Shortest Tree Research Articles

Local Scale Biogeographic Variation in the Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) Phyllosphere.

The phyllosphere (aerial plant surfaces colonized by microorganisms) remains an understudied ecosystem in terms of bacterial biogeography, particularly at intermediate or local spatial scales. This study characterized the phyllosphere bacterial community on the leaves of 87 Magnolia grandiflora trees sampled throughout a small town, encompassing an area of approximately 60 km2. Sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene revealed the dominant bacterial phyla to be Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Acidobacteria, consistent with other studies of the phyllosphere. There was a small but significant relationship between the phyllosphere community similarity and the distance between the trees (i.e., trees further apart were more likely to have dissimilar bacterial communities). There was also a relationship between the assigned categories of tree height (low, medium, high) and the phyllosphere bacterial community composition, with the trees in the high category having more diverse bacterial communities on their leaves than the shorter trees. This study provides insight into the relationship between phyllosphere community composition and host tree characteristics and shows that the distance between M. grandiflora trees has a significant, albeit low, influence on bacterial composition. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of phyllosphere microbiome biogeography, highlighting how individual tree characteristics and spatial proximity shape phyllosphere bacterial communities.

The Bayesian Phylogenetic Bootstrap and its Application to Short Trees and Branches.

Felsenstein's bootstrap is the most commonly used method to measure branch support in phylogenetics. Current sequencing technologies can result in massive sampling of taxa (e.g. SARS-CoV-2). In this case, the sequences are very similar, the trees are short, and the branches correspond to a small number of mutations (possibly 0). Nevertheless, these trees contain a strong signal, with unresolved parts but a low rate of false branches. With such data, Felsenstein's bootstrap is not satisfactory. Due to the frequentist nature of bootstrap sampling, the expected support of a branch corresponding to a single mutation is ∼63%, even though it is highly likely to be correct. Here, we propose a Bayesian version of the phylogenetic bootstrap in which sites are assigned uninformative prior probabilities. The branch support can then be interpreted as a posterior probability. We do not view the alignment as a small subsample of a large sample of sites, but rather as containing all available information (e.g. as with complete viral genomes, which are becoming routine). We give formulas for expected supports under the assumption of perfect phylogeny, in both the frequentist and Bayesian frameworks, where a branch corresponding to a single mutation now has an expected support of ∼90%. Simulations show that these theoretical results are robust to realistic data. Analyses on low-homoplasy viral and nonviral datasets show that Bayesian bootstrap support is easier to interpret, with high supports for branches very likely to be correct. As homoplasy increases, the two supports become closer and strongly correlated.

Space-Based Mapping of Pre- and Post-Hurricane Mangrove Canopy Heights Using Machine Learning with Multi-Sensor Observations

Coastal mangrove forests provide numerous ecosystem services, which can be disrupted by natural disturbances, mainly hurricanes. Canopy height (CH) is a key parameter for estimating carbon storage. Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is widely viewed as the most accurate method for estimating CH but data are often limited in spatial coverage and are not readily available for rapid impact assessment after hurricane events. Hence, we evaluated the use of systematically acquired space-based Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and optical observations with airborne LiDAR to predict CH across expansive mangrove areas in South Florida that were severely impacted by Category 3 Hurricane Irma in 2017. We used pre- and post-Irma LiDAR-derived canopy height models (CHMs) to train Random Forest regression models that used features of Sentinel-1 SAR time series, Landsat-8 optical, and classified mangrove maps. We evaluated (1) spatial transfer learning to predict regional CH for both time periods and (2) temporal transfer learning coupled with species-specific error correction models to predict post-Irma CH using models trained by pre-Irma data. Model performance of SAR and optical data differed with time period and across height classes. For spatial transfer, SAR data models achieved higher accuracy than optical models for post-Irma, while the opposite was the case for the pre-Irma period. For temporal transfer, SAR models were more accurate for tall trees (>10 m) but optical models were more accurate for short trees. By fusing data of both sensors, spatial and temporal transfer learning achieved the root mean square errors (RMSEs) of 1.9 m and 1.7 m, respectively, for absolute CH. Predicted CH losses were comparable with LiDAR-derived reference values across height and species classes. Spatial and temporal transfer learning techniques applied to readily available spaceborne satellite data can enable conservation managers to assess the impacts of disturbances on regional coastal ecosystems efficiently and within a practical timeframe after a disturbance event.

