Tree Wood Research Articles

Spatial distribution of dark heartwood and wood rot in sugar maple at the northern edge of its range

The wood of sugar maple trees (Acer saccharum Marsh.) is generally perceived as containing more defects, such as dark heartwood and wood rot, at the northern limit of its range compared to southern locations; however, assessments of these internal defects have primarily relied on direct observation, limiting the scope of analysis. To enable large-scale assessments, models are needed to estimate the internal quality of individual trees based on external defects. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the relationships between external and internal defects within sugar maple stems. Then, large-scale estimates of the importance of such defects were produced to understand the effects of site conditions and climate. Increment cores were sampled from 1,108 trees across 108 plots. Results revealed that the probability of wood rot and the proportion of internal defects were associated with the presence of cracks and fungal fruiting bodies. Also, colder sites increased the probability of wood rot as well as the proportion of the stem affected by internal defects. Moreover, the western Balsam fir-Yellow birch subdomain had both the highest probability of wood rot and the greatest proportion of internal defects. Future studies should examine how this spatial distribution could evolve with climate change.

Co-applied biochar and drought tolerant PGPRs induced more improvement in soil quality and wheat production than their individual applications under drought conditions.

Plant growth and development can be greatly impacted by drought stress. Suitable plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) or biochar (BC) application has been shown to alleviate drought stress for plants. However, their co-application has not been extensively explored in this regard. We isolated bacterial strains from rhizospheric soils of plants from arid soils and characterized them for plant growth promoting characteristics like IAA production and phosphate solubilization as well as for drought tolerance. Three bacterial strains or so called PGPRs, identified as Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus tropicus, and Bacillus paramycoides based on their 16S rRNA, were screened for further experiments. Wheat was grown on normal, where soil moisture was maintained at 75% of water holding capacity (WHC), and induced-drought (25% WHC) stressed soil in pots. PGPRs were applied alone or in combination with a biochar derived from pyrolysis of tree wood. Drought stress substantially inhibited wheat growth. However, biochar addition under stressed conditions significantly improved the wheat growth and productivity. Briefly, it increased straw yield by 25%, 100-grain weight by 15% and grain yield by 10% compared to the control. Moreover, co-application of biochar with PGPRs B. thuringiensis, B. tropicus and B. paramycoides further enhanced straw yield by 37-41%, 100-grain weight by 30-36%, and grain yield by 22-22.57%, respectively. The co-application also enhanced soil quality by increasing plant-available phosphorus by 4-31%, microbial biomass by 33-45%, and soil K+/Na+ ratio by 41-44%. Co-application of PGPRs and biochar alleviated plant drought stress by improving nutrient availability and absorption. Acting as a nutrient reservoir, biochar worked alongside PGPRs, who solubilized nutrients from the former and promoted wheat growth. We recommend that the co-application of suitable PGPRs and biochar is a better technology to produce wheat under drought conditions than using these enhancers separately.

The biogeochemical model Biome-BGCMuSo v6.2 provides plausible and accurate simulations of the carbon cycle in central European beech forests

