State Of Forest Ecosystems Research Articles

Change of general physical properties of Ukrainian Carpathians burozems (Cambisols) under the different phytocoenoses

Physical properties of soils determine the ecological status of forest ecosystems, in particular, virgin forest. In turn, the development of the plants root system, the nature of the soils’ moisture and nutrient regimes determine the physical properties of the soils. In addition, physical properties are taken into account when developing forest technical measures and are the basis for forestry operations. The Ukrainian Carpathians is characterized by a significant influence of the anthropogenic factor, which manifests itself in the massive deforestation of the forests, which radically changes the physical condition of the soils, so the study of these changes is extremely relevant. In addition, research of violations of the physical condition of burozems is extremely important for forests, as the deterioration of their physical properties reduces the resistance of forests to the wind throws. However, in the Ukrainian Carpathians, virgin forest ecosystems are still fragmentarily preserved and protected, which forms stable landscapes without human intervention, as a result of purely natural factors. Therefore, the study and analysis of changes occurred in the physical properties of burozems under the different phytocoenoses specifies on topicality of the work. The purpose of the research is to study the general physical properties of the Ukrainian Carpathians burozems and their changes caused by different phytocoenoses. The object of research is the Ukrainian Carpathians burozems, which formed under the virgin forests, forests and reeds. The subject of research is the general physical properties of the Ukrainian Carpathians burozems, which formed under different phytocoenoses. The results of investigations of the Ukrainian Carpathians burozems’ physical properties under the different phytocoenoses are presented. The general physical properties – bulk density of stony soils, bulk density of the silt, particle density, general porosity and aerial porosity are investigated. According to the results of the analysis of changes of the Ukrainian Carpathians burozems’ general physical properties under different phytocoenoses, one can conclude the following row: burozems of beech and oak-beech virgin forests are characterized by the best values of general physical properties, burozems of sycamore-beech forests – by the good, burozems of meadows – satisfactory, and burozems of beech-sycamore-oak forests and spruce virgin forests – by worst values. Key words: general physical properties, burozems, virgin forests, bulk density, particle density, general porosity, aerial porosity.

Preliminary results of spectrophotometric screening of secondary metabolites accumulation in lichen thalloms

This paper discusses the influence of biotopic conditions on the secondary compounds accumulation in lichen thalloms. Secondary metabolites inherent in the metabolism of various groups of organisms are widely represented in symbiotic organisms lichens, with a significant number of these compounds being phenolic derivatives. The authors of the paper present the results of spectrophotometric scanning of alcohol extracts from lichen thalloms of three species: Xanthoria parietina (L.) Belt., Parmelia sulcata Tayl., Vulpicida pinastri (Scop.) J.-E. Mattsson M.J. Lai, sampled in different forest communities of the Krasnosamarsky forest (Samara Region), in 9 plots, where plant communities were fragments of natural forests (birch, aspen, linden, oak) and forest stands. Forest communities differed in their position in the relief, the composition of the arboreal stage, associated with the height and closeness of the plantations to microclimate conditions. The extracts obtained by infusion of 96% ethanol samples were analyzed using the AZURA UV / VIS UVD 2.1 L detector (190750 nm, Knauer) in the laboratory of Chemistry Department of Samara University to obtain absorption spectra in the UV region using the ClarityChrom program. The study can be considered as an initial stage of bioecological screening, which makes it possible to ascertain the dependence of the secondary metabolites accumulation on habitat parameters in relation to the conditions of forest ecosystems in different parts of the Samara Region. The spectrophotometric study of the extracts demonstrated the presence of species-specific features of the spectra, indicating the differences in the qualitative composition of the extracts. For extracts obtained from samples of lichens were found spectra differences: quantitative for all the species, and also qualitative for Xanthoria parietina and Vulpicida pinastri extracts, related to qualitative and quantitative differences in the accumulation of secondary metabolites. These differences are presumably associated with differences in the biotopic conditions of growth of the thalli of the three studied lichen species.

