Sustainable Management Of Forest Ecosystems Research Articles

Impacts of the Integrated Management of Invasive Weeds and Litter on Slope Hydrology in Eucalyptus Plantations in Central Yunnan, Southwest China

Background: The hydrological effects of invasive plant control in forestland have not been well studied in the past, and numerous scientific mysteries remain unsolved. The long-term suspension of the unsolved issues will unavoidably influence the sound growth and sustainable management of forest ecosystems. This study investigates the hydrological effects of controlling invasive weeds in forestland. The research aims to understand the impact of invasive weed control on soil and water loss. Methods: Conducted in Eucalyptus benthamii Maiden & Cambage plantations in Central Yunnan, SW China, which are invaded by alien weed Ageratina adenophora (Spreng.) R. M. King & H. Rob., four surface cover treatments were applied to study runoff and sediment yielding properties. The four surface cover treatments were weed harvesting and litter elimination (WH&LE), weed harvesting and litter retention (WH&LR), litter burning and weed renewal (LB&WR), and weed retention and litter retention (WR&LR). Essentially, WH&LE and LB&WR served as integrated management approaches for invasive weeds and litter, WH&LR was an independent weed control measure, and WR&LR served as a research control. Results: Runoff was significantly higher in the LB&WR plots (3.03 mm) compared to the WR&LR plots (1.48 mm) (p < 0.05). The WH&LE plots had higher runoff (2.39 mm) than the WR&LR plots (not statistically significant), while the WH&LR plots had less runoff (1.08 mm) than the WR&LR plots (not significant). Sediment yield was lower in the WH&LR plots (0.50 t/km2) than in the WR&LR plots (0.52 t/km2) (not significant), but significantly higher in the WH&LE plots (2.10 t/km2) and LB&WR plots (1.57 t/km2) than in the WR&LR plots (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Managing invasive weeds independently reduces the risk of soil and water loss, but combined management with litter can exacerbate the issue. Invasive weed control and litter management should be performed separately in slope plantations. This study provides a scientific basis for soil and water conservation, restoration and rehabilitation of plantation ecosystems.

A thorough assessment of various forest management planning initiatives and development of improvement strategies towards an ecosystem-based planning

Management planning for forests in Turkey has undergone gradual evolution over the last century. Developing and implementing a comprehensive management planning framework present significant challenges. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of various forest management planning approaches implemented across the country over different time periods, with overarching planning principles. It formulates a robust planning framework and proposes improvements grounded in scientific advancements and international standards. The assessment indicated that the management plans were developed using reputable scientific methods and principles aimed at ensuring the sustainable management of forest resources with certain strengths and opportunities presented by SWOT analysis. All management plans shared a common planning concept primarily focused on maximizing wood production through the area-control harvest scheduling method (except for continuous cover forest, which employed the single tree selection method). Each management plan established its unique vision, targets, policies, objectives, and planning guidelines. Forest inventory data were gathered through a combination of ground surveys and remotely sensed data to characterize and stratify the landscape. A robust in-house management authority and governance system with appropriate technical capacity and guidelines were developed and implemented, fostering a sound common working culture and tools. However, some notable drawbacks were identified, including political pressure, biomass/carbon accounting, growth-yield modelling, economic analysis, limited characterization of the full range of ecosystem services, risk and uncertainty analysis, food security and, particularly, long-term sustainability and scenario analysis with the appropriate decision-making tools and methods. Despite a few strengths, these limitations may raise concerns about the far-sighted design and application, potentially jeopardizing the sustainable management of forest ecosystems. Proposed improvement strategies for an efficient forest ecosystem management planning system include characterization of ecosystem services, modelling their productivity, scenario analysis with a decision support system, stakeholder involvement, balancing utilization and conservation targets, conducting risk and uncertainty analysis and economic analysis of management actions.

