Natural Forest Areas Research Articles

Wildfire exposure to the wildland urban interface in the western US

Predicting wildfire disasters presents a major challenge to the field of risk science, especially when fires propagate long distances through diverse fuel types and complex terrain. A good example is in the western US where large tracts of public lands routinely experience large fires that spread from remote wildlands into developed areas and cause structure loss and fatalities. In this paper we provide the first comprehensive assessment of where public wildlands potentially contribute wildfire exposure to communities in the 11 western US states. We used simulation modeling to map and characterize the composition of the source landscapes (firesheds) and recipient communities in terms of fuels, fire behavior and forest management suitability. The information was used to build a prototype investment prioritization framework that targets highly exposed communities where forest and fuel management activities are feasible. We found that simulated wildfires ignited on national forests can potentially affect about half of the communities in the western US (2560 out of 5118), with 90% of exposure affecting the top 20% of the communities (n = 516). Firesheds within national forests, defined as areas that have the potential to expose communities to fire, were estimated at 35 million ha (62% of the total national forest area), and were almost three times larger than the affected community lands. Large contiguous areas of wildfire transmission were evident on a number of national forests. Only 22% of the fireshed area is forested, fire-adapted, and lies within land management designations that allow mechanical fuels management. The methods demonstrate how cross-boundary exposure can be factored into prioritizing federal investments in hazardous fuels reduction on national forests in concert with community protection measures. The results can also help scale wildfire governance systems to match the geography of risk from large wildfire events, which augments existing assessments that do not explicitly identify the source of risk to communities.

Ecological Characteristics of Atlantic Forest Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in the State of Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil

Dung beetles are insects involved in the organic matter cycle, providing services in ecosystem functions through their feeding and reproductive behavior. Environmental degradation of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil causes a decrease in species richness, which may affect ecosystem processes. However, many of the characteristics related to the ecological functions of dung beetle species remains unknown. Our study aimed to describe the ecological characteristics of dung beetle species that inhabit the natural forest environments of Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil. We used databases from research conducted from 2007 through 2014 coupled with standardized sampling methods to capture copro-necrophagous Scarabaeinae in 103 native Atlantic forest areas in 20 locations in the state of Santa Catarina. The 98 species collected, representing six tribes and 20 genera, were identified, photographed to scale and categorized according to their feeding habit, resource allocation behavior, diel activity, relative abundance, body size, and distribution range in the state. Most of the species were of small size (n = 54) and tunnelers (n = 47), and almost half of the species (n = 42) were found only in one site, while 85 species were considered rare in relative abundance. In addition to contributing to the knowledge of dung beetle ecology in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, this study shows the species distribution in the region and highlights the importance of remaining forest fragments in the maintenance of biodiversity and the ecosystem functions carried out by these beetles.

The socio-economic contribution of <i>Detarium senegalense</i> seeds to rural livelihoods in Togo (West Africa)

Detarium senegalense J. F. Gmel., of the Fabaceae family, is one of the most used tree species in the natural forest area of Togo. The rural population uses several parts of the species to enhance their income. Detarium senegalense provides in particular a high economic valued seed. However, there are only few scientific studies on the contribution of the species to the income of rural households. The objective of this study is to contribute to the promotion of multi-purpose tree species in Togo with particular emphasis on better knowledge of Detarium senegalense. The methodology used is based on semi-structured interviews as well as participatory observations. Detarium senegalense contributes to the economy and livelihood of the rural population through income generated by the collection and trading of seeds. Collectors and traders of the seed are mostly women. The average amount of seed harvested is 45.6 (± 25.3) kg per year per collector and revenue per year per collector is US $ 59 (± 58). Local people can have an important role to secure Detarium senegalense in the degraded natural forests of Togo. However, the sustainable management of this species in the future can only be secured through an active promotion of natural regeneration, enrichment planting and domestication. Keywords : Detarium senegalense, seed harvesting, impact, rural income, Togo.