Abstract. Process-based ecosystem models are increasingly important for predicting forest dynamics under future environmental conditions, which may encompass non-analogous climate coupled with unprecedented disturbance regimes. However, challenges persist due to the extensive number of model parameters, scarce calibration data, and trade-offs between the local precision and the applicability of the model over a wide range of environmental conditions. In this paper, we describe a protocol that allows a modeller to collect transferable ecosystem properties based on ecosystem characteristic criteria and to compile the parameters that need to be described in the field. We applied the procedure to develop a new parameterisation for European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) for the Biome-BGCMuSo model, the most advanced member of the Biome-BGC family. For model calibration and testing, we utilised multiyear forest carbon data from 87 plots distributed across five European countries. The initial values of 48 new ecophysiological parameters were defined based on a literature review. The final values of six calibrated parameters were optimised for single sites as well as for multiple sites using generalised likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) and model output conditioning that ensured plausible simulations based on user-defined ranges of carbon stock output variables (carbon stock in aboveground wood biomass, soil, and litter) and finding the intersections of site-specific plausible parameter hyperspaces. To support the model use, we tested the model performance by simulating aboveground tree wood, soil, and litter carbon across a large geographical gradient of central Europe and evaluated the trade-offs between parameters tailored to single plots and parameters estimated using multiple sites. Our findings indicated that parameter sets derived from single sites provided an improved local accuracy of simulations of aboveground wood, soil, and litter carbon stocks by 35 %, 55 %, and 11 % in comparison to the a priori parameter set. However, their broader applicability was very limited. A multi-site optimised parameter set, on the other hand, performed satisfactorily across the entire geographical domain studied here, including on sites not involved in the parameter estimation, but the errors were, on average, 26 %, 35 % and 9 % greater for the aboveground wood, soil, and litter carbon stocks than those obtained with the site-specific parameter sets. Importantly, model simulations demonstrated plausible responses across large-scale environmental gradients, featuring a clear production optimum of beech that aligns with empirical studies. These findings suggest that the model is capable of accurately simulating the dynamics of European beech across its range and can be used for more comprehensive experimentations.

Lidar-derived estimates of boreal shrub biomass in Southcentral Alaska

Abstract Despite widespread observations of shrub proliferation and expansion (shrubification), few studies quantify shrub biomass at the regional scale. Here we describe and implement a two-part modeling approach to estimate and map tall shrub (diameter at root collar > 2.5 cm) expected aboveground biomass, or E[SHB], across a 16.6 million ha boreal region where shrubification occurs in wetlands and subalpine ecosystems. Using n = 384 field plots nested within m = 11 study sites across southcentral Alaska, we constructed random forest models of the probability (pSH) that shrub wood volume surpasses tree wood volume, and generalized additive models (GAMs) of aboveground biomass of tall shrubs (SHB) using rasterized aerial lidar variables collected by NASA Goddard’s Lidar, Hyperspectral, and Thermal (G-LiHT) Airborne Imager, together with gridded climate data from a Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model 30-year normal climatology (PRISM). Applying those models to G-LiHT tiles, then averaging across tiles within n = 843 watersheds covering 9.2 million ha, we estimated that below 1,000 m asl, the area-weighted mean value of E[SHB] = pSH x SHB = 6.6 Mg ha-1 with sd = 4.5 Mg ha-1. This is the first study to estimate current shrub biomass density at the regional scale in southcentral Alaska and serves as a biomass baseline for measuring and modeling aboveground carbon fluxes where plant communities are undergoing climate-driven change.

Comprehensive review on pharmacological activities of Adansonia digitata

, commonly known as the baobab tree, founded mainly in Africa and is also found in Indiana region. It associates to the kapok tree group and this tree hold record of highest wood tree in the world. The baobab is an adaptable plant that provides protection, food, clothing, medicament and raw materials for multiple products. All eatable section including seeds, leaves, roots, flowers, pulp and bark, are shared to be beneficial. Baobab trees are over 4,000 years old. contains many phytochemicals such as vitamin C, steroids, flavonoids, epicatechin, campestral and amino acids. This large tree can growth a height of 20-25 meters and a cyclize of up to 9 meters and has been in place for centuries.It is called the "Queen of Carbon Storage" because it can absorb so much carbon from the air. The tree is known for its size, unique shape and long-life expectancy, often surviving for thousands of years. Baobab has a variety of biological properties, including antibacterial, antimalarial, antidiarrheal, antianemic, antiasthmatic, antiviral, antioxidant. Phytochemical analysis has revealed the presence of flavonoids, phytosterols, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Parts of the plant are used for treating bronchial asthma, dermatitis, sickle cell anemia, diuretic, antidiabetic, antidiarrheal, antidysenteric, laxative, and hiccups in children. This article summarizes the pharmacological, phytochemical, and pharmacological properties of the baobab tree.