Mangrove freeze resistance and resilience across a tropical‐temperate transitional zone

Abstract Freeze events govern the distribution and structure of mangrove ecosystems, especially in tropical‐temperate transitional zones. Understanding mangrove responses to freezing is crucial for predicting their poleward expansion under climate change. However, there is a need for field‐based measurements of mangrove freeze resistance and resilience. After an extreme winter storm in December 2022, we measured mangrove post‐freeze damage and recovery (January and November 2023), building on a pre‐freeze baseline assessment conducted in July 2022 across 12 sites along the temperature gradient of Florida's Gulf of Mexico coast (USA). Low‐temperature thresholds for leaf damage to Avicennia germinans, Rhizophora mangle and Laguncularia racemosa were quantified near −6, −4 and − 4°C, respectively. Thresholds for mortality were found to be near −6 to −7°C for A. germinans and −4 to −5°C for R. mangle. A threshold for loss of reproductivity in A. germinans was identified near −6 to −7°C. Resprouting was observed in all three species but limited to just one individual for R. mangle. Surviving A. germinans resprouted vigorously and had the greatest number of resprout branches, which was proportional to leaf damage. Tall A. germinans had a higher resprout percentage than short trees. Strata‐specific differences in freeze damage were most pronounced for R. mangle, with higher damage in tall versus short trees, while no difference was found between A. germinans strata. These results suggest that R. mangle population recovery may depend on the growth of short trees, while A. germinans can recover from all strata. Minimum air temperature was strongly correlated with mangrove height and above‐ground biomass. Projections of future minimum temperature and species‐specific freeze degree days predict warming winters, suggesting further mangrove development and range expansion under climate change. Synthesis: Collectively, our study advances understanding of mangrove responses to freezing and identifies low‐temperature thresholds for each species, aiding predictions of mangrove range expansion.

Optimized design of horseshoe-and-spur filterless networks leveraging point-to-multipoint coherent pluggable transceivers

Cutting-edge network architectures and solutions are needed to empower operators to address capacity demands in metro and access networks efficiently. The horseshoe topology, along with similar topologies, is commonly employed in metro-aggregation segments due to its compatibility with the hub-and-spoke traffic pattern present in these networks and the survivability that they can provide. A filterless architecture can enhance cost-effectiveness by replacing active elements with passive components. Moreover, supporting coherent-based point-to-multipoint transceivers—enabled by digital subcarrier multiplexing (DSCM)—can yield additional cost savings. It is noteworthy that telecommunication network topologies often evolve to accommodate more end (leaf) nodes, extending the original horseshoe with spurs or small and short trees. This paper targets these types of networks and proposes combining the utilization of coherent pluggable transceivers leveraging DSCM to guarantee transparent communication between the hub and leaf nodes while adopting different filterless node architectures with selective amplifier deployment. Moreover, it discusses the potential advantages of the architecture using an exact optimization framework tailored to various network sizes and scenarios, which accounts for the amplifiers’ placement and the available types of power splitters/combiners/couplers. The results demonstrate that strategically deploying add/drop and express amplifiers, along with optimizing coupler ratios, can effectively meet design requirements while minimizing the number of optical amplifiers required.

Characterizing forest structural changes in response to non-stand replacing disturbances using bitemporal airborne laser scanning data

Characterizing the extent, severity, and persistence of natural disturbances in forests is crucial in areas as large and heterogeneous as the Canadian boreal forest. Non-stand replacing (NSR) disturbances, in particular, can produce subtle and lagged impacts to forest canopy and structure with mechanisms that remain elusive, and they are challenging to discern using typical remote sensing approaches including aerial photointerpretation and spectral analysis of satellite imagery. Consequently, there is a need for timely and accurate information on the structural modifications due to NSR disturbances to inform proactive forest management practices. To address these needs, we leveraged a unique bitemporal airborne laser scanning (ALS) dataset to characterize changes in the forest structure caused by eastern spruce budworm (ESB, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.)), responsible for one of the greatest tree mortality in Canada. A range of infestation severity with varying impacts to forest structure are examined in a mixedwood boreal forest in Lac-Saint Jean, Quebec, Canada. We derived 14 ALS structural change metrics at 10 m spatial resolution, including height, cover, and gappiness 7 years apart (2014–2020). Six distinct structural responses to cumulative ESB infestations severity were identified using cluster analysis from the combination of the 14 change metrics, with canopy cover, the 75th and 25th height percentiles (p75-25) driving cluster separability. Canopy cover and p25 consistently decreased as cumulative infestation severity increased, whereas p75 showed greater variability across the landscape. Photointerpretation of aerial imagery over the same period confirmed the validity of the structural characterization. Further, we studied the role of initial forest structures in modulating the severity of the infestation and found that sparser canopies with cover <65% and shorter trees (p75 < 7.5 m, p25 < 2.5 m) were associated with less severe ESB infestations after 7 years, and controlling for underlying environmental factors. These findings showed the potential of bitemporal ALS data in characterizing structural changes due to ESB infestations at fine scale based on canopy cover and height, relevant for forest management strategies to better target current and future infestations.

