forest fragments of a semideciduous seasonal forest by using oviposition traps in the northwestern region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Between 2018 and 2019, larvae were collected quarterly in three forest fragments, one situated in an urban area, another in a rural area close to the city and a third formed by an extensive area of native forest far from the urban environment. Four species were caught: Aedes terrens (Walker, 1856) (282), Limatus durhamii Theobald, 1901 (30), Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) (23) and Toxorhynchites theobaldi (Dyar and Knab, 1906) (6). The Morisita-Horn index indicated a high similarity between the fragments studied (>80%). The mean number of mosquitoes collected in the rural area was significantly higher than in the other areas (F = 6.073; d.f. = 17; p <0.05). The calculation of the phi coefficient to assess the co-occurrence of two species in the same trap did not indicate significant values (p> 0.05). Aedes terrens demonstrated a good ability to colonize and inhabit the different types of forest fragments studied. In addition, the forest fragment located in a rural area close to the urban area offered conditions for the survival of species of wild and urban mosquitoes, such as Ae. aegypti.

Agriculture and forest land use change in the continental United States: Are there tipping points?

SummaryLand use in the United States (US) is driven by multiple forces operating at the global level, such as income and population growth, yield and productivity improvement, trade policy, climate change, and changing diets. Future land use has implications for biodiversity, run-off, carbon storage, ecosystem values, agriculture, and the broader economy. We investigate those forces and their implications from a multisector, multisystem dynamics (MSD) perspective focused on understanding dynamics and resilience in complex interdependent systems. Historical trends show slight increases in grassland and natural forest areas and decreases in cropland. We project these trends to intensify under higher pressures for agriculture land and reduce under lower pressures, with no evidence of tipping points toward larger agricultural land abandonment or deforestation. However, US sectoral output and trade, fertilizer use, N2O and CH4 emissions from agriculture activities, and CO2 emissions from land use changes are substantially impacted under land use forcing scenarios.

Quarter of a century of forest fertilization and liming research at the Department of Silviculture in Prague, Czech Republic

Abstract Fertilization and liming began to be used in forestry at the beginning of the 20th century in order to increase growth, for improvement of health status or higher resistance to biotic and abiotic factors. The review summarizes results of 48 studies of forest fertilization, nutrition and liming published in scientific journals by authors of Department of Silviculture in Prague over the past more than 20 years. They deal mainly with monitoring of the effect of fertilization and liming applied during planting or shortly after planting of 18 tree species. Moreover, the results of fertilization in older stands are presented. Separate chapters deal with enhancing substrates (soil conditioners and phytohormones). All forest vegetation ranges are covered, from lowland forests to the subalpine belt of grass vegetation in 11 Natural Forest Areas. Forest fertilizing and liming proved beneficial according to most of the studies. The use of fertilizers can be detected in soils after decades. On the other hand, only in a minority of cases was fertilization reflected in the chemistry of the assimilation apparatus and other parts of the trees for a longer period. The main positive effect of fertilization and liming was increase of tree growth and foliation and decrease of mortality and yellowing symptoms. Inconsistent results were documented in some cases, especially for brassinosteroids and alginite compared to good results in slow release fertilizer done by spot-application. The type of product, concentration, time and method of application play an important role in the appropriate use of fertilization and liming.

SOIL SEED BANK AS A BIOINDICATOR TO IDENTIFY INVASIVE SPECIES

This study aimed to characterize the soil seed bank in an area dominated by Leucaena leucocephala, here called “Povoamento de Leucaena” (PL) and an area of native forest in the Parque Estadual do Rio Doce (PERD), both of which are affected by the city of Ipatinga, MG. Thirty sample units (SU) with dimensions of 25.0 x 25.0 x 5.0 cm were installed in each of the study areas and the seed bank of the areas was collected and evaluated. The emerging seedlings were counted and identified; the evaluations were carried out weekly during the six-month period. The average density of germinated seeds was 716.2 seeds/m² in the PL and 86.4 seeds/m² in the PERD area. In addition, 39 species were identified in the PL area (41% exotic), while in the PERD area 32 species were identified (25% exotic). The exotic tree species that stood out in number of individuals were Muntingia calabura and L. leucocephala, representing 82.57% and 5.88%, respectively of the total individuals found. Therefore, both environments are under strong environmental pressure, requiring the control of existing exotic species, as well as enrichment actions with the planting of species of diversity to accelerate the restoration process in the PL area.