Cluster-Based Wood–Leaf Separation Method for Forest Plots Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning Data

Successfully separating wood and leaves in forest plots is a prerequisite for measuring structural parameters and reconstructing 3D forest models. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) can distinguish between the leaves and wood of trees through precise and dense point clouds. However, most existing wood–leaf separation methods face significant accuracy issues, especially in dense forests, due to the complications introduced by canopy shading. In this study, we propose a method to separate the wood and leaves in forest plots using the clustering features of TLS data. The method first filters a point cloud to remove the ground points, and then clusters the point cloud using a region-growing algorithm. Next, the clusters are processed based on their sizes and numbers of points for preliminary separation. Chaos Distance is introduced to characterize the observation that wood points are more orderly while leaf points are more chaotic and disorganized. Lastly, the clusters’ Chaos Distance is used for the final separation. Three representative plots were used to validate this method, achieving an average accuracy of 0.938, a precision of 0.927, a recall of 0.892, and an F1 score of 0.907. The three sample plots were processed in 5.18, 3.75, and 14.52 min, demonstrating high efficiency. Comparing the results with the LeWoS and RF models showed that our method better addresses the accuracy issues of complex canopy structures.

The state and structure of beech primaeval forests in the “Zacharovanyi Krai” National Nature Park

The relevance of the study is determined by the need to preserve natural values, which are considered the heritage of all mankind, namely the primaeval forests and old-growth beech forests of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage. The aim of the research was to study the state and structure of the beech primaeval forest in the national nature park “Zacharovanyi Krai”. For the study, a permanent sample plot of 1 ha (100×100 m) was laid down in the prevailing forest type – moist pure beech forest. This plot is located in the optimal forest-growing conditions for European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) within the Vyhorlat-Hutyn volcanic ridge of the Ukrainian Carpathians. It was found that the beech forest stand on the plot is pure in composition and complex in form, characterised by different development phases (age groups by diameter): the first layer stand belongs to the mature age group (senile), the second layer – to the middle-aged group, and the third – to the pole (virginal). It was determined that 95% of the primaeval forest stock is the stock of the first layer, while the share of commercial trees of the first layer is 89% (66% of the total volume of stem wood of trees on the permanent sample plot). The main types of damage in the site are caused by abiotic factors. As a result of such damage, 43 m3‧ha-1 of deadwood was recorded, characterised by all 5 stages of decomposition. Under the canopy of the stand, 10,375 pcs‧ha-1 of undergrowth was recorded, of which the share of beech is 88%. Beech undergrowth is weakly differentiated by age groups: it was recorded only in the group of 7-year-olds and older and well-differentiated by height groups. By age group, undergrowth belongs to the juvenile-immature age state. The herbaceous cover is typical for nemoral forests. The presence of stationary research plots in the National Nature Park “Zakharovanyy Kray” makes it possible to constantly monitor the trends of natural development of the ecosystem – the beech primaeval forest

Household Fuelwood Consumption and Its Implication for Carbon Dioxide Emission

This review paper aims to gather informative data on the impact of climate extremes on the physical environment, public health, and the livelihoods of people in Ethiopia. The primary sources of data for this review were peer-reviewed journal articles obtained from electronic databases such as PubMed, Central, Scopus, and Web of Science. Globally, the vast majority of households in developing countries depend on wood energy for their daily energy needs. Such consumption trends are expected to remain a common feature of traditional wood energy production and consumption, at least in the short- to medium-terms. This situation increases the demand for firewood and charcoal from the forest. The process of harvesting standing trees for charcoal and fire wood leads to forest degradation. Although woody biomass has the function of energy consumption, and as a source of income for rural villagers and urban poor dwellers practicing agriculture, wood energy generally has low priority in national policies of developing countries. However, unsustainable management and negative environmental consequences in humid and dry forests is derived from the use of fuel wood energy. Still now there is an unsystematic assessment of the economic contribution and environmental consequences of wood energy use, so its significance and consequences have been minimized. This deforestation and forest degradation contributes 1–2.4 Gt CO2e of greenhouse gases, which is 2–7% of global anthropogenic emissions, with global greenhouse gas emissions mostly CO2.