Direct and Remote Sensing Monitoring of Plant Salinity Stress in a Coastal Back-Barrier Environment: Mediterranean Pine Forest Stress and Mortality as a Case Study

The increase in atmospheric and soil temperatures in recent decades has led to unfavorable conditions for plants in many Mediterranean coastal environments. A typical example can be found along the coast of the Campania region in Italy, within the “Volturno Licola Falciano Natural Reserve”, where a pine forest suffered a dramatic loss of trees in 2021. New pines were planted in 2023 to replace the dead ones, with a larger tree layout and interspersed with Mediterranean bushes to replace the dead pine forest. A direct (in situ) monitoring program was planned to analyze the determinants of the pine salinity stress, coupled with Sentinel-2 L2A data; in particular, multispectral indices NDVI and NDMI were provided by the EU Copernicus service for plant status and water stress level information. Both the vadose zone and shallow groundwater were monitored with continuous logging probes. Vadose zone monitoring indicated that salinity peaked at a 30 cm soil depth, with values up to 1.9 g/L. These harsh conditions, combined with air temperatures reaching peaks of more than 40 °C, created severe difficulties for pine growth. The results of the shallow groundwater monitoring showed that the groundwater salinity was low (0.35–0.4 g/L) near the shoreline since the dune environment allowed rapid rainwater infiltration, preventing seawater intrusion. Meanwhile, salinity increased inland, reaching a peak at the end of the summer, with values up to 2.8 g/L. In November 2023, salts from storm-borne aerosols (“sea spray”) deposited on the soil caused the sea-facing portion of the newly planted pines to dry out. Differently, the pioneer vegetation of the Mediterranean dunes, directly facing the sea, was not affected by the massive deposition of sea spray. The NDMI and NDVI data were useful in distinguishing the old pine trees suffering from increasing stress and final death but were not accurate in detecting the stress conditions of newly planted, still rather short pine trees because their spectral reflectance largely interfered with the adjacent shrub growth. The proposed coupling of direct and remote sensing monitoring was successful and could be applied to detect the main drivers of plant stress in many other Mediterranean coastal environments.

Taller trees exhibit greater hydraulic vulnerability in southern Amazonian forests

Potential increases in drought frequency and vapour pressure deficit pose a risk to the future function of tropical trees. Previous studies have found that taller tropical trees show a stronger increase in mortality than shorter trees in response to dry anomalies, but the mechanisms behind this are unclear. Here we investigate whether canopy branches of taller tropical trees have different hydraulic traits compared to shorter conspecifics. We determined xylem resistance to embolism (P50), hydraulic safety margin (HSM), xylem functional traits and xylem theoretical hydraulic conductivity for canopy branches of four tree species across a range of tree heights (sapling to maximum tree height) in an ecotonal forest near the Amazonia-Cerrado transition. We found that canopy branches of taller trees within each species have lower HSM, suggesting that they are more susceptible to hydraulic failure under drought than smaller conspecifics. Height-related trends in HSM were driven by variation in P50 with height and not by variation in leaf water potential which did not vary with height. We find that canopy branches with greater xylem vessel diameters are generally more vulnerable to embolism, suggesting a potential role for a diameter-safety linkage in explaining observed patterns of decreasing HSM with height. However, we find no evidence of a branch-level trade-off between theoretical hydraulic conductivity and hydraulic vulnerability. The greater hydraulic vulnerability of larger trees provides a potential explanation for the higher drought-induced mortality observed in taller tropical trees. The consistency of the height-P50 relationship across species opens the door to a more accurate prediction of southern Amazon forest responses to future droughts. Whether the findings for forests in southern Amazonia can be generalized to other Amazonian regions remains an open question.