Neural network-based modelling for forest biomass assessment

ABSTRACTForest biomass is an important parameter for assessing the status of forest ecosystems. In the present study, forest biomass was assessed by integrating remotely-sensed satellite data and field inventory data using an artificial neural network (ANN) technique in Barkot forest, Uttarakhand, India. Spectral and texture variables were derived from Resourcesat-1 (RS1) LISS-III (Linear Imaging Self-Scanning Sensor) data of April 24, 2013. ANN was used for finding the relation of spectral and texture variables to field-measured biomass. The top 10 variables, namely shortwave infrared (SWIR) band reflectance, near infrared (NIR) band reflectance, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), difference vegetation index (DVI), green band contrast, green band variance, SWIR band contrast, NIR band dissimilarity, SWIR band second angular moment, and red band mean, were selected for generating a multiple linear regression model to predict the biomass. The predicted biomass showed a good relationship (R2 = 0.75 and root mean square error (RMSE) = 85.32 Mg ha−1) with field-measured biomass. The model was validated yielding R2 = 0.74 and RMSE = 93.41 Mg ha−1. The results showed that RS1 LISS-III satellite data have good capability to estimate forest biomass, and the ANN technique can be used to enhance the scope of biomass estimation with a minimum number of spectral and texture variables.

Phosphorus addition affects soil nitrogen dynamics in a nitrogen‐saturated and two nitrogen‐limited forests

Phosphorus (P) availability can affect nitrogen (N) dynamics in forest soil, and this effect might depend largely on the soil N status of forest ecosystems. So far, however, this view has not been well tested among forests with contrasting N status. Here, we used a 6‐year experiment with additions of N and P to evaluate the effects of P availability and its interaction with N availability on soil N dynamics in one N‐saturated and two N‐limited tropical forests in southern China. Soil inorganic N concentrations and rates of N mineralization, nitrification, nitrous oxide (N2O) emission and nitrate leaching were measured. Our results showed that addition of P alone changed soil N dynamics in the N‐saturated forest only; it accelerated rates of soil N transformation and decreased rates of N2O emission and nitrate leaching, but had no significant effects on N dynamics in the two N‐limited forests. Furthermore, compared with the addition of N alone, addition of both N and P caused significant increases in the rates of net N mineralization and nitrification and a significant decrease in N2O emission in the two N‐limited forests. Our results suggest that P availability stimulates soil N dynamics only when the ecosystem is saturated with N or there is considerable N deposition.HighlightsWe compared the effects of P addition on soil N dynamics among forests with different N status. Addition of P alone changed N dynamics in the N‐saturated forest, but not in N‐limited forests. Combined N and P additions had a larger effect on N dynamics than N addition alone. Phosphorus addition affects N dynamics only when an ecosystem has considerable N status.

Hemiboreal forest: natural disturbances and the importance of ecosystem legacies to management

AbstractThe condition of forest ecosystems depends on the temporal and spatial pattern of management interventions and natural disturbances. Remnants of previous conditions persisting after disturbances, or ecosystem legacies, collectively comprise ecosystem memory. Ecosystem memory in turn contributes to resilience and possibilities of ecosystem reorganization following further disturbance. Understanding the role of disturbance and legacies is a prerequisite for maintaining resilience in the face of global change. Several legacy concepts discussed in the peer‐reviewed literature, including disturbance, biological, soil, land‐use, and silvicultural legacies, overlap in complex ways. Here, we review these established legacy concepts and propose that the new terms “material legacy” (individuals or matter, e.g., survivors, coarse woody debris, nutrients left after disturbance) and “information legacy” (adaptations to historical disturbance regimes) cut across these previous concepts and lead to a new classification of legacies. This includes six categories: material legacies with above‐ and belowground, and biotic and abiotic categories, and information legacies with above‐ and belowground categories. These six legacies are influenced by differential patterns of editing and conditioning by “legacy syndromes” that result from natural or human‐manipulated disturbance regimes that can be arranged along a gradient of naturalness. This scheme is applied to a case study of hemiboreal forests in the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, where natural disturbance, traditional clearcut silviculture, and afforestation of abandoned agricultural lands constitute the three main legacy syndromes. These legacy syndromes in turn influence forest response to management actions and constrain resilience, leading to a mosaic of natural, manipulated, and artificial (novel) ecosystems across the landscape, depending on how the legacies in each syndrome affect ecological memory.