The genus Acerocephala and observations of the life history of Acerocephala hanuuanamu sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Cerocephalidae) and its bark beetle host on the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i

The behavior of Acerocephala hanuuanamusp. nov. found parasitizing Cryphalus brasiliensis under the surface of wood in Ficus microcarpa trees on the island of O‘ahu in Hawai‘i is deduced from observations in naturally occuring branches, and from direct observation using specially designed “phloem sandwich” observation chambers which consist of tree bark peeled through the phloem layer from freshly cut branches and sandwiched between a sheet of aluminum and a sheet of plexiglass. Cryphalus brasiliensis beetles, found living in large numbers in the phloem tissues in F. microcarpa trees, were collected and placed into these chambers. They tunneled into the wood and reproduced, producing an active colony of all life stages. Acerocephala hanuuanamu wasps were then placed into the system and their behavior observed. Typical behavior, aspects of which were recorded in video and still images, was as follows. A female A. hanuuanamu enters the tunnels of the bark beetles. She digs through the debris in the tunnels in a search for larvae and pupae. Cryphalus brasiliensis prepupae construct a hard pupal chamber around themselves before they pupate, and upon encountering a larva in the tunnels or the exterior of a pupal chamber with a pupa inside, she adeptly turns around in the tunnel to sting it, either inserting her ovipositor directly into the larva or by laboriously pushing it through the hard shell of the pupal chamber. When finished stinging, she withdraws her ovipositor slowly and carefully, often extracting tissue from the beetle immature as a sheath around her ovipositor. This structure remains projecting from the larva or pupa, and then the wasp turns around and host feeds through this structure, in the case of a pupa at a substantial distance through the wall of the pupal chamber. Oviposition occurs on larval stages and pupal stages. The egg hatches and the larva develops as an ectoparasitoid on the beetle. When finished feeding, it detaches and pupates in the tunnel. Mating behavior is also described. In addition to C. brasiliensis in F. microcarpa, A. hanuuanamu was also observed attacking Cryphalus mangiferae in mango (Mangifera indica) branches. Acerocephala ihulenasp. nov. was also found on O‘ahu parasitizing Eidophelus pacificus in hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus) branches, and is described. The genus Acerocephala is revised given the perspective resulting from these two new species and aspects of functional morphology observed in the behavioral studies, Acerocephala indicacomb. nov. is transferred to the genus, and a key to the genus is provided.

Ресурсный потенциал бархата амурского в Приамурско-Приморском хвойно-широколиственном районе

Cedar-broad-leaved forests in the Far East cover an area of slightly more than 3 million hectares. Amur cork tree (Phellodendron amurense) is one of the brightest representatives of the woody flora of cedar-broad-leaved forests. In the last century, volumetric and assortment tables were developed for it. There are no growth progress tables for this species. In order to increase the accuracy of forest taxation work, in this article, based on the materials of the state inventory, tables of growth progress for this species have been developed. The experimental material has been 159 model trees from permanent sample plots laid in plantations of different forest types and quality classes during the state forest inventory. When studying the growth patterns of the Amur cork tree, two approaches have been used. In the first case, when leveling taxation indicators, the diameter of the trees has been taken as an independent variable, and in the second – their age. The first version of the growth progress table is close to the digit scale of volumes, in the second case it corresponds to the generally accepted form of growth progress tables. In both versions, the total wood productivity, as well as the volume of bark and cork, has been calculated. The number of trunks has been found through the thinning constant. In plantations, the Amur cork tree occurs in single specimens, rarely growing in groups of up to 10 trees. In the analyzed sample, the maximum age of the Amur cork trees has been 100 years, the height – 25 m and the diameter – 60 cm. The developed growth progress tables reflect the patterns of development of the Amur cork trees growing in the Priamur-Primorskiy coniferous-broad-leaved area. The first growth progress table has been compiled by diameter classes, the second – by age classes. In comparison with oak, according to the growth progress tables, the Amur cork tree has shown a higher increment potential in terms of stock per one tree. The compiled tables can be used to calculate the reserves of the Amur cork tree wood as part of a mixed stand, the cork volume and mass, the amount of damage to plantations caused by logging or fires, and for other purposes. The high growth rate of the Amur cork tree at a young age indicates the prospects of this species for afforestation.