Altitudinal Variation in Species Diversity, Distribution, and Regeneration Status of a Secondary Picea Forest in Guandi Mountain, Northern China

Altitude plays a crucial role in shaping the diversity and distribution of species in forest landscapes in mountainous regions. However, existing studies often lack comprehensive analysis of the intricate relationships among environmental factors, disturbances, and species diversity. This study aims to address this gap by thoroughly analyzing major species’ diversity, distribution, and regeneration status, along with their influencing factors, across different altitudinal gradients (1850 to 2350 m). Field surveys were conducted to examine the major species in different vegetation layers of the secondary Picea forest in Guandi Mountain. The key findings from the study include the following: (1) the study area recorded a total of nine species of adult trees, belonging to eight genera in five families, fourteen species of shrubs from eight genera in five families, and fifty-two herb species representing forty-eight genera in twenty-six families. Dominant species varied across layers, with Picea asperata Mast. and Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr. dominating the arborous layer, Lonicera ferdinandii Franch. and Cotoneaster acutifolius Turcz. in the shrub layer, and Poa pratensis L. and Duchesnea indica (Andrews.) Focke in the herb layer. (2) Altitude significantly influenced species diversity, with the most pronounced effects observed in the shrub and herb layers. (3) Tree species regeneration varied with altitude, with Picea asperata exhibiting the highest regeneration performance, particularly in the high-altitude zone (2250–2350 m). Regeneration parameters were significantly correlated with species diversity indices in both tree and shrub layers. (4) Redundancy analysis revealed that, apart from altitude, cutting (p = 0.015) influenced the species diversity of the tree layer, while annual precipitation (p = 0.006) and temperature (p = 0.01) determined the diversity of the shrub layer. Grazing (p = 0.042) was identified as a determining factor for species diversity in the herb layer. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the sustainable management of forest ecosystems in the study area and offer practical guidance for forest management in similar mountainous landscapes worldwide.

Addressing Epistemic Injustice: Engaging Children as Environmental Communicators to Support the Long-Term Sustainability of Forest Ecosystems

Closure of a forest for biosecurity purposes led to the marginalisation and disconnection of Year 6 children from a local forest of significance to them in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The marginalisation of children’s voices and concomitantly of their knowledge, ideas, and values from environmental issues can be viewed as an example of epistemic injustice, which manifests widely in the environmental area, particularly in relation to marginalised groups. To counter this marginalisation and promote epistemic justice, we explored how the creative arts involving a child-driven environmental communication project could foster children’s sense of agency by supporting the protection of a local forest affected by a tree disease. We show that the creative arts could facilitate the children’s meaningful engagement in environmental issues in a learning environment that fostered child-centric approaches that enabled children to express their visions for sustainable futures in distinctly unique ways that were relevant to them. Furthermore, enabling the children to participate as environmental communicators re-established their relationship with their local forest and re-balanced the power structures that had led to the children’s sense of marginalisation. The insights on how this child-centred relational approach can promote epistemic justice and provide a meaningful contribution to the long-term sustainable management of forest ecosystems has implications for other marginalised groups.

Ectomycorrhizal necromass turnover is one‐third of biomass turnover in hemiboreal Pinus sylvestris forests

Societal Impact StatementEfficient mitigation of climate change requires predictive models of forest ecosystems as sinks for atmospheric carbon. Mycorrhizal fungi are drivers of soil carbon storage in boreal forests, yet they are typically excluded from ecosystem models, because of a lack of information about their growth and turnover. Closing this knowledge gap could help us better predict future responses to climate change and guide policy decisions for sustainable management of forest ecosystems. This study provides new estimates of the production and turnover of mycorrhizal mycelial biomass and necromass. This information can facilitate the integration of mycorrhizal fungi into new predictive models of boreal forest soils.Summary In boreal forests, turnover of biomass and necromass of ectomycorrhizal extraradical mycelia (ERM) are important for mediating long‐term carbon storage. However, ectomycorrhizal fungi are usually not considered in ecosystem models, because data for parameterization of ERM dynamics is lacking. Here, we estimated the production and turnover of ERM biomass and necromass across a hemiboreal Pinus sylvestris chronosequence aged 12 to 100 years. Biomass and necromass were quantified in sequentially harvested in‐growth bags, and incubated in the soil for 1–24 month, and Bayesian calibration of mathematical models was applied to arrive at parametric estimates of ERM production and turnover rates of biomass and necromass. Steady states were predicted to be nearly reached after 160 and 390 growing season days, respectively, for biomass and necromass. The related turnover rates varied with 95% credible intervals of 1.7–6.5 and 0.3–2.5 times yr−1, with mode values of 2.9 and 0.9 times yr−1, corresponding to mean residence times of 62 and 205 growing season days. Our results highlight that turnover of necromass is one‐third of biomass. This together with the variability in the estimates can be used to parameterize ecosystem models, to explicitly include ERM dynamics and its impact on mycorrhizal‐derived soil carbon accumulation in boreal forests.