SOIL ORGANIC MATTER IN AREAS UNDER YERBA MATE CULTIVATION AND SWINE WASTE APPLICATION

Carbon and nitrogen contents, as well as their chemical fractions (humic acid - HAF, fulvic acid - FAF, humin - HUM) and particle-size fractions (particulate organic carbon - POC, mineral-associated organic carbon - MAOC) of organic matter were evaluated in areas cultivated with yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) with 35 (E35) and 45 (E45) consecutive years of cultivation, in addition to a native forest area (NF), taken as reference. The soils of the study area were classified as Cambissolo Háplico (Inceptisol). Soil samples were collected at depths of 0.0-0.05, 0.05-0.10, 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.40 cm. A completely randomized design in split plots (3 areas and 4 depths) with 4 replicates was used. The E45 area, due to the longer cultivation time and the addition of organic fertilizer, had higher TOC, N and POC contents in comparison to the E35 area, with similar values of these attributes being observed in the forest area at some depths. The most stable carbon fractions (MAOC and HUM) did not vary between cultivated areas (E35 and E45); however, there were reductions of 25 and 14% (HUM 0-5 cm) and 12 and 21% (MAOC 5-10 cm) in these fractions, respectively, in comparison to the native forest. There was no difference between the evaluated areas for FAF, but HAF values were higher in the native forest area than in the cultivated areas.

Changes in soil mesofauna structure due to different land use systems in south Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Essential to the provision of important ecosystems services, i.e., food production, soil is suffering great pressure. The degradation of natural areas in order to turn them into croplands has been causing severe effects to the soil quality, including the maintenance of their biodiversity. Soil physical disruption reduce the soil biodiversity and, consequently, may cause negative effects to the supporting services, i.e., organic matter degradation and nutrient cycling, which will directly or indirectly impact agroecosystems. In this study, the influence of three different types of land uses (native forest (NF), conventional agriculture (CA), and organic agriculture (OA)) to the soil mesofauna (emphasizing collembolan and mites) were assessed under real scenarios in the southeast part of Brazil. Both conventional and organic fields were of strawberries, and the greatest difference in their processes was the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, performed at CA. Soil fauna organisms were collected and identified to main groups, except the collembolan species which were further separated into four main groups/family. Results showed that not only the physical changes due to soil tillage caused negative effects to soil fauna. In the field where the use of agricultural products was allowed, organisms were much more severely affected. Hence, the conversion of natural forested areas to agricultural lands may harm soil fauna communities through biodiversity loss. This study not only adds significant information to the knowledge regarding the relation between biodiversity loss and agricultural practices worldwide, but it also helps to improve Brazilian knowledge of the edaphic fauna in agroecosystems.

Considerations on Forest Changes of Northwest China in Past Seven Decades

Forests cover four billion hectares (31%) of the Earth’s landmass and contain over 75% of all carbon in vegetation. They provide renewable raw materials and natural amenities, protect land and water resources, harbor biological diversity, and mitigate climate change. However, due to less precipitation, the forest coverage rate is only 5.86% in Northwest China. The forests in these arid areas are mainly distributed in alpine areas, which play a key role in runoff regulation and ensure the ecological and economic development of the middle and lower reaches of the inland basins. In the past several decades, China had experienced large-scale deforestation and reforestation. What were the changes of the few forest areas and growing stock in arid Northwest China? Has forest quality been restored? Changes of that had been analyzed in this article. The results showed that the forest area and growing stock decreased greatly from the 1950s to 1970s; the artificial forest area increased clearly; the natural forest area stabilized from the 1980s, growing stock of forest per unit area was still lower than that in the 1950s; and the forest quality had not yet been restored. Results of the analysis of influencing factors showed that the policy-led human activities in different periods were the efficient cause of forest changes in Northwest China. With the development of forestry science, more and more attention has been paid to forest ecological restoration. “Three-North Shelter Forest Program (TNSFP)” in 1978 had made great progress on forest areas by afforestation, and the ecological benefits and economic benefits also increased remarkably owing to the increase in the artificial forest area. In recent years, great progress on forest areas has been made by afforestation, and the forests also contribute significantly to the ecology and economy. However, large-scale afforestation in the Loess Plateau had caused a phenomenon of large investment and little effect on water conservation in some afforestation areas, which showed that afforestation initiated under different polices, which were not always scientifically based, resulted in unintended consequences. Clear ecological principles should be used to ensure best environmental and forest ecology outcomes.