Elucidation of the life cycle of a saprotrophic inoperculate discomycete that is associated with pinesap using a polyphasic taxonomic approach

This study deals with the elucidation of the life cycle of an inoperculate discomycete that was eventually collected from conifer wood in South Germany and has become famous for the extraordinary diversity of its secondary metabolites when it was studied extensively during the 1990s. It had then been identified as Lachnum papyraceum (Lachnaceae, Helotiales) based on morphological traits, and extracts from its mycelial cultures were found to possess extraordinary nematicidal and antibiotic activities. Over 60 different secondary metabolites were finally identified from this fungus after extensive variation of culture media and scale-up of production up to 100-L scale. Among the main active principles were mycorrhizin A and chloromycorrhizin A, which had first been reported in 1977 from an unnamed “mycorrhizal” fungus of the hemiparasitic plant, Monotropa hypopitys (pinesap), that was isolated in Sweden. We noted that both the Lachnum strain and the original mycorrhizin producer were still available in the public domain and decided to study them for comparison using a multilocus phylogeny and also generated secondary metabolite profiles of both strains using analytical high performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array and mass spectrometric detection (HPLC–DAD/MS). Surprisingly, the sequence data as well as the secondary metabolite profiles of both strains were highly similar, and it was also confirmed by phylogenetic methods that the strains are indeed nested within the genus Lachnum by comparison of their ITS, LSU, and RPB2 sequences. The specimen called L. papyraceum in the old publications was tentatively re-identified by Hans-Otto Baral as L. cf. subvirgineum, but substantial further work on the taxonomy of the genus remains to be done, anyway. We conclude that some Lachnum species have a highly complex but all the more interesting life cycle, and the mycorrhizal symbiont partner may invade the host plant, where it may persist as an endophyte and finally turn saprotrophic on the wood of the senescent pine tree. The taxonomy of these fungi should also be further resolved in the future, using a polythetic concept that includes chemotaxonomic data and a multi-locus genealogy.

Etnobotani Tikung Masyarakat Melayu Dusun Batu Rawan Kabupaten Kapuas Hulu dalam Budidaya Madu Secara Tradisional

Wild Honey is produced directly from the hives of Apis dorsata bees or wild bees that live in forest areas. Wild Honey is produced through traditional methods that utilize plants and are not livestock. Plants that are utilized in the form of plant wood as artificial nests called tikung and flowers from bee food trees. The purpose of this study was to determine the types of plants as tikung wood and bee food trees and document the knowledge of traditional honey farmers about the ethnoecology of Batu Rawan Hamlet, Kapuas Hulu Regency. This study used purposive sampling method in determining respondents and 15 respondents were obtained, then continued with semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was conducted with citation frequency. The results showed that there were 5 species of tikung wood and 15 species of bee food trees belonging to 12 families. Fagraea fragrans, Shorea belangaran, Litsea resinosa, Gluta renghas, Shorea sp., are plant species used as tikung wood trees, the dominant species reported by respondents is Litsea resinosa which is 93.3%. Mesua hexapetala, Syzygium claviflorum, Barringtonia acutangula, Ternstroemia sp., Carallia brachiata, Teysmanniodendron sarawakanum, Syzygium sp., Gomphia serrata, Eugenia sp., Syzygium inophyllum, Timonius flavescens, Ixora mentangis, Syzygium attenuatum, Memecylon edule, Crudia teysmannii are plant species used as bee fodder trees, bee fodder tree species reported dominantly by respondents are Barringtonia acutangula species which is 100%.