Optimal Allocation of Water Reservoirs for Sustainable Wildfire Prevention Planning via AHP-TOPSIS and Forest Road Network Analysis

The sustainable management of forest ecosystems is directly linked to the management of forest fires. The increasing occurrence of wildfires has prompted the need for the establishment of infrastructure aimed at addressing them. The placement of anti-fire water reservoirs can address the lack of water intake points. This study introduces a decision support system (DSS) tailored for the optimal allocation of anti-fire water reservoirs in Mediterranean forest ecosystems, ensuring a reliable water supply for firefighting operations. The methodology integrates the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the technique of order of preference by similarity to ideal solutions (TOPSIS) methods, facilitating precise location determination through comprehensive criteria analysis. Additionally, the analysis of the forest road network is incorporated to optimize the placement of water reservoirs. In the forest complex of Taxiarchis, Chalkidiki, Greece, 100 potential reservoir sites were identified and prioritized based on factors such as fire risk, proximity to existing water sources, and coverage area using optimal pathways. The study’s findings demonstrate that by establishing 34 water reservoirs, firefighting forces can access a replenishment point within a 5-min travel time. The conclusions underscore the efficacy of this methodology as a valuable decision-making tool for sustainable wildfire prevention planning. This approach contributes to allocating resources judiciously, effectively mitigating the wildfire risk in Mediterranean forest ecosystems, and therefore promoting sustainability.

Diversity and ecological dynamics of ground and understory arachnid spiders from a lowland tropical forest in Sumber Pawon, Kediri, East Java

Spiders have significantly contributed to the dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems and play an essential role as appropriate bio-indicators to monitor habitat changes. We aim to determine the composition and local scale diversity of spiders in the understory and ground layers and to determine habitat preferences regarding the distribution of spiders in the interior forests and riparian forests. Sampling was conducted at a protected forest area in Sumber Pawon Kediri, covering an area of 12.45 Ha during the wet season (January-March). The study’s results found 340 individuals consisting of 15 families and 63 species. Family Araneidae and species Hamadruas superba are the most common taxa groups in the interior forests, while Hippasa holmerae are in riparian forests. More individuals and species are found understorey shrubs in forest interiors. Soil temperature, relative humidity, and litter thickness positively correlate with spider abundance. Resource partitioning observation showed that leaf litter and herbaceous plants contain more potential prey for spiders. Forest habitat management programs must consider the spatial variation of spiders between strata, as well as the response of the spiders to the seasons. A better understanding of spider ecological dynamics will support the sustainable management of forest ecosystems.

Natural regeneration in tropical forests along a disturbance gradient in South-East Cameroon

The dynamics of tropical forests are highly dependent on the forest understorey. Understanding its diversity and composition is essential to ensure sustainable management of forest ecosystems. In this study, following a gradient of human disturbance, we analysed the density, diversity and floristic composition of the forest understorey in three land use types of south-eastern Cameroon: a protected area, a selective logging concession and community forests. Vegetation was inventoried in thirty-three permanent one-hectare plots. Woody individuals (tree, shrub, liana) were classified in four strata depending on their diameter: seedling (dbh < 1 cm), sapling (1–9.9 cm), small trees (10–29.9 cm), large tree (≥30 cm). A total of 4,159 individuals (dbh < 10 cm) belonging to 418 species and 232 genera were recorded. They mainly represent tree species (65%) and shade tolerant plants (77%), with diaspores disseminated by animals (74%). Life forms and modes of dissemination were significantly different between land use types. Abundance, species richness and diversity of juveniles varied significantly between strata and land use types: they were globally the highest in plots that have been logged less than five years before inventory. In terms of species composition, the different land use types were not clearly separated, indicating some resilience to disturbance. A low similarity between strata was observed. In all types, most canopy species are light demanding and cannot regenerate in the understorey. This indicates a natural evolution of the forest stands in the absence of silviculture. The presence of species that currently dominate the canopy of these forests will be gradually reduced without human intervention.