Conservation planning on China's borders with Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam.

Transboundary conservation is playing an increasingly important role in maintaining ecosystem integrity and halting biodiversity loss caused by anthropogenic activities. However, lack of information on species distributions in transboundary regions and understanding of the threats in these areas impairs conservation. We developed a spatial conservation plan for the transboundary areas between Yunnan province, southwestern China, and neighboring Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam in the Indo‐Burma biodiversity hotspot. To identify priority areas for conservation and restoration, we determined species distribution patterns and recent land‐use changes and examined the spatiotemporal dynamics of the connected natural forest, which supports most species. We assessed connectivity with equivalent connected area (ECA), which is the amount of reachable habitat for a species. An ECA incorporates the presence of habitat in a patch and the amount of habitat in other patches within dispersal distance. We analyzed 197,845 locality records from specimen collections and monographs for 21,004 plant and vertebrate species. The region of Yunnan immediately adjacent to the international borders had the highest species richness, with 61% of recorded species and 56% of threatened vertebrates, which suggests high conservation value. Satellite imagery showed the area of natural forest in the border zone declined by 5.2% (13,255 km2) from 1995 to 2018 and monoculture plantations increased 92.4%, shrubland 10.1%, and other cropland 6.2%. The resulting decline in connected natural forest reduced the amount of habitat, especially for forest specialists with limited dispersal abilities. The most severe decline in connectivity was along the Sino‐Vietnamese border. Many priority areas straddle international boundaries, indicating demand and potential for establishing transboundary protected areas. Our results illustrate the importance of bi‐ and multilateral cooperation to protect biodiversity in this region and provide guidance for future conservation planning and practice.

How Much Can We See from a UAV-Mounted Regular Camera? Remote Sensing-Based Estimation of Forest Attributes in South American Native Forests

Data collection from large areas of native forests poses a challenge. The present study aims at assessing the use of UAV for forest inventory on native forests in Southern Chile, and seeks to retrieve both stand and tree level attributes from forest canopy data. Data were collected from 14 plots (45 × 45 m) established at four locations representing unmanaged Chilean temperate forests: seven plots on secondary forests and seven plots on old-growth forests, including a total of 17 different native species. The imagery was captured using a fixed-wing airframe equipped with a regular RGB camera. We used the structure from motion and digital aerial photogrammetry techniques for data processing and combined machine learning methods based on boosted regression trees and mixed models. In total, 2136 trees were measured on the ground, from which 858 trees were visualized from the UAV imagery of the canopy, ranging from 26% to 88% of the measured trees in the field (mean = 45.7%, SD = 17.3), which represented between 70.6% and 96% of the total basal area of the plots (mean = 80.28%, SD = 7.7). Individual-tree diameter models based on remote sensing data were constructed with R2 = 0.85 and R2 = 0.66 based on BRT and mixed models, respectively. We found a strong relationship between canopy and ground data; however, we suggest that the best alternative was combining the use of both field-based and remotely sensed methods to achieve high accuracy estimations, particularly in complex structure forests (e.g., old-growth forests). Field inventories and UAV surveys provide accurate information at local scales and allow validation of large-scale applications of satellite imagery. Finally, in the future, increasing the accuracy of aerial surveys and monitoring is necessary to advance the development of local and regional allometric crown and DBH equations at the species level.