Trait-specific response of soil macrofauna to forest burning along a macrogeographic gradient

Fires change physical, chemical and biotic conditions of forest ecosystems. They also strongly affect soil macrofauna including key soil ecosystem engineers and regulators of soil-related processes in forest soils. However, due to a wide range of traits attributable to macroinvertebrates, the effect of forest burning on the macrofauna can be quite contrasting and still has not been quantified. We assessed the impact of forest fires on macrofauna taxonomic richness, abundance, total biomass and biomass of animals belonging to different functional traits in 20 forests burnt five years ago and 20 respective controls plots along a 3000-km-long north-south transect in European Russia which covered five major forest biomes (Mediterranean and broadleaved forests, southern, middle, and northern taiga).Actual abundance, biomass and taxonomic diversity of the soil macrofauna showed remarkable stability after burning and were specific to forest biome. However, soil macrofauna trait composition was consistently affected by fire. Relatively immobile taxa inhabiting top of the forest floor and sharing saprophagy suffer most from the consequences of fire five years after burning. We have concluded that resident groups of soil macrofauna sharing saprophagy seem to avoid top soil as one of the most damaged “frontiers” of the burnt soil ecosystem possibly due to both unfavorable hydroclimatic conditions in the burnt patches and lack of suitable resources. At the same time damaged soil surface creates a barrier in the way of the resident soil macroinvertebrate taxa distribution due to their inability to quickly transit patches with harsh conditions.

The influence of moisture conditions on the structure of litter invertebrate communities in shelterbelt and plantation forests in southern Ukraine

Context: The distribution of different size groups of litter invertebrates in varying gradations of moisture conditions is therefore of interest for a better understanding of the coordination of the components of the ecological community.Objectives: The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of long-term average moisture conditions on the basic characteristics of the litter macrofauna of plantations in southern Ukraine.Materials and Methods: Invertebrates were collected with pitfall traps annually throughout the vegetational seasons of 2001–2013 in 176 plantation sites.Results: The average number and the quantity of invertebrate species in the litter decreases with the increase of the moisture content. The indices of biological diversity are maximal in xeromesophilous and mesophilous moisture conditions. Phytophages are distributed evenly in the litter of forest plantations. The number of saprophages is maximal in xeromesophilous (36%) and minimal – in hygromesophilous (3%) conditions. Zoophages increase in relative abundance from 14% in mesoxerophilous to 63% in hygromesophilous conditions. The abundance of polyphages does not change significantly in varying gradations of moisture (26–46%). The size structure of communities is dominated by the group ranging from 4 to 7 mm in body length (31–52%). The relative abundance of the size group exceeding 20 mm in body length reaches its maximum (16%) in mesoxerophilous conditions, and decreases (4–10%) in other gradations of moisture. The share of the size group of <4 mm is maximal (28%) in mesophilous conditions. Carabidae, Formicidae and Lycosidae form part of the dominant families in all four of the moisture gradations of artificial forests studied, while other families represent more than 3% only in plantations belonging to three gradations of moisture.Conclusion: Litter moisture is a limiting factor for invertebrate existence in the extreme conditions of forest ecosystems, especially in the south of the steppe zone of Ukraine.J. bio-sci. 22: 77-88, 2014

A tool for assessing ecological status of forest ecosystem

Managers and policy makers are beginning to appreciate the value of ecological monitoring of artificially regenerated forest especially in urban areas. With the advent of more advance technology in precision forestry, high resolution remotely sensed data e.g. hyperspectral and LiDAR are becoming available for rapid and precise assessment of the forest condition. An assessment of ecological status of forest ecosystem was developed and tested using FRIM campus forest stand. The forest consisted of three major blocks; the old growth artificially regenerated native species forests, naturally regenerated forest and recent planted forest for commercial timber and other forest products. Our aim is to assess the ecological status and its proximity to the mature old growth artificially regenerated stand. We used airborne LiDAR, orthophoto and thirty field sampling quadrats of 20x20m for ground verification. The parameter assessments were grouped into four broad categories: a. forest community level-composition, structures, function; landscape structures-road network and forest edges. A metric of parameters and rating criteria was introduced as indicators of the forest ecological status. We applied multi-criteria assessment to categorize the ecological status of the forest stand. The paper demonstrates the application of the assessment approach using FRIM campus forest as its first case study. Its potential application to both artificially and naturally regenerated forest in the variety of Malaysian landscape is discussed

Revision of widespread red squirrels (genus: Tamiasciurus) highlights the complexity of speciation within North American forests

Integration of molecular methods, ecological modeling, and statistical hypothesis testing are increasing our understanding of differentiation within species and phylogenetic relationships among species by revealing environmental connections to evolutionary processes. Within mammals, novel diversity is being discovered and characterized as more complete geographic sampling is coupled with newer multi-disciplinary approaches. North American red squirrels exemplify a forest obligate genus whose species are monitored as indicators of forest ecosystem condition, yet phylogenetic relationships reflecting evolutionary history within this genus remain tentative. Through testing of competing systematic and niche-based divergence hypotheses, we recognize three species, Tamiasciurus douglasii, T. hudsonicus, and T. fremonti. Our data provide evidence of regional differences in evolutionary dynamics and continental gradients of complexity that are important both for future management and for investigating multiple pathways that can lead to the formation of new species.