Status and socio-ecological dimensions of sacred groves in Northeast India

Sacred groves are among one of the best practices of biodiversity conservation used by the ethnic societies which are deeply associated with the religion and culture that significantly nurture nature. As these practices play a vital role in conserving socio-ecologically important species and protect threatened flora and fauna from extinction in different ecological zones. In northeast India, sacred groves are well connected with culture and society through religious beliefs of the population and their associated myths. Sacred groves cover a total of > 40,000 hectares of natural forest area in the five northeastern states of India. These forests house some of the most important and highly threatened species of plants. Wild relatives of present-day cultivated plants are found in these forests and hence act as the gene pool for these species. Social transformation and urbanization have a large impact on the structure and health of these forests and responsible for their destruction. Developmental projects like railways, roads, hydro-electric projects etc. have reportedly destroyed many groves in the past. Due to social transformation, the rate of activities like grazing, encroachment, cutting and collection of fuel wood, fruits and leaves has been increasing and posing a threat to the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem function in the future. Creating awareness about the social and ecological benefits of maintaining sacred groves among local people, especially youth, can help in reviving these practices and conserving them as a natural heritage for future generations is the need of the hour.

KETERBUKAAN TAJUK AKIBAT KEGIATAN PEMANENAN DENGAN TEKNIK REDUCED IMPACT LOGGING DALAM PENGELOLAAN HUTAN ALAM (Studi Kasus Pada Petak Tebangan L37 RKT 2015 IUPHHK–HA PT. Batasan Camp Tontang)

Tropical rainforests have very important functions such as hydrological functions, ecology, economic and social. However, the existence of forest harvesting activities potentially decrease the function. Implementation of poor forest management, causing damages resulting from harvesting processes such as canopy exposure, areal exposure and damage to residual stands. Based on the description it is necessary to do research on the analysis of canopy exposure in natural rain forest area IUPHHK-HA PT. Batasan Camp Tontang. This study aims to determine the extent of canopy exposure due to harvesting activities and to know the relationship between the width of the basic fields of cut down trees per hectare to the exposure of the canopy. This research was conducted on the 2015 RKT and in IUPHHK-HA area of PT.Batasan Camp Tontang,Nanga Serawai Sub-district, Sintang District, West Kalimantan Province. Canopy exposure as a result of harvesting activities is obtained by measuring its openness using a spiracle densiometer tool. The percentage of openness is then analyzed by the equation Y = a + bX, where Y is the percentage of canopy exposure whereas X is the base area of the harvested trees per hectare. To find out the real relationship between the width of the tree base area felled by the openness of the canopy, it is done with the F test and to know the close relationship between variables X with variable Y by closeness relationship test or r test. Timber potential before harvesting in 9 research plots with the tree level average value is 35.78 stems / ha. After harvesting activities, timber potential has decreased due to timber harvesting activities to be 9.33 stems / ha. The percentage of canopy exposure after harvesting activity was 49.35% and included in medium level of exposure. From the calculation results, the equation which is obtained by regression line of the relationship between the width of the base area of the trees cut down per hectare with the value of the canopy expose, shows that the greater tree cutting base area, the greater canopy exposure that occurs.Keyword: Canopy exposure, Degradation, Spiracle Densitometer.

Trends and Insights of Agroforestry Practices in Madhya Pradesh, India

Agroforestry practices in Madhya Pradesh (MP), India existed in the primordial times, which can be evidenced almost in every region of the state; however, the pace of scientific inclusion in agroforestry and its extension is quite slow. There is lack of priority and limited work has been done related to agroforestry practices, possibly due to the presence of large natural forest area in the state. In the present context, to meet the national target of forest cover and to reduce pressure on nature forest, agroforestry seems to be a viable option as it provides a source of income for farming and tribal communities along with countless environmental benefits. This article provides a review and insight of agroforestry and extent of agriculture, horticulture and agroforestry in MP. It also provides information on diverse tree species under agroforestry systems, a mosaic of tree–crop combinations and horticulture species preferred by the farmers in different agro-climatic zones of the state. The authors have also tried to enlist the efforts of various government initiatives and other agencies involved in the extension of agroforestry in the state. The roles of MP Forest Department, MP Forest Development Corporation and allied Departments of the state in agroforestry and tree planting have also been discussed. Marketing of agroforestry produce, farmers’ involvement in agroforestry practices and identification of key policy constraints of agroforestry in the state have been discussed and critically analysed.