Carbon and phosphorus biogeochemical cycles in native forest and horticultural areas in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba, Brazil

This study was carried out to understand the dynamics of carbon and phosphorus biogeochemical cycles in native forest and horticultural areas. Soilsamples were collected from native forest and horticultural areas, in four municipalities in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba, Brazil, and evaluated for: carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus of soil microbial biomass (MBC, MBN and MBP, respectively), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), inorganic phosphorus (iP), organic phosphorus (oP) and available phosphorus (aP. Soil suspensions diluted at 10-4were spread on plates and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) were counted. The analyses showed that horticultural areas soils accumulated 43% more TP whereas they lost 23% of TOC and 19% of TN comparing to native areas. 69% of TP in the native areas was organic (oP) whereas 59% of TP in the horticultural areas was inorganic (iP). Horticultural areas had lower numbers of colony forming unities of PSB than native areas. PSB was positively correlated with the ratio of MBC to TOC (qMic), which in turn, was negatively correlated with TOC and TN. Changes in the soil P fractions suggested a shift inthe soil community bacterial structure and in the values of soil microbial biomass of the two different soil ecosystems. The excessive P addition may stimulate soil microbial attack to soil organic matter reserves, whichmay have consequences for maintenance of soil quality and agriculture sustainability

Ecology and morphology of the dwarf bromeliad boa Ungaliophis panamensis (Squamata, Boidae, Ungaliophiinae) in Costa Rica and Panama

Ecological and morphological data on Ungaliophis panamensis is extremely limited as this species is rarely encountered. These knowledge gaps have been advanced in this study where data was analysed from a small sample of snakes collected in two tropical forested environments in Costa Rica and Panama. Standardised major axis testing and a Bayesian latent variable ordination revealed that the species is sexually dimorphic, closely associated with tree trunks in natural forested areas, and occasionally discovered in rural buildings. Although further investigation into its natural history is warranted, this study shows that even with just a few individuals it is possible to elucidate ecological information that is relevant to the conservation of snake species.

Comparison of Soil Properties, Understory Vegetation Species Diversities and Soil Microbial Diversities between Chinese Fir Plantation and Close-to-Natural Forest

With the continuous increase in plantation areas, the reduction of natural forest areas, and the unreasonable management of plantations by human beings, the service function of forest ecosystems has gradually reduced. Therefore, close-to-natural forestry has become important for the sustainable development of modern forestry. However, the differences in soil properties, enzyme activities, microbial diversities, and undergrowth vegetation species diversities have not been systematically explained for Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata). How do these indicators interact? The purpose of this paper was to study the difference in soil properties and biodiversity in different aged Chinese fir plantations and close-to-natural forests to explore their interactions and to provide direction for close-to-nature management. The results showed that the above indicators were significantly different in different aged Chinese fir plantations, soil pH, organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen, available phosphorus concentrations, and urease activities in close-to-natural forests were significantly higher than plantations. It is worth mentioning that the richness of undergrowth vegetation species diversity (especially shrubs) and soil microbial diversities (especially fungi) in the close-to-natural forests were obviously higher than those in plantations. The correlation analysis results showed that the diversity of shrub species with respect to soil properties presented a higher correlation than herb species, the diversity of fungi with respect to soil properties presented a higher correlation than that observed for bacteria, and the diversity of fungi were significantly correlated with the diversity of undergrowth vegetation species diversities, but the correlation between bacteria and undergrowth vegetation species diversities was not significant. Our results suggest that the above factors are fundamental factors for the transformation of Chinese fir plantations to close-to-natural forests. To realize close-to-natural forestry, we must change the tree structure, combine the difference of those factors in different aged plantations, restore undergrowth vegetation species diversity, and thus improve microbial diversity and increase decomposition, transformation, and improvement of soil properties.

An Evaluation of Pixel- and Object-Based Tree Species Classification in Mixed Deciduous Forests Using Pansharpened Very High Spatial Resolution Satellite Imagery

Quality tree species information gathering is the basis for making proper decisions in forest management. By applying new technologies and remote sensing methods, very high resolution (VHR) satellite imagery can give sufficient spatial detail to achieve accurate species-level classification. In this study, the influence of pansharpening of the WorldView-3 (WV-3) satellite imagery on classification results of three main tree species (Quercus robur L., Carpinus betulus L., and Alnus glutinosa (L.) Geartn.) has been evaluated. In order to increase tree species classification accuracy, three different pansharpening algorithms (Bayes, RCS, and LMVM) have been conducted. The LMVM algorithm proved the most effective pansharpening technique. The pixel- and object-based classification were applied to three pansharpened imageries using a random forest (RF) algorithm. The results showed a very high overall accuracy (OA) for LMVM pansharpened imagery: 92% and 96% for tree species classification based on pixel- and object-based approach, respectively. As expected, the object-based exceeded the pixel-based approach (OA increased by 4%). The influence of fusion on classification results was analyzed as well. Overall classification accuracy was improved by the spatial resolution of pansharpened images (OA increased by 7% for pixel-based approach). Also, regardless of pixel- or object-based classification approaches, the influence of the use of pansharpening is highly beneficial to classifying complex, natural, and mixed deciduous forest areas.