Integrating wildfire resistance and environmental concerns into a sustainable forest ecosystem management approach

This research aims at presenting landscape management planning methods to help stakeholders select forest ecosystem management plans that may address concerns with wildfire risk and with the environmental impacts of clearcuts. Specifically, we develop mixed integer programming models for spatial optimization that incorporate a wildfire resistance index as well as constraints on the size of clearcut openings. The former is used to enforce a minimum level of resistance to wildfire while the latter limits the size of openings, in each period of the planning horizon. Timber volume even flow is another concern that is also taken into account. This research is applied to the Zonas de Intervenção Florestal (ZIF) de Paiva and de Entre-Douro e Sousa (ZIF_VS) which are located in northwestern Portugal.

Ecological Stoichiometry and Stock Distribution of C, N, and P in Three Forest Types in a Karst Region of China.

Ecological stoichiometry plays important roles in understanding the nutrient constraints on tree growth and development, as well in maintaining ecosystem services in forests, yet the characteristics of carbon:nitrogen:phosphorous (C:N:P) stoichiometry in forests under karst environment have not been sufficiently evaluated. In this study, concentration, distribution, stocks of Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorous (P), and ecological stoichiometry were studied in three common forest types: Masson pine natural forests (MPNF), Masson pine plantation forests (MPPF), and Slash pine plantation forests (SPPF) in a karst region of southwestern China. Results showed that N concentrations were higher in overstory than in understory and litter in the studied forests. However, P concentration was relatively low in overstory component of the forested ecosystems. Meanwhile, the N and P concentrations were higher in SPPF in the stem and litter, while these contents were higher in MPPF and MPNP in the overstory and understory. The N and P stocks ranged from 5.7-6.2 t ha-1, and 0.5-0.6 t ha-1 in the examined forests. The ecological stoichiometry of C:N:P in the three forest types was similar in litter (46-49:2:1), and relatively steady in soil (250-320:13-16:1) and tree leaf (100-200:14-20:1). Soil P status was the primary limiting factor in affecting tree growth in MPPF and SPPF (N:P ratio > 16), while both N and P conditions were the main restrictive factors in MPNP (N:P ratio = 15) in the study area. Our study provides scientific references and useful datasets of C:N:P stoichiometry for sustainable management of forest ecosystems in karst regions.

Effect of environmental and spatial factors on the phylogenetic and functional diversity of the Mediterranean tree communities of Europe.

The tree flora of the Mediterranean Basin contains an outstanding taxonomic richness and a high proportion of endemic taxa. Contrary to other regions of the Mediterranean biome, a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the relationship between phylogenetic diversity, trait diversity and environmental factors in a spatial ecological context is lacking. We inferred the first calibrated phylogeny of 203 native tree species occurring in the European Mediterranean Basin based on 12 DNA regions. Using a set of four functional traits, we computed phylogenetic diversity for all 10,042 grid cells of 10 × 10 km spatial resolution to completely cover Mediterranean Europe. Then, we tested the spatial influence of environmental factors on tree diversity. Our results suggest that the nature of the relationship between traits and phylogeny varies among the different studied traits and according to the evolutionary distance considered. Phylogenetic diversity and functional diversity of European Mediterranean trees correlated strongly with species richness. High values of these diversity indices were located in the north of the study area, at high altitude, and minimum temperature of the coldest month. In contrast, the two phylogenetic indices that were not correlated with species richness (Mean Phylogenetic Distance, Phylogenetic Species Variability) were located in the south of the study area and were positively correlated with high altitude, soil organic carbon stock and sand soil texture. Our study provides support for the use of phylogenies in conservation biology to assess ecosystem functioning, and provides insights for the implementation of sustainable forest ecosystem management.

Altitudinal Gradients Modify the Ecological Stoichiometry and Enzyme Activities of Soil in a Natural Secondary Quercus spp. Forest of the Dabie Mountains