Valuation of goods and services derived from plantation forest in peat swamp forest area: the case of South Sumatra Province

Natural forest area is decreasing but planted forest is increasing by years. The main target of establishment of industrial plantation forest is rehabilitating unproductive production forest areas (mitigate land degradation). Plantation forest ecosystem also expected provide some goods and services even though timber production usually become the main service. This paper aims to present data and information about the value of goods and services derived from plantations forest with case studies in the South Sumatra Province. The Total Economic Value (TEV) concept used as the framework to quantify value of the goods and services derived from plantations forest. The TEV concept widely use to measure the utilitarian value of ecosystems to support efficient resources allocation. The result indicates that the economic value of goods and services derived from plantaton forest that reflected by the TEV of plantation forest is about 17,242.72 USD. This value is higher than TEV of natural secondary forest and abandoned peatswamp forest. Its indicates that plantation forest can provide both timber and non-timber benefits that generated by the ecological functions of plantation forest. In peat swamps area, development of plantation forest with adaptive species will support timber producion and mitigate forest land degradation.

Effects of weed management on soil mites in coffee plantations in a Neotropical environment

Environmental disturbance, as a result of land use change and/or different agricultural practices, may have negative impacts on the richness and abundance of edaphic mites. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different weed management methods in coffee plantations on edaphic mites, and to compare these results with mite communities of native forest habitats in southeastern Brazil. Soil samples were taken between the rows of a coffee plantation under different weed management methods, such as without weeding, manual weeding, agricultural grid, contact herbicide (glyphosate), residual herbicide (oxyfluorfen), mechanical tiller, and mechanical mower, and in a native forest area. Weed management affected edaphic mite communities, with the residual herbicide treatment having the greatest impact on species composition, abundance, richness and diversity. The use of manual weeding and the maintenance of unweeded areas were the practices that preserved mite communities closest to those found in native forest habitats. Thus, such practices are recommended as best practices in coffee plantations. Among the studied mites, the groups Oribatida and Mesostigmata were found in all sites, presenting the greatest abundance and richness, and were sensitive to different forms of weed control. On this basis, we suggest these groups as indicators of soil quality in coffee plantations.

Functional shifts in bird communities from semi-natural oak forests to conifer plantations are not consistent across Europe.

While the area of plantation forest increased globally between 2010 and 2015, more than twice the area of natural forests was lost over the same period (6.5 million ha natural forest lost per year versus 3.2 million ha plantation gained per year). Consequently, there is an increasing need to understand how plantation land use affects biodiversity. The relative conservation value of plantation forests is context dependent, being influenced by previous land use, management regimes and landscape composition. What is less well understood, and of importance to conservation management, is the consistency of diversity patterns across regions, and the degree to which useful generalisations can be provided within and among bioregions. Here, we analyse forest birds in Ireland, France and Portugal, representing distinct regions across the Atlantic biogeographic area of Europe. We compared taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of bird communities among conifer plantations and semi-natural oak forests, and assessed correlations between species traits and forest type across these regions. Although bird composition (assessed with NMDS ordination) differed consistently between plantation and oak forests across all three regions, species richness and Shannon diversity did not show a consistent pattern. In Ireland and France, metrics of taxonomic diversity (richness and Shannon diversity), functional diversity, functional dispersion and phylogenetic diversity were greater in oak forests than plantations. However, in Portugal taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity did not differ significantly between forest types, while functional diversity and dispersion were statistically significantly greater in plantations. No single bird trait-forest type association correlated in a consistent direction across the three study regions. Trait associations for the French bird communities appeared intermediate between those in Ireland and Portugal, and when trait correlations were significant in both Ireland and Portugal, the direction of the correlation was always opposite. The variation in response of bird communities to conifer plantations indicates that care is needed when generalising patterns of community diversity and assembly mechanisms across regions.