Farming Systems and GAP Adoption in JASS Coffee in Tlahab, Temanggung Regency, Indonesia

Farming systems provide information about the complexity of agriculture at the household level in a region. In Temanggung, Indonesia, the Java Arabica Sindoro-Sumbing (JASS) coffee intercropped with tobacco and vegetables provides an interesting interaction study. Despite its potential, no in-depth research has been conducted on farming systems and the level of good agricultural practices (GAP) adoption in JASS plantations. This study sought to analyze farming systems and determine the level of GAP adoption by the JASS coffee farmers in Tlahab, Temanggung, Central Java Province. One hundred fifty-eight purposively sampled farmers were interviewed in depth. The study employed agrarian system diagnosis as tool for analyzing farming systems, and calculated GAP adoption using the chi-square test. Before 1999, the simple farming system consisted of planting tobacco and red beans during the dry season, switching to corn during the rainy season, and keeping livestock for emergency savings and manure. However, erosion was a major problem because few wood trees existed. Farmers grew JASS coffee in large quantities and positioned it as a conservation plant and as a new income source. After 2000, they grew JASS coffee alongside tobacco and red beans during the dry season, followed by more diverse cropping during the rainy season. The study classified the JASS coffee farmers as specialist, rainforest, and diversified coffee farmers. Plant spacing and intercropping had more than 75 percent adoption rate, water and soil conservation, along with growing shade trees, had 30 to 50 percent adoption, while fertilizing and pruning had less than 25 percent. Specialist coffee farmers dominated the practice of GAP cultivation and had higher yield and income from coffee cherries than two other types of farmers.

Pelatihan dan penerapan agrosilvo konservasi mendukung pertanian organik berkelanjutan di Desa Aunupe Kabupaten Konawe Selatan Provinsi Sulawesi Tenggara [Training and application of agrosilvo conservation supports sustainable organic farming in Aunupe Village, South Konawe Regency, Southeast Sulawesi

The agricultural practices carried out by the people of Aunupe Village have been going on for several generations, but the agricultural system used is not optimal because they still use a conventional farming system, namely monoculture. Apart from that, the agricultural input used is chemical fertilizer which of course does not meet the organic aspect and is not sustainable, because high chemical input and long use can damage the texture and nutrients of the soil. For this reason, community empowerment through training in the application of organic farming techniques in the form of agrosilvo conservation in an agroforestry pattern needs to be encouraged so that local communities who use land in forest areas not only obtain agricultural products but can also benefit from environmental and economic services so that they can be sustainable. Thus, the appropriate alternative that can be implemented is to utilize a non-timber farming system combined with maintaining wood trees, known as an agroforestry system, namely agrosilvo conservation. This service aims to provide knowledge and examples to the farming community regarding how to cultivate agriculture using a combination of non-timber plants and woody plants, namely with the conservation agrosilvo system. The method used is descriptive qualitative. The results of the PKMI program activities are the socialization of agro-silvoconservation activities and increased knowledge and capacity of the community in carrying out farming using the agrosilvo-conservation method.

Ethanol production from the wood and fruit juice of paper mulberry via simultaneous saccharification and juice co-fermentation under normal and very high gravity conditions

A novel batch simultaneous saccharification and juice co-fermentation (SSJcF) process was investigated using mixtures of PHP (phosphoric acid plus hydrogen peroxide) pretreated wood and fruit juice of paper mulberry tree. All the different substrate mixture configurations evaluated under normal gravity SSJcF (total sugar titer of 180 g/L) significantly improved both ethanol concentration and yield compared to sole simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of paper mulberry wood. Among the different mixing ratios, the feedstock mixture with equal sugar content from each substrate resulted in maximum ethanol concentration, yield and productivity of 77.1 g/L, 83.9 % and 1.1 g/L/h, respectively. The external additions of mineral nutrients also had no impact on fermentation performance of the mixture. Furthermore, SSJcF was evaluated under different levels of high gravity (HG) and very high gravity (VHG) conditions. The total sugar titer of 350 g/L at equal contributions from each substrate reached very high ethanol concentration of 147.0 g/L, with yield and productivity of 82.3 % and 1.5 g/L/h, respectively. By implication, the PM wood and fruit juice mixture could serve as suitable low-cost and non-food feedstock alternative to the typical use of sugary and/or starchy feedstocks for VHG fermentation.