Spatial Quantification of White-tailed Deer Habitat of a Wetland-dominated Landscape in Central Lower Michigan

ABSTRACT White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), can be a keystone herbivore that can greatly impact conditions in forest ecosystems. Results of previous deer herbivory research could cause biologists concern when managing wetlands as suitable habitat for migratory waterfowl because intense herbivory can negatively impact plant communities. Biologists at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR), Saginaw, Michigan, observed obvious effects of white-tailed deer herbivory within wetland plant communities. Our objective was to evaluate white-tailed deer habitat suitability within a landscape dominated by wetland vegetation types used by deer during the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons to help inform deer and water bird habitat management decision making. We classified 1m x 1m aerial imagery data in ArcGIS v10.0 and developed a white-tailed deer habitat suitability index (HSI) model. Moist soil units, lakeplain prairie, and bottomland hardwood forests demonstrated high habitat suitability for white-tailed d...

Land use influences microbial biomass carbon, organic carbon and nitrogen stock in a tropical acric luvisols of Southwestern Nigeria

A study was conducted to determine the effect of different land use on microbial biomass carbon, organic carbon and nitrogen stock on a tropical acric luvisols at Ibadan, Oyo State, Southwestern Nigeria. Soil samples were collected in 2014 using a quadrant approach across ten plots at the surface (0-15 cm) and sub-surface (16-30 cm) depths in four different land use systems of (i) 8-year old citrus, (ii) 8 year old cacao, (iii) 8 year oil palm and (iv) a fallow land of over 25 years. Significant differences in soil physical and chemical properties, microbial biomass carbon, carbon and nitrogen stock in different land use types at two depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm) were observed on soil properties important for sustainable crop production. Fallow land use, oil palm plantation and cocoa plantation were characterized by higher carbon and nitrogen stock, microbial biomass carbon, total nitrogen, organic carbon, available phosphorus, marginally low exchangeable bases except for Ca and Mg with relatively higher values and marginal C/N ratio. These land use also had lower bulk density, high total porosity, high moisture content and optimum soil temperature level. These results suggest that incorporation of optimum fallow cycle with appropriate land use in combination with soil enriching cover and tree crops in the study area will increase carbon and nitrogen stock while imitating a forest ecosystem condition which would help restore soil fertility in degraded lands while reducing greenhouse gas fluxes.

Restoring forests: What constitutes success in the twenty-first century?

Forest loss and degradation is occurring at high rates but humankind is experiencing historical momentum that favors forest restoration. Approaches to restoration may follow various paradigms depending on stakeholder objectives, regional climate, or the degree of site degradation. The vast amount of land requiring restoration implies the need for spatial prioritization of restoration efforts according to cost-benefit analyses that include ecological risks. To design resistant and resilient ecosystems that can adapt to emerging circumstances, an adaptive management approach is needed. Global change, in particular, imparts a high degree of uncertainty about the future ecological and societal conditions of forest ecosystems to be restored, as well as their desired goods and services. We must also reconsider the suite of species incorporated into restoration with the aim of moving toward more stress resistant and competitive combinations in the longer term. Non-native species may serve an important role under some circumstances, e.g., to facilitate reintroduction of native species. Propagation and field establishment techniques must promote survival through seedling stress resistance and site preparation. An improved ability to generalize among plant functional groups in ecological niche adaptations will help to overcome site-limiting factors. The magnitude and velocity of ongoing global change necessitates rapid responses in genetics that cannot be naturally induced at valid temporal and spatial scales. The capacity for new concepts and technologies to be adopted by managers and accepted by society will depend on effective technology transfer and a community-based approach to forest restoration. The many benefits human society gains from forests requires that forest restoration considers multiple objectives and approaches to minimize trade-offs in achieving these objectives.