Plant trees for the planet: the potential of forests for climate change mitigation and the major drivers of national forest area

Forests are one of the most cost-effective ways to sequester carbon today. Here, I estimate the world’s land share under forests required to prevent dangerous climate change. For this, I combine newest longitudinal data of FLUXNET on forests’ net ecosystem exchange of carbon (NEE) from 78 forest sites (N = 607) with countries’ mean temperature and forest area. This straightforward approach indicates that the world’s forests sequester 8.3 GtCO2year−1. For the 2 °C climate target, the current forest land share has to be doubled to 60.0% to sequester an additional 7.8 GtCO2year−1, which demands less red meat consumption. This afforestation/reforestation (AR) challenge is achievable, as the estimated global biophysical potential of AR is 8.0 GtCO2year−1 safeguarding food supply for 10 billion people. Climate-responsible countries have the highest AR potential. For effective climate policies, knowledge on the major drivers of forest area is crucial. Enhancing information here, I analyze forest land share data of 98 countries from 1990 to 2015 applying causal inference (N = 2494). The results highlight that population growth, industrialization, and increasing temperature reduce forest land share, while more protected forest and economic growth generally increase it. In all, this study confirms the potential of AR for climate change mitigation with a straightforward approach based on the direct measurement of NEE. This might provide a more valid picture given the shortcomings of indirect carbon stock-based inventories. The analysis identifies future regional hotspots for the AR potential and informs the need for fast and forceful action to prevent dangerous climate change.

Kemampuan Agroforestri Berbasis Kopi (Coffea arabica) dalam Menyimpan Cadangan Karbon

Each type of forest ecosystem and the species in it have different abilities to absorb CO2 and produce biomass. Coffee-based agroforestry is thought to be able to increase the ability of forests to store carbon as a result of increasing species composition and density of plants in these forest areas. This study aims to determine the composition of plants and carbon stocks stored in coffee-based agroforestry forests in LMDH Paniis RPH Rancakalong BKPH East Manglayang KPH Sumedang Perum Perhutani Regional Division West Java and Banten. This study uses survey and laboratory methods. Data collection is done by collecting data directly at the research location, which is in the agroforestry forest area and natural forest area (as a comparison). Data obtained through observations in the field and laboratory are in the form of tree names, wood density, tree biomass and carbon stocks from biomass. The result shows that the agroforestry forest composition at LMDH Paniis RPH Rancakalong BKPH East Manglayang KPH Sumedang within 17,14 ha consists of Pine (Pinus mercusii), Big-leaf Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) dan Coffee (Coffea arabica). The carbon stock is 1.869,73 kg/ha in agroforestry forest, 2.618,32 kg/ha in primary natural forest, and 1.460,91 kg/ha in secondary natural forest. Agroforestry forest has more carbon stock than the secondary natural forest, but agroforestry forest has less carbon stock than primary natural forest.

Aerial biomass allometric models for Prosopis affinis Spreng. in native Espinal forests of Argentina

ABSTRACT Estimation of carbon stored in forest ecosystems requires accurate biomass prediction tools. The objective of this study was to determine the individual aerial biomass of Prosopis affinis and its distribution by component, to develop allometric models for the estimation of biomass and to estimate biomass expansion factors (BEF) in native forests of Entre Ríos (Argentina). Dendrometric variables on 30 individuals of different diameter classes were measured. Values of total aerial biomass and component biomass (trunk, branches larger than 5 cm in diameter and branches smaller than 5 cm + leaves, flowers and fruits) were determined using the destructive method. Different models were developed, and the best models were selected according to the adjusted coefficient of determination (R2adj), mean squared prediction error, the Akaike information and Bayesian information criteria and the Furnival index. The variables crown area, diameter at breast height and total height were the best estimators of total aerial biomass and component biomass of P. affinis. The single-variable model based on the basal diameter has a very good predictive capacity for total aerial biomass, resulting in a simple model of great practicality. The BEF was significantly different among diameter classes, with mean values between 2.28 and 4.90. The highest values corresponded to individuals with trunk diameters larger than 25 cm. The models developed in this work present high precision (R2adj. ≥ 0.94) for the prediction of total aerial biomass of P. affinis and can be applied in the native forest area of the province of Entre Ríos (Argentina).