Understanding the vertical distribution and driving mechanisms behind soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) contents and enzyme activities along elevation gradients is of great significance for the healthy and sustainable management of forest ecosystems. For this study, the 0–20 cm soil-layer samples of different natural Quercus spp. secondary forests from eight altitude gradients (ranging from 250 to 950 m) were investigated to quantify their physicochemical properties, ecological stoichiometry characteristics, and enzyme activities. The results indicated that the soil nutrient content of natural secondary Quercus spp. forests in the Dabie Mountains was low, with average soil organic carbon (SOC) and total phosphorus (TP) contents of 19.86 ± 3.56 g·kg−1 and 0.68 ± 0.10 g·kg−1, respectively, which were 19.14% and 12.82% lower, respectively, than the Chinese average. In terms of vertical spatial distribution, the SOC, total nitrogen (TN), and TP contents of the soil at high altitudes (≥750 m) were greater than those at middle- and low-altitude areas and reached the maximum value at or near the top of the mountain (850–950 m). The stoichiometric attributes of the soil ecosystem fluctuated with the higher altitudes in vertical space; however, the fluctuation range was not significant. The C:N, N:P, and C:P ratios reached their maximum values at altitudes of 250, 750, and 850 m, respectively. However, the overall average value remained generally lower than the national average; thus, in forest management, attention should be paid to the supplementation of the soil with C and P. The activities of soil sucrase, urease, acid phosphatase, and catalase were interconnected across the overall space, and increased with altitude. The SOC, TP, and pH were the main factors that influenced the changes in soil enzyme activities.

Development and Testing of a New UWB Positioning Measurement Tool to Assist in Forest Surveys

Forest resource inventory is a significant part of the sustainable management of forest ecosystems. Finding methods to accurately estimate the diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height and tree position is a significant part of forest resource inventory. The traditional methods of forest resource inventory are expensive, difficult, laborious and time-consuming; the existing systems are not convenient to carry, resulting in low working efficiency. In addition, it is usually necessary to rely on a forest compass, DBH taper and RTK or handheld GPS to set up the plot. These instruments each have a single function and cannot achieve accurate positioning under the forest canopy. Therefore, it is necessary to update the existing equipment and technology. This study aimed to design. a multi-functional, high-precision, real-time. positioning intelligent tree-measuring instrument that integrates plot the set-up, DBH measurement, tree height measurement and tree position measurement. The instrument is based on the ultra-wideband positioning principle, sensor technology, image processing technology, trigonometric functions, tree surveying and other related theories and realizes the functions of plot set-up, tree position measurement, DBH measurement, tree height measurement and other functions. The device was tested in four square plots. The results showed that the root mean squared. error (RMSE). of the tree position estimates ranged from 0.07 m to 0.16 m, while the relative root mean squared error (rRMSE) of the DBH estimates of individual trees ranged from 3.01 to 6.43%, which is acceptable for practical applications in traditional forest inventory. The rRMSE of the tree height estimates ranged from 3.47 to 5.21%. Furthermore, the cost of this instrument is only about one-third that of traditional forestry survey tools, while the work efficiency is three times that of the traditional measurement methods. Overall, the results confirmed that the tree measuring instrument is a practical tool for obtaining. accurate measurements of the tree position, DBH and tree height for forest inventories.

Impacts of stand density on tree crown structure and biomass: A global meta-analysis

Stand density is a critical factor in the variation of crown structure and biomass, and can significantly change the growing space and resource acquisition of trees. However, an understanding of the interactive mechanisms of this effect with stand characteristics and environmental conditions is still lacking. In this study, our goal was to quantify the responses of crown structure and biomass to stand density and explore how shade tolerance, tree species functional group, tree age and climate affect these responses. We synthesized the outcomes of 356 observations from 60 studies published since 2000 using a meta-analysis approach. The results showed that stand density did not change the ratio of branch plus leaf biomass to aboveground biomass (CB:TB) but did have a significant effect on the crown structure and the branch and leaf biomass. This indicates that in the face of density stress, trees are generally less able to adjust biomass allocation among different organs than they are to alter the morphology of organs. The effect of stand density on crowns varied greatly among different shade-tolerant species, tree species functional groups and tree age, while climatic gradients had no significant effect on the response of crowns to stand density, which reflected the change in tree growth strategies in response to the combined effect of many factors. Overall, our meta-analysis indicates that crown growth can be regulated by changing stand density but that the interaction of stand characteristics and environmental conditions with stand density results in different tree growth strategies. This meta-analysis helps to deepen the understanding of the adaptation strategies of trees in response to competition and environmental stress and serves to promote sustainable management of forest ecosystems.