Higher Soil Water Availability after Removal of a Dominant, Nonnative Tree (Casuarina equisetifolia Forst.) from a Subtropical Forest

Abstract: The eradication of dominant, nonnative trees can alter soil conditions in forest ecosystems by changing the forest's water balance. To test this idea, we measured water in surface soil in forests dominated by an invasive nonnative tree (Casuarina equisetifolia Forst.) on Nishijima Island, a subtropical island in the Ogasawara Islands group, northwestern Pacific Ocean. The volumetric water content of surface soils at sites where all trees of C. equisetifolia were killed by herbicide was compared with adjacent invaded control sites, and effects of time since tree removal (up to 3 yr) were assessed. Dry weights of accumulated litter, total canopy openness of the forest canopy, maximum heights, and total plant cover of herbaceous vegetation were also compared between treatment and control plots. Volumetric soil water content in quadrats where C. equisetifolia trees were removed (removal area) was significantly higher than at control quadrats. We found that the effect of C. equisetifolia removal on s...

Dynamics of bioresource potential of the brown bear in european russia under human impacts and climate fluctuations

Average temperature in Russia in 1907–2006 had increased by 1.29 °C and in 1976–2006 by 1.33 °C. Direct evidence of movement of the northern border of the area of brown bear northward is not found. However, expansion of ripple band of the northern border of the area took place. It is manifested in the penetration of the bear far into the tundra of European Russia along river valleys. The forest ecosystems in European Russia are highly dynamic and variegated because of logging, subsequent successions on clearcuts and fire footprints, overgrowing old-cultivated lands with saplings and then secondary forests and so on. The species welfare in regions of European Russia is determined by two key factors: the condition of forest ecosystems, and the hunting pressure. The bear resources in regions of European Russia correlate with the size of the forest areas and the share of forests. In 2011, the largest populations of bear were found in Vologda (7500 ind.), Tver (2200) and Novgorod (1500) oblasts. Increased bear number and density in the districts along the borders with neighboring Russian oblasts (Leningrad, Novgorod, Tver and Smolensk oblasts) is caused by lower anthropogenic load on near-border areas (less logging, less population, less hunting pressure, less disturbance, etc.). A negative correlation between the bear population density and the human population density is revealed. Bioresource potential of brown bear in European Russia is increasing. Expansion of bear area southward continues, but with less intensity.

Arthropods in trophic-cenosis structure of collared flycatcher consortium in conditions of forest ecosystems of North-Eastern Ukraine

The study is based on taxonomic and quantitative analysis of feed ration of nestlings and structure of nidikolas of collared flycatcher ( Ficedula albicollis (Temminck, 1815)). Ecological features and consortium relations of flycatchers and their specific feeding behavior were analyzed. Materials were collected in May – July 2009–2014 on the transformed territories of North-Eastern Ukraine. Functioning of trophic structure of biogeocenosis with the participation of flycatcher as a heterotrophic core of big autotrophic group was studied. Spatial and trophic relations of flycatcher with the woody vegetation and insect-phytophages (leaf beetles, leafhoppers, and barbels) have been described. In the feed ration of flycatcher nestlings the prevalence is given to representatives of Hexapoda (83%), including Lepidoptera (16 families, 24%), Hymenoptera (12 families, 23%) and Coleoptera (40 families, 15%). We characterize trophic groups of arthropods in the consortium of flycatchers: phytophages (33%), zoophages (45%), parasites, bloodsuckers, saprophages (16%), necrophages (4%), coprophages, keratophages. Fauna of arthropods of collared flycatcher nests was analyzed. Nests of birds as a heterotrophic consortium is the habitat of invertebrates with 293 taxons belonging to the Hexapoda, Arachnida, Malacostraca and Myriaroda, sometimes Mollusca. In the trophic structure of the population of flycatcher the representatives of Hexapoda dominate (278 species), where the first place is given to zoophages (127 species, 45%), including parasites (Culicidae, Tabanidae, Mallophaga, Hippoboscidae, Aphaniptera). The second are phytophages (78 species, 28%), the third – decomposers (75 species, 27%), and the last presenting detritivores (48 species, 18%) and necrophages (27 species, 10%). Constant ectoparasitic species of flycatchers are Ricinus sp. (Mallophaga), Ornithomyia avicularia L. (Diptera), Protocalliphora azurea chrysorrhea Mg. (Diptera), Ceratophyllus sp. (Aphaniptera). Ecological features of nidikolas and their consortial relationships have been studied.