Short‐stature trees: Need for expanded knowledge on stand dynamics for their ecological and silvicultural management

Abstract Research Highlight discussing: Fajardo, A., Moreno‐Meynard, P. &amp; Soto, D. P. (2024). Forest stand dynamics of a short‐stature tree species: Ecological knowledge for sustainable forest management. Journal of Applied Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365‐2664.14662. Oliver stand dynamics conceptual model of tree stand succession was designed for tall trees but is not necessarily applicable to short‐stature tree species, which represent a large proportion of forests/woodlands worldwide. The South American short tree/shrub Nothofagus antarctica is a persuasive example of a short tree species that can benefit from an alternative conceptual model on stand dynamics. It also illustrates the high variability in stand dynamics observed in many short‐stature trees. Stand dynamics of short‐stature trees remain generally understudied, hindering their management and silvicultural use. Although generalisations may not be feasible due to the continuum of growth forms and succession dynamics of short trees, there is an urgent need to increase our knowledge for their sustainable management.

A Review on Divine Tree Nyctanthes Arbor-Tristis Linn – A Treasure House of Therapeutic Components

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis Linn is a short ancient tree believed to be a divine tree in India. The tree bears beautiful white flowers known for its aura. It is extensively cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions across the world. Since time immemorial, crude extracts of each part of the tree is used as a classical medicine in treatment of organ disorders, fevers, infections, expectorant, allergies, gynaecological problems, and various other diseases. Nyctanthes arbor-tristis Linn possess phytochemicals such as Alkaloids, steroids, Glycosides, flavonoids, Terpenes, essential oils, proteins that exhibit pharmacological activities like anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, hepato-protective, CNS depressant, anti-anaemic, antipyretic, sedative and many more. This review article has included all the possible details about the plant, its distribution phytochemical constituents, and pharmacological activities. Phytochemical studies and Nyctanthes arbor-tristis Linn’s pharmacological activities indicated it as a potential medicinal plant for various elements. However, more research is crucial to investigate the mode of action of the plant’s bioactive constituents and its therapeutic potential.

Quantifying the roles of climate, herbivory, topography, and vegetation on tree establishment in the treeline ecotone

AbstractThe transition zone between the upper forest boundary and the treeless alpine vegetation (i.e., the treeline ecotone) is expected to shift upward in elevation with global warming. Multiple factors in addition to climate are influencing tree establishment, but it is uncertain to what degree. In this study, we took advantage of a unique dataset with field measurements of mountain birch trees acquired from 32 boreal–alpine treeline ecotone sites situated along a 1100‐km latitudinal gradient in Norway to investigate the role of climate, herbivory, topography, and vegetation on the establishment success of trees. To represent tree establishment, we recorded occurrence, survival, and height growth of short juvenile birch trees (stem height ≤1 m) as response variables at each site in 2008, 2012, and 2018. We used already available climate and herbivory data, and airborne laser scanning (ALS) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveyed imagery together with field measurements to compute topography and vegetation explanatory variables per site on microsite scale (approx. 1 m2). We observed a clear decrease in short juvenile birch tree establishment due to livestock herbivory, evidenced by lower occurrence, reduced survival rate, and diminished height growth in treeline ecotones with higher livestock densities. Winter precipitation and the two land cover classes, tree‐covered area and lee side vegetation, were also important for tree establishment. However, the direction and magnitude of the relationships depended on the stage of establishment. While winter precipitation can lead to higher tree occurrence, long‐term survival is not necessarily ensured, reflecting diverse requirements for optimal conditions of tree establishment. Thus, our results show that occurrence, survival, and height growth of short juvenile birch trees differ in their requirements to climate, topography, and vegetation, but tree establishment is consistently low with livestock herbivory. Overall, our results suggest that treeline ecotones will shift toward higher elevations in areas with little or no livestock herbivory and close to already established trees and in lee sides. Regarding management and conservation issues, our results suggest that free‐roaming livestock can reduce tree establishment and hinder treeline ecotone shifts into threatened alpine ecosystems, at least for birch‐dominated treelines.