Tree-Related Microhabitats Are Promising Yet Underused Tools for Biodiversity and Nature Conservation: A Systematic Review for International Perspectives

Sustainable management of forest ecosystems requires the use of reliable and easy to implement biodiversity and naturalness indicators. Tree-related microhabitats (TreMs) can fulfill these roles as they harbor specialized species that directly or indirectly depend on them, and are generally more abundant and diverse in natural forests or forests unmanaged for several decades. The TreM concept is however still recent, implying the existence of many knowledge gaps that can challenge its robustness and applicability. To evaluate the current state of knowledge on TreMs, we conducted a systematic review followed by a bibliometric analysis of the literature identified. A total of 101 articles constituted the final corpus. Most of the articles (60.3%) were published in 2017 or after. TreM research presented a marked lack of geographical representativity, as the vast majority (68.3%) of the articles studied French, German or Italian forests. The main themes addressed by the literature were the value of TreMs as biodiversity indicators, the impact of forest management on TreMs and the factors at the tree- and stand-scales favoring TreMs occurrence. Old-growth and unmanaged forests played a key role as a “natural” forest reference for these previous themes, as TreMs were often much more abundant and diverse compared to managed forests. Arthropods were the main phylum studied for the theme of TreMs as biodiversity indicators. Other more diverse themes were identified, such as restoration, remote sensing, climate change and economy and there was a lack of research related to the social sciences. Overall, current research on TreMs has focused on assessing its robustness as an indicator of biodiversity and naturalness at the stand scale. The important geographical gap identified underscores the importance of expanding the use of the TreMs in other forest ecosystems of the world. The notable efforts made in recent years to standardize TreM studies are an important step in this direction. The novelty of the TreM concept can partially explain the thematic knowledge gaps. Our results nevertheless stress the high potential of TreMs for multidisciplinary research, and we discuss the benefits of expanding the use of TreMs on a larger spatial scale.

Dynamic impacts of energy use, agricultural land expansion, and deforestation on CO2 emissions in Malaysia

This study empirically investigates the nexus among energy use, agricultural land expansion, deforestation, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Malaysia. Time series data from 1990 to 2019 were utilized using the bounds testing (ARDL) approach followed by the Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) method. The DOLS estimate findings show that the energy usage coefficient is positive and significant with CO2 emissions, indicating a 1% increase in energy consumption is related to a 0.91% rise in CO2 emissions. In addition, the coefficient of agricultural land is positive, which indicates that agricultural land expansion by 1% is associated with an increase in CO2 emissions by 0.84% in the long run. Furthermore, the forested area coefficient is negative, which means that decreasing 1% of the wooded area (i.e., deforestation) has a long-term effect of 5.41% increased CO2 emissions. Moreover, the pairwise Granger causality test results show bidirectional causality between deforestation and energy use; and unidirectional causality from energy use to CO2 emissions, agricultural land expansion to CO2 emissions, deforestation to CO2 emissions, agricultural land expansion to energy use, and deforestation to agricultural land expansion in Malaysia. The empirical findings reveal that increased energy use, agricultural land expansion, and deforestation have a negative impact on environmental quality in Malaysia. Thus, the effective implementation of policy measures to promote renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable management of forest ecosystems could be useful for reducing environmental degradation in Malaysia.

Effects of lidar coverage and field plot data numerosity on forest growing stock volume estimation

ABSTRACT Forest parameter estimation is required to support the sustainable management of forest ecosystems. Currently, forest resource assessment is increasingly linked to auxiliary information obtained from remote sensing (RS) technologies. In forest parameter estimation, airborne laser scanning (ALS) data have been demonstrated to be an invaluable source of information. However, ALS data are often not available for the entire forest area, whereas images from multiple satellite systems offer new opportunities for large-scale forest surveys. This study aims to assess and estimate the contribution of field plot data and ALS data along with Landsat data to the precision of growing stock volume (GSV) estimates. We compared different approaches for model-assisted estimation of mean forest GSV per unit area using different proportions of field sample data, ALS cover data, and wall-to-wall Landsat data. Model-assisted estimators were used with NFI sample data in an Italian study area using 10 RS predictors, specifically the seven Landsat 7 ETM+ bands and three fine-resolution metrics based on ALS-derived canopy height. We found that relative to the standard simple expansion estimator, the model-assisted estimators produced relative efficiency of 1.16 when using only Landsat data and relative efficiencies as great as 1.33 when using increasing levels of ALS coverage.