Evaluating soil biochemical/microbial indices as ecological indicators of different land use/cover in northern Iran

The objective of the study was to examine changes in microbial parameters have been used to monitor changes in soil quality under different land uses in north of Iran. The microbial parameters included microbial respiration (MR), substrate induced respiration (SIR), carbon availability index (CAI), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), ratio of MBC/MBN, metabolic quotient (qCO2) and microbial ratio were determined under different land use/cover, i.e. virgin natural forest (VNF), degraded natural forest (DNF), alder plantation (AP), sequoia plantation (SP), improved fallow (IF) and home garden (HG) areas in northern Iran. Five composed samples per land use/cover were taken from the top 10 cm of the soil. MR and SIR (0.45 and 1.66 mg CO2-C g−1 day−1, respectively) were found to be significantly higher under AP land uses than in the other areas. CAI did not differ for the land uses; MBC (591 and 590 mg kg−1, respectively) had higher significantly under SP and VNF land uses than in the other areas. MBN (64.25 and 62.33, respectively mg kg−1) was significantly higher in AP and VNF land uses, ratio of MBC/MBN (17.02) was higher in SP land use than other areas, HG had significantly higher qCO2 (0.0012 μg CO2-C mg−1 MBC day−1) and finally microbial ratio was significantly higher under IF (599.16) in comparison with HG > AP ≈ DNF > VNF > SP areas. Overall, our results indicate that AP land use (Alnus subcordata C. A. Mey.) increase of soil quality and alder plantation is suitable for rehabilitation of degraded natural forests.

Accounting for biodiversity in life cycle impact assessments of forestry and agricultural systems—the BioImpact metric

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a useful method for assessing environmental impacts at large scales. Biodiversity and ecosystem diversity are site-specific, often complex, and difficult to generalise within an LCA framework. There is currently no globally acceptable means of assessing biodiversity within the LCA framework. We introduce, test and revise BioImpact, a method for incorporating biodiversity into an LCA framework, on four production systems (native forestry, plantation softwood timber production, cropping and rangeland grazing) in Australia. Our proposed method, a metric we call BioImpact, incorporates biodiversity and ecological impacts through a series of semi-quantitative questions, published data and expert opinion which aim to encapsulate the main issues relating to biodiversity within a disturbance impact framework appropriate to LCA. Results are scaled to a single biodiversity measure that can be incorporated into LCA. We test and revise BioImpact scores on four production systems (native forestry, plantation softwood timber production, cropping and rangeland grazing) in comparison to species richness and net primary productivity (NPP) for these production systems. We demonstrate how the scores can be incorporated into LCA using SimaPro as a platform. For pine plantation, cropping/pastures and rangeland grazing, BioImpact demonstrated greater impact, which represents biodiversity loss for multiple species groups. Native forestry scored significantly lower impact than that of other land uses. As a comparison, all production processes scored highly for species richness of main multiple species groups (vascular plants, invertebrates, birds) and were not different in terms of NPP. Integration of BioImpact into LCA found that the softwood system, despite having a higher biodiversity impact per ha year, had a marginally lower BioImpact score per cubic metre compared to native forestry. This was possibly due to cumulative effects and consideration of the reference benchmark, e.g., low levels of pre-harvest biodiversity when not established on native forests; fewer threatened species (and lesser impact) compared to native forestry; questions not weighted sufficiently; and the difference between establishment on either agricultural cleared land or native forest area. Improvement in scaling and/or weighting within the BioImpact scores within each question is discussed. BioImpact encapsulates different components of biodiversity, is transparent, easily applied (subject to literature/ecological experts) and can be incorporated into LCA. Application of BioImpact for LCA requires co-ordination to identify key regions and production systems; develop the relevant scores with the assistance of ecologists; and make the results available in public LCA databases.