Forest ecosystem on the edge: Mapping forest fragmentation susceptibility in Tuchola Forest, Poland

Forest ecosystems, vital for maintaining global biodiversity and ecological balance, are increasingly threatened by fragmentation. This study addresses the critical issue in the Tuchola Forest of Poland, examining the effects of natural and human factors on forest fragmentation. Our objective was to identify the most suitable dataset for monitoring forest fragmentation from 2015 to 2020, ascertain the primary drivers of fragmentation, and map the areas at high risk. Utilizing the PALSAR (25 m resolution) and Dynamic World (10 m resolution) datasets, we discovered PALSAR's enhanced ability to detect changes in forest structure, particularly evident after a significant windstorm in 2017. This dataset proved crucial in highlighting the escalating trend of forest fragmentation, reinforcing its importance for environmental monitoring and policy formulation. Our analysis identified key factors influencing fragmentation, such as proximity to croplands, tree height and age, wind speed, and vegetation water content, with areas near croplands and having younger, shorter trees being most susceptible. Employing a Weight-of-Evidence (WOE) Bayesian modeling technique, we mapped forest fragmentation susceptibility, demonstrating our methodology's effectiveness through high accuracy validation (AUC of 0.82 and Kappa Index of 0.68). Our innovative approach in mapping susceptibility to fragmentation, especially after extreme weather events, marks a pioneering contribution in Poland. This research advances the understanding of forest fragmentation dynamics and offers a scalable model for global application, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted conservation strategies to preserve the integrity of forest ecosystems amidst climatic risk and anthropogenic pressures.

Hydrological effects of the conversion of tropical montane forest to agricultural land in the central Andes of Peru

AbstractAgricultural expansion is one of the main causes of deforestation of tropical montane forests in the central Andes of Peru. The hydrological impacts of converting forests to cropland are well known; however, an issue that is not entirely clear is related to the hydrological effects that can result from the conversion of montane forests to agroforestry systems and the recovery of the hydrological functions of montane forests after a disturbance. In this study, we compare the hydrological processes of different land covers previously modified by agricultural expansion, in order to determine the impact of the conversion of tropical montane forest to agricultural land on the ecosystem service of water provision and regulation. To achieve this, we establish study plots in four land cover types located in the central Andes of Peru (mature montane forest (BMC), natural regenerating secondary forest (BMR), coffee agroforestry systems (AF), and cropland (C)), for the purpose of measuring the vegetation structure and soil properties in them, and subsequently carry out a soil water balance in each plot to calculate the actual evapotranspiration, surface runoff, and groundwater recharge. The results revealed the following percentages (based on precipitation) for the hydrological components in the four land cover types: annual actual evapotranspiration—BMR (41.2%), AF (40.4%), BMC (40.0%), and C (38.0%); annual surface runoff—C (16.1%), BMC (8.3%), BMR (5.2%), and AF (4.6%); and annual groundwater recharge—AF (43.0%), BMR (41.6%), C (34.0%), and BMC (31.7%). Furthermore, the study also examined the relationship between vegetation structure and the hydrological components across the four land cover types. The findings indicated that the reduction of thicker and taller trees could increase surface runoff generation, whereas the presence of thinner and shorter trees could facilitate groundwater recharge. These results shed light on the complex interactions between land cover types, vegetation structure, and hydrological processes, emphasizing the importance of considering these factors in water resource management and land use planning.

Emergent trees in Colophospermum mopane woodland: influence of elephant density on persistence versus attrition.

Colophospermum mopane (mopane) forms mono-dominant woodlands covering extensive areas of southern Africa. Mopane provides a staple foodstuff for elephants, who hedge woodland by reducing trees to small trees or shrubs, leaving emergent trees which are too large to be pollarded. Emergent trees are important for supporting faunal biodiversity, but they can be killed by ringbarking. This study first examined the influence of elephant density on woodland transformation and the height distribution of canopy volume, and, second, whether canopy volume is maintained, and tall emergent trees too large to be broken can persist, under chronic elephant utilisation. Three regimes of 0.23, 0.59 and 2.75 elephants km-2 differed in vegetation structure and the height structure of trees. Areas under the highest elephant density supported the lowest total canopy volume owing to less canopy for plants >3 m in height, shorter trees, loss of most trees 6-10 m in height, but trees >10 m in height (>45 cm stem diameter) persisted. Under eight years of chronic utilisation by elephants, transformed mopane woodland maintained its plant density and canopy volume. Plant density was greatest for the 0-1 m height class, whereas the 3.1-6 m height class provided the bulk of canopy volume, and the 1.1-3 m height layer contained the most canopy volume. Emergent trees (>10 m in height) suffered a loss of 1.4% per annum as a result of debarking. Canopy dieback of emergent trees increased conspicuously when more than 50% of a stem was debarked, and such trees could be toppled by windthrow before being ringbarked. Thus relict emergent trees will slowly be eliminated but will not be replaced whilst smaller trees are being maintained in a pollarded state. Woodland transformation has not markedly reduced canopy volume available to elephants, but the slow attrition of emergent trees may affect supported biota, especially cavity-dependent vertebrate species, making use of these trees.