Exploring the nexus of land use changes with afforestation and urbanization: A case study of Elmalar Forest Planning Unit in Turkey

Monitoring and understanding of ecosystem dynamics is essential for sustainable management of forest ecosystems. This study investigates the effects of afforestation activities and population factors spatio-temporal changes of forest ecosystems. Geographic Information System was used to assess temporal and spatial changes between 2002 and 2014 in the Elmalar forest planning unit, located around the areas Mediterranean city of Kahramanmaraş, Turkey. The results indicated that total forest area increased by 2,279 hectares during the 12-year period with a 20 % cumulative improvement of the forested area. The increase in the productive and total forest areas can be attributed to the afforestation activities carried out in the study area. Notably, with the Green Belt Afforestation Project of GDF carried out in the Elmalar forest planning unit, 1,574 hectares of non-forest areas were afforested which contributed to an increase in total forest areas. Forest areas converted to non-forest area were less compared to forest increased. Increased population growth, internal migrations and resettlements within the study area are the primary reasons for expansion of residential areas, which lead to increased pressure on forest resources.

Assessment of risks constraining the sustainable development of forest ecosystems in the Saïda Mountains (Algeria) by using FMECA approach

Mountain forest ecosystems and other biodiversity reserves represent “safety nets” for many communities for their livelihoods. They are economi-cally important sources of wood, fodder, food and non-wood forest prod-ucts. Controlling. the sustainable management of forest ecosystems neces-sarily involves identifying and assessing their condition and circumstance. The method chosen to set the prerequisites for a strategy to safe-guard the cork oak forests, is the one used to identify failures in systems: Failure Mode Analysis and Criticality Evaluation (FMACE). The results sought are recorded in a matrix based on the following points: Identification of hazard and risk sources; Segmentation of the factors causing hazards; Risk evaluation (severity, frequency, non-Detection) (BOUCHAOUR-DJABEUR,2020). The use of the Failure mode effects and criticality analysis approach (FMECA) dedi-cated to risk management for the identification and assessment of risks is possible and highly appreciated. In order to understand the degradation pro-cess of forest formations in Saida Mountains (Algeria), two matrices from modified FMECA method allowed identification of 15 main defective targets. Identified failures have been grouped into 5 categories namely: organization-al, technical, professional, management and socio-economic in order to facil-itate their remediation. For each failure, a score was assigned, allowing clas-sification of breaches in order to set up an action plan based on priorities. Results from our present evaluation study based on the FMECA approach will allow various actors of forest and mountain domain to better under-stand the degradation of this natural space and help to make decisions and undertake valid remediation actions.

Spatial patterns of insect herbivory within a forest landscape: the role of soil type and forest stratum

BackgroundInsect herbivory has profound impacts on ecosystem processes and services. Although many efforts have been made to recognize the main drivers of insect herbivory at different scales, the results are inconsistent. One likely reason is that studies have insufficiently captured the spatially heterogeneous factors such as soil type and forest stratum within the stand that may significantly affect insect herbivory. In particular, there is a lack of studies that address the detailed spatial patterns of insect herbivory which are influenced by these factors.MethodsWe measured the detailed spatial patterns of insect herbivory on cork oak (Quercus variabilis Bl.) in response to soil type (gravel soil and loam) and forest stratum (the upper, lower, and sapling stratum), and correlated these patterns with a set of influencing factors (litter coverage, coverage of shrubs and herbs, soil nutrients, soil moisture, and leaf traits) in a forest landscape.ResultsGenerally, insect herbivory was spatially heterogeneous within stands. Herbivory was significantly lower in gravel soil areas than in loam soil areas and the highest herbivory occurred in the lower stratum. However, there were also 41 individual plots in which the highest herbivory occurred in the upper stratum and 29 plots in which the highest herbivory occurred in the sapling stratum. There were significant differences in soil nutrient and water status between soil types, but no significant differences in leaf traits. The effects of forest stratum on leaf traits were also inconsistent with those on insect herbivory.ConclusionsLeaf traits may not be the main factors influencing insect herbivory in the field. Soil type may have major effects on herbivory patterns by influencing litter coverage while higher coverage of shrubs and herbs may reduce herbivory in the sapling stratum. These findings may advance our understanding of tree-herbivore interactions in real-world situations and have important implications for the sustainable management of forest ecosystems.