Combined effect of atmospheric nitrogen deposition and climate change on temperate forest soil biogeochemistry: A modeling approach

Atmospheric N deposition is known to severely impact forest ecosystem functioning by influencing soil biogeochemistry and nutrient balance, and consequently tree growth and overall forest health and biodiversity. Moreover, because climate greatly influences soil processes, climate change and atmospheric N deposition must both be taken into account when analysing the evolution of forest ecosystem status over time.Dynamic biogeochemical models have been developed to test different climate and atmospheric N deposition scenarios and their potential interactions in the long term. In this study, the ForSAFE model was used to predict the combined effect of atmospheric N deposition and climate change on two temperate forest ecosystems in France dominated by oak and spruce, and more precisely on forest soil biogeochemistry, from today to 2100. After a calibration step and following a careful statistical validation process, two atmospheric N deposition scenarios were tested: the current legislation in Europe (CLE) and the maximum feasible reduction (MFR) scenarios. They were combined with three climate scenarios: current climate scenario, worst-case climate scenario (A2) and best-case climate scenario (B1). The changes in base saturation and inorganic N concentration in the soil solution were compared across all scenario combinations, with the aim of forecasting the state of acidification, eutrophication and forest ecosystem recovery up to the year 2100.Simulations highlighted that climate had a stronger impact on soil base saturation, whereas atmospheric deposition had a comparative effect or a higher effect than climate on N concentration in the soil solution. Although deposition remains the main factor determining the evolution of N concentration in soil solution, increased temperature had a significant effect. Results also highlighted the necessity of considering the joint effect of both climate and atmospheric N deposition on soil biogeochemistry.

Legume-soil interactions: legume addition enhances the complexity of the soil food web

Background and aims Legumes play significant roles in improving soil fertility and are commonly used to improve net primary productivity (NPP). However, the relationship between legumes and soil food web conditions in forest ecosystems is poorly known. The objective of this work was to address this problem.

Consistency of stand density estimates and their variability in forest inventories in Slovenia

The national estimates of forest resources in Slovenia are based on data aggregation from forest inventories conducted in forest management units of Slovenia Forest Service (SFS) and on the parallel forest inventory established within the Forest and Forest Ecosystem Condition Survey (FECS) as a continuation of international forest monitoring programme. Since the difference in sampling design and temporal dynamics of data collection is of key importance for inventories at the level of forest management units compared to large-area forest inventories, the consistency of stand densities was checked in both concepts. Comparing growing stock estimates in FECS on the systematic 4-km grid of sampling plots from SFS forest management planning, no overall significant differences in temporally comparable periods have been detected. We propose a basis enabling consistent estimates of structural forest characteristics at the national level for the process of forest inventory harmonization in Slovenia.

Forest Monitoring - Assessment, Analysis and Warning System for Forest Ecosystem Status

Forests provide essential benefits and services as an important component of terrestrial ecosystems. Their functionality and health result from multiple and cumulative interactions of biotic and abiotic stress factors such as air pollution, climate change, changes in land use, and poor management practices. A forest monitoring system was established to identify, analyse and assess the degradation of European forests. Two levels of forest monitoring were developed: I) large-scale forest condition surveys, based on an European grid system starting in 1986 and II) an intensive non-systematic survey network placed in representative forest ecosystems starting in 1994. Romania implemented both level I (1990-1991) and level II (1991-1992) forest monitoring surveys with the results showing the effects of increased air temperatures and a drastic decrease of precipitation since the decade of 1971-1980. Thus, the highest values of damaged trees (crown defoliation >25%) percent were recorded in 1993, 1994, 2000 and 2003 both in the national and European networks. Also, in southern and South-Eastern Romania the forests are more frequently damaged as a response to worsening of climatic factors in this region in recent decades, with temperatures rising 0.7-0.8°C. In general, in Romania, ozone concentrations remained below the critical threshold (40-50 ppb) for affecting growth or health of trees. The levels of S-SO4 and N-NO3 declined in the atmosphere but the accumulation continued to increase in the soil, leading to soil acidification, mainly at depths of 10-40 cm). In general, during the last decade, Romanian forests were affected at low to medium intensities with damage rate up to 11% of the trees and the status of general forest health improved slightly.

The forest Gribskov, Denmark: lessons from the past qualify contemporary conservation, restoration and forest management

Knowledge of forest history is crucial for understanding the processes, structures, functions and current status of forest ecosystems. An enhanced understanding of the long history of disturbance factors affecting forest development and thereby the present state of the forest is particularly valuable when working with forest management, conservation and restoration. Integrating the legacies of past disturbances—natural as well as anthropogenic—into conservation and management strategies is likely to favour natural values and ecosystem services. A case-study in Gribskov, Denmark, using palaeoecological data and historical source materials explores the lessons learned from the past and leads to the suggestion of a conceptual model of how information from the past can increase understanding of long-term ecological processes.