Retrospective determination of exposure temperature of standing trees during wildfires with solid-state NMR

Timber plantations across the world are suffering from the effects of increasingly frequent wildfires, which potentially degrade the wood of affected trees, depending on the exposure temperature and time. However, it is rather complicated to determine the exact temperature of the fire, or the temperature to which the wood was exposed. This study aimed to determine the exposure temperature of wood retrospectively through solid-state NMR analysis. Models were developed from softwood and hardwood samples exposed to defined temperatures, which successfully linked the NMR signal to the exposure temperature. Various fit equations were developed to link the half-width or peak area of the NMR signal to the exposure temperatures. Hard- and softwoods displayed noticeable differences: a linear function best described the half-width in the higher temperature region for Pine and Eucalyptus, whereas a parabolic function for the peak area of Eucalyptus yielded the best correlation to the entire temperature range. This non-destructive and direct method offers a valuable evaluation method to determine, if wood in burnt trees is degraded and can be processed. An informed choice can be made on the decision to use, or discard burnt wood.

Analisis Kondisi Ekowisata Mangrove Belawan Sicanang di Kecamatan Medan Belawan, Kota Medan

Mangroves are plants that live in coastal areas which have great benefits, namely as abrasion barriers, wave breakers, as a food source for marine biota, absorbing carbon dioxide, and producing oxygen. Sicanang Mangrove Ecotourism is a mangrove forest that is open to the public to visit this ecotourism. The location is in Belawan Sicanang Village, Medan Belawan District, Medan City. Data collection techniques were used to obtain primary data and secondary data through observation, interviews and literature study. Research data was analyzed using qualitative descriptive analysis. The research results show that since 2020, this ecotourism has been closed and is not being maintained to this day. The cause of the damage to ecotourism is due to the local community's lack of understanding about developing mangrove ecotourism in the area, such as cutting down mangrove trees for wood as furniture material. This causes damage to the mangrove ecosystem and the quantity of mangrove trees decreases. It was concluded that the damage was caused by a lack of attention to repairs from the government and management awareness from the local community.

Effects of beam power and feed rate in the process of cutting fresh wood with a CO2 laser on water contact angle on the cut surface

The paper describes a study on the effects of beam power and feed rate in the process of cutting fresh wood with a CO2 laser on water contact angle on the cut surface. The study involved several broadleaved tree species (oak, birch, alder, plum, and apple tree) and one coniferous species (pine). Samples were cut with a Trumpf TLC1005 laser equipped with a TruFlow 6000 CO2 resonator at a wavelength of 10.6 μm at three power output settings (1 kW, 2 kW, and 3 kW) and one feed rate (0.4 m∙min− 1). Contact angle was measured by pipetting a drop of distilled water on the wood surface and recording the process with a camera. Subsequently, images of the drop were analyzed over one minute at 10 s intervals to determine changes in contact angle for each of the cases examined. It was not possible to measure the contact angle on saw-cut samples as the water was immediately absorbed, while water drops placed on laser-cut samples remained on the surface for over 60 s, with the contact angle decreasing over time for the examined species from an average of 90° to 40°. The higher beam power settings (2 or 3 kW) were found to be preferable for the hardwood species (oak, birch, alder, and apple tree). In turn, in the case of the softwood species (pine), the laser power output did not matter, as both at the low (1 kW) and high (3 kW) settings the drop did not spread over the surface quickly. Finally, the optimum beam power for plum tree wood was found to be 1 kW.

An investigation of Inonotus obliquus in Estonia: Its distribution, abundance of conks, rot extent in infected trees, and peculiarities of basidiospore dispersal

Inonotus obliquus, a well-known forest fungal pathogen, started gaining attention for its potential medicinal uses. Known as Chaga, the fungus has become prominent due to the bioactive compounds present in its conks. Forest owners are cultivating it to produce conks as a source of non-timber profit. However, not much is known about the natural occurrence of this pathogen, its formation of conks, the extent of decay in the infected