Physicochemical Parameters and Phytochemical Screening of Guava (Psidium Guajava) Leaves

Psidium guajava Linn. Family- Myrtaceae (guava) is a short tree or shrub and folk medicinal plant. It is found in all over India. Each part of the guava tree is useful and has biological importance. Many phytochemicals are present in guava leaves such as flavanoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, glycosides, oil and fats, steroids, phenols, proteins, carbohydrates. It is used in various diseases like cough, diabetes, cardiac diseases, diarrhea, wound healing. Guava has various biological activities like antispasmodic, antimicrobial, hepato-protective, antioxidant, anti-diarrheal, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergy. Petroleum ether, chloroform, ethanol is for the extraction of the guava leaves. Soxhlet extraction method is used for the extraction. Liquid-liquid extraction is used for the extraction and purification of the extract and ethyl acetate used for extraction. Physicochemical parameters are studied such as ash value, extractive matter, crude fibre content, foreign matter, moisture content.

Supervised terrestrial to airborne laser scanner model calibration for 3D individual-tree attribute mapping using deep neural networks

Capturing subcanopy forest information from airborne laser scanning (ALS) is constrained by signal occlusion. This study demonstrates the potential of close-range terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) scanning to mitigate the constraints of ALS in acquiring stem-level forest attributes. A transformer-based neural network was adapted to classify and segment 3D individual trees from ALS data. A deep neural network combined with a gaussian process layer was proposed to estimate tree diameter-at-breast-height (DBH) from ALS data. The performance of these methods was compared to other benchmarked methods using the same dataset, including a total of seven classifiers, five segmentors, and six attribute regressors. The study was conducted across four ALS sample areas and ten combined TLS/ALS plots, primarily in montane forests. Manual delineation of TLS trees provided a precise validation reference. The proposed methods demonstrated high accuracies, with a mean intersection-over-union (mIoU) of 0.92 for ALS tree classification, 0.70 for tree segmentation, and a RMSE of 4.2 cm or 18.9 % for DBH estimation on average of the ten plots. Tree detection accuracy was strongly associated with the final segmentation accuracy. Factors such as tree height, overlapping, inclination, and neighboring conditions impacted segmentation accuracy. Our segmentation method effectively mitigated accuracy loss for short and occluded trees. Overall, this study presents scalable and cost-effective solutions for TLS calibration of ALS scans over two meso-scale montane valleys. Leveraging deep neural networks enables scaling of stem attributes to landscape scales, thereby linking fine-scale forest inventory with sustainable management of expansive forest resources. Our codes are available at https://github.com/truebelief/artemis_treescaling.

Development of comprehensive calibration models for pulp traits by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for pure species and hybrids of Corymbia and Eucalyptus