Modeling the soil burn effect for temperature prediction by energy dispersive X ray Fluorescence in an haplic cambisol soil

Considered an important hydrological and geomorphological agent, fire can cause physical, chemical and biological changes in the soil. Besides wildfire, the study of fire effects is also related to traditional agriculture. This study presents the characterization and analysis of soil samples submitted to burn simulation with the objective to build a temperature prediction model in order to determine the maximum temperature reached by real soil burn samples. For this purpose, surface soil samples (0–2.5 cm) classified as Haplic Cambisol were collected from a native forest area close to the studied field. The temperature of the simulation samples ranged from 50 to 750 °C. Moreover, a real burn set of samples were measured for temperature prediction using the proposed model. The characterization and quantification of the chemical elements present in the soil were done by Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) measurements. Plots with Fe concentration and with the Rayleigh and Compton scattering data versus temperature were constructed. The Fe/Rh and Fe/RhC ratios resulted in relative deviations ranging from 14% to 22% using univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis was also applied through partial least squares regression (PLSR) method in four different spectrum regions. The best result was obtained for the model using the spectrum scattering region with r2 = 0.90 and relative deviation ranging from 8% to 25% for the predicted temperature. The use of local multivariate PLSR models improved the results when compared to the univariate regression results.

Evaluating seasonal effect on forest leaf area index mapping using multi-seasonal high resolution satellite pléiades imagery

The forest canopy leaf area index (LAI) is an important structural variable directly affecting functions and structures of terrestrial plant ecosystems. Optical remote sensing techniques may provide an alternative in estimating and mapping plant LAI. However, existing studies on using very high resolution (VHR) multitemporal satellite imagery to map and investigate the seasonal effect on plant LAI at a landscape scale are rare. In this study, we proposed to map and analyze forest LAI using four seasonal Pléiades images and corresponding in situ seasonal LAI measurements collected over a natural forest area in the City of Tampa, Florida, USA. A subset of selected spectral/textural features was used to develop pixel-based seasonal LAI regression models through a two-step feature selection procedure and a canonical correlation analysis. Finally, seasonal changes of the mapped LAIs were analyzed and assessed. Several interesting experimental results were created through this study, including: (i) a set of optimal texture parameters for extracting the 1st- and 2nd-order grey level statistical textures from the Pléiades imagery was determined as a window size 5 × 5, a direction 90° and pixel displacement 4 pixels; (ii) textural features were more important than spectral features in estimating and mapping forest LAI, and red band has a higher power in mapping forest LAI than other three multispectral bands; (iii) the late spring Pleiades image resulted in the highest accuracy for estimating and mapping forest LAI; and (iv) there exists a significant seasonal change of forest LAI in the study area and the seasonal effect on forest LAI mapping can be assessed by using the multi-seasonal VHR satellite imagery at a landscape scale. A novel significance for this study is that it is the first time using both spectral and textural information extracted from the multi-seasonal VHR satellite images to assess the seasonal effect on forest LAI mapping at a landscape scale. Since the experimental results and findings were derived from a relatively small study area, further testing and validation work is needed over different forest ecosystems at a landscape scale.

Spatial patterns of boom and bust forestry investment development: A case study from Western Australia

Land use policies interact with biophysical and socioeconomic characteristics to determine land use and land cover (LULC) changes. This paper presents a method for assessing the determinants of plantation land use transitions from 1979 to 2014 from Landsat data for the Warren River Catchment (4,416 km2) in Western Australia. This catchment is intrinsically interesting because it is a frontier between agriculture, high biodiversity native forests and commercial forest plantations. Further land use policies have had a strong bearing on LULC. Initial forest clearing in the catchment was the result of agricultural development policy. It was followed by the ban on clearing native vegetation on private land in 1978. The Management Investment Scheme introduced in the 1990s led to a rapid increase in the area of plantation forest on agricultural land. The catchment has two significant environmental problems: first dryland salinity leading to land degradation and the salinization of rivers and streams; and second the protection of high levels of endemic biodiversity. LULC changes from 1979 to 2014 reveal that soil depth, distance to urban centres, surrounding land use, and private land are positively correlated with transitions to plantation forest. The Management Investment Scheme brought the largest changes in LULC as land transitioned into Eucalyptus plantations in the 1990s when the tax incentives were introduced and then gradually out of plantations by clear-felling and conversion to agriculture as tax benefits for the scheme were reformulated and uncertainty about the policy increased. Other evidence on policy effects are that the Forest Management Plans have sustained the area of native forest and the ban on clearing has been effective.

Heritability of growth and leaf loss compensation in a long-lived tropical understorey palm.

IntroductionDefoliation and light competition are ubiquitous stressors that can strongly limit plant performance. Tolerance to defoliation is often associated with compensatory growth, which could be positively or negatively related to plant growth. Genetic variation in growth, tolerance and compensation, in turn, plays an important role in the evolutionary adaptation of plants to changing disturbance regimes but this issue has been poorly investigated for long-lived woody species. We quantified genetic variation in plant growth and growth parameters, tolerance to defoliation and compensation for a population of the understorey palm Chamaedorea elegans. In addition, we evaluated genetic correlations between growth and tolerance/compensation.MethodsWe performed a greenhouse experiment with 711 seedlings from 43 families with twelve or more individuals of C. elegans. Seeds were collected in southeast Mexico within a 0.7 ha natural forest area. A two-third defoliation treatment (repeated every two months) was applied to half of the individuals to simulate leaf loss. Compensatory responses in specific leaf area, biomass allocation to leaves and growth per unit leaf area were quantified using iterative growth models.ResultsWe found that growth rate was highly heritable and that plants compensated strongly for leaf loss. However, genetic variation in tolerance, compensation, and the individual compensatory responses was low. We found strong correlations between family mean growth rates in control and defoliation treatments. We did not find indications for growth-tolerance/compensation trade-offs: genetic correlation between tolerance/compensation and growth rate were not significant.ImplicationsThe high genetic variation in growth rate, but low genetic variation in tolerance and compensation observed here suggest high ability to adapt to changes in environment that require different growth rates, but a low potential for evolutionary adaptation to changes in damage or herbivory. The strong correlations between family mean growth rates in control and defoliation treatments suggest that performance differences among families are also maintained under stress of disturbance.

Assessing factors to influence the willingness of smallholders to participate in a replanting zonation scheme in Pelalawan District, Riau Province, Indonesia

Forest cover is one of the most important indicators to sustainable development. Illegal logging arises because of the rising demand for wood products due to increasing population and economic growth, while the total supply of log from forests remains stable or even decreases. To overcome the supply gap for wood, the utilization of wood sources beyond natural forest areas is necessary. One proposed policy option to increase utilization of wood from non-forest areas is to implement replanting zonation scheme for oil palm plantation. This policy option is implemented through three main activities. First, mapping the age divergences of the oil palms; second, making replanting zonation map; and third, integrating the utilization of oil palm trunks in the forest industry’s raw material fulfillment plan (RPBI Kehutanan). Through these policies, the waste of palm trunks can be used as raw materials in wood industries. Without a replanting zonation scheme, oil palm trunks are not a feasible replacement for forest timber because of their scattered location, limited volume, and size.

Biodiversity in tropical plantations is influenced by surrounding native vegetation but not yield: A case study with dung beetles in Amazonia

Human-modified forests, including plantations and managed forest, will be a major component of tropical landscapes in the near future. To conserve biodiversity across modified tropical landscapes we must first understand what influences diversity in planted areas. We studied dung beetle communities in Eucalyptus plantations to assess the influence of local (canopy openness and soil texture) and landscape factors (surrounding native forest cover) on taxonomic and functional diversity, and to determine whether biodiversity in plantations is affected by timber production. Dung beetle community composition in Eucalyptus plantations was largely explained by the surrounding native forest cover, as Simpson’s diversity and functional diversity (Rao’s quadratic entropy) increased with the extent of native forest in buffer areas. However, the abundance of dung beetle species associated with native forest was not explained by any of the explanatory variables. The coarse sand content of the soil explained much of the functional similarity between plantations and native forests, as well as variation in dung beetle community structure. The total abundance of dung beetles in plantations increased with coarse sand content, whereas body mass declined, and dung beetle abundance and functional originality decreased with canopy openness. Timber production intensity did not explain the variation in any of the measured diversity parameters. If enhancing biodiversity in plantations is a management goal, then these results highlight the importance of restoring or retaining native forest areas in modified landscapes. They also suggest that integrated management could improve biodiversity in Eucalyptus plantations without reducing timber production.