Analysis of Regional Distribution of Tree Species Using Multi-Seasonal Sentinel-1&2 Imagery within Google Earth Engine

Accurate information on tree species is in high demand for forestry management and further investigations on biodiversity and environmental monitoring. Over regional or large areas, distinguishing tree species at high resolutions faces the challenges of a lack of representative features and computational power. A novel methodology was proposed to delineate the explicit spatial distribution of six dominant tree species (Pinus tabulaeformis, Quercus mongolia, Betula spp., Populus spp., Larix spp., and Armeniaca sibirica) and one residual class at 10 m resolution. Their spatial patterns were analyzed over an area covering over 90,000 km2 using the analysis-ready large volume of multisensor imagery within the Google Earth engine (GEE) platform afterwards. Random forest algorithm built into GEE was used together with the 20th and 80th percentiles of multitemporal features extracted from Sentinel-1/2, and topographic features. The composition of tree species in natural forests and plantations at the city and county-level were performed in detail afterwards. The classification achieved a reliable accuracy (77.5% overall accuracy, 0.71 kappa), and the spatial distribution revealed that plantations (Pinus tabulaeformis, Populus spp., Larix spp., and Armeniaca sibirica) outnumber natural forests (Quercus mongolia and Betula spp.) by 6% and were mainly concentrated in the northern and southern regions. Arhorchin had the largest forest area of over 4500 km2, while Hexingten and Aohan ranked first in natural forest and plantation area. Additionally, the class proportion of the number of tree species in Karqin and Ningcheng was more balanced. We suggest focusing more on the suitable areas modeling for tree species using species’ distribution models and environmental factors based on the classification results rather than field survey plots in further studies.

Evaluation of soil organic matter from integrated production systems using laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy

Agricultural areas under integrated production systems, such as Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forest System (CLFS), have the potential to sequestrate carbon (C) since both Soil Organic Matter (SOM) content and trees biomass increase thus mitigating the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from agriculture. Regarding soil aspects, the C content stands out as the main indicator, but the structural aspect of SOM is also relevant since it plays a key role in the chemical stability of C compounds and the soil lifetime of C compounds. Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy (LIFS) is an effective technique to evaluate the SOM humification index (HLIFS) from practically intact whole soil samples under different agricultural systems. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the SOM humification index in different integrated systems, such as Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forest System (CLFS), Integrated Livestock-Forest System (LFS), Integrated Crop-Livestock System (CLS), and in references areas, such as Intensive Pasture (INT), Extensive Pasture (EXT) and Native Forest (NF). For this purpose, samples of Red-yellow Latosol (Haplorthox by Soil taxonomy) from the experimental site located at Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste (Southeast of Brazil) were collected five years after the establishment of the integrated systems. Samples were collected at soil depths of 0–5, 5–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, 40–60, 60–80, and 80–100 cm. Pellets of the whole soil samples were prepared for LIFS analysis. In these areas, SOM humification indices (HLIFS) presented the following descending order: CLS > EXT > INT > LFS > CLFS > NF. Previous results have shown a greater soil organic carbon stock in these integrated production systems than in the NF area, suggesting C sequestration in agricultural soil. In the present study, SOM was classified by LIFS as more chemically stable in integrated production systems than in native vegetation. Higher amounts of fluorescent compounds were identified from LIFS data, probably resulting from condensed aromatic groups. SOM with more recalcitrant groups normally has a longer lifetime in the soil, indicating a long-term contribution to mitigating climate change by avoiding fast SOM decomposition and CO2 return to the atmosphere. Also, for the first time, this study was able to identify a positive correlation (R = 0.79) between the SOM humification index (HLIFS) and the Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)/C content ratio of whole soil samples, another innovative contribution from soil LIFS analyses.