Corymbia hybrid has emerged as a complimentary pulpwood in India along with Eucalyptus camaldulensis and eucalypt hybrids for enhancing the profitability of the industry and the income of farmers. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) offers a rapid non-destructive method for estimating wood and pulp traits of short rotation trees. Development of NIR calibration models in Corymbia is essential for quick selection and rapid advancement of pulp wood traits. A study was carried out to develop a combined calibration curve for pure E. camaldulensis and Corymbia species and their interspecific hybrids. Wood samples were extracted from four-year-old 300 trees of Corymbia torelliana (CT), C. citriodora (CC), C. variegata (CV) and E. camaldulensis (EC) and their interspecific hybrids from progeny evaluation trials at three different locations in south India. The wood logs and powdered core samples were analyzed for kraft pulp yield (KPY), lignin and S|G ratio by wet chemistry and NIRS method. The KPY values of CC and CV ranged from 44 to 52%, whereas CT, a maternal parent in CT x CC|CV hybrids, had a narrow range of 38-46.5%. However, the interspecific hybrids of CT x CC|CV exhibited a range with higher values from 48.5 to 50.5%, indicating a narrow scope for predicting hybrids from that of parent’s standard calibration curves. The estimated values in pure species of Corymbia for lignin content ranged from 22.7 to 29.2 % and 1.9 to 3.1 for S|G ratio, while in hybrids it was 25.6 to 29.4 for lignin. The correlation coefficients for cross-validation of KPY in CC, CV, CT and their hybrids were 0.8, 0.81, 0.89 and 0.72, respectively, and root mean square errors (RMS) were 0.8, 0.55, 0.73 and 0.31, respectively. When CC and CV samples were pooled to generate a common prediction model, the correlation coefficients were 0.8 for KPY, 0.75 for lignin and 0.83 for S|G ratio, with RMS of 0.68 for both KPY and lignin, and 0.12 for S|G ratio. Corymbia hybrids were evaluated with 99% accuracy using a combined prediction model of pure Corymbia species and hybrids. The method was validated with 80 samples of pure species and hybrids with a RMS of less than 1.0. We also attempted in developing a combined prediction model for different species of Corymbia, Eucalyptus, and their hybrids with minimum prediction errors.

Developing indicators for biodiversity monitoring in short rotation tree plantations

Global biodiversity loss has increased societal expectation to businesses to assess and manage their dependencies on biodiversity and transparently report their biodiversity impacts. Various global frameworks have been developed to manage risks and|or report the impacts. The metrics and indicators of the global frameworks are generic in nature and do not necessarily capture local biodiversity impacts. Stora Enso has publicly declared in our Sustainability Strategy an ambition to have a net positive impact on biodiversity. For short rotation plantations Stora Enso has set an objective to develop granular, yet practical and applicable indicators for monitoring and reporting biodiversity impacts and developments over time. The selection of indicators needs to reflect the connection between biodiversity management actions and outcomes, i.e. that: i) there are purposeful biodiversity measures in place that ii) result in monitorable outcomes. Hence Stora Enso in collaboration with the joint venture partners in Veracel and Montes del Plata has developed biodiversity indicators adapted to the local conditions for the Eucalypt plantations in Brazil and Uruguay, respectively. The overarching goal is to have indicators that reflect that the environmental and biodiversity measures that are integrated in the management of the plantations have real and measurable effects promoting landscape level biodiversity. The selected biodiversity indicators meet the following criteria: Science-based, measurable and quantifiable, reliable, recurrent, and cost-effective monitoring to follow trends over time. With biodiversity indicators in place, Stora Enso wishes to further the development of adaptive biodiversity management. This means to continuously monitor biodiversity management performance, via the indicators, to enable further adaptation and development of biodiversity positive actions. The indicators will be publicly published to provide full transparency. In preparation for launching the indicators in the fall 2023, the intention at this conference is to present the indicators and consult with the audience on their purposefulness.

PENGUKURAN TINGGI DAN TUTUPAN KANOPI POHON DI TAMAN SAINS, KECAMATAN DUREN SAWIT, KOTA JAKARTA TIMUR

PENGUKURAN TINGGI DAN TUTUPAN KANOPI POHON DI TAMAN SAINS, KECAMATAN DUREN SAWIT, KOTA JAKARTA TIMUR

Canopy Height Mapping for Plantations in Nigeria Using GEDI, Landsat, and Sentinel-2

Canopy height data from the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission has powered the development of global forest height products, but these data and products have not been validated in non-forest tree plantation settings. In this study, we collected field observations of the canopy heights throughout oil palm plantations in Nigeria and evaluated the performance of existing global canopy height map (CHM) products as well as a local model trained on the GEDI and various Landsat and Sentinel-2 feature combinations. We found that existing CHMs fared poorly in the region, with mean absolute errors (MAE) of 4.2–6.2 m. However, the locally trained models performed well (MAE = 2.5 m), indicating that using the GEDI and optical satellite data can still be effective, even in a region with relatively sparse GEDI coverage. In addition to improved overall performance, the local model was especially effective at reducing errors for short (&lt;5 m) trees, where the global products struggle to capture the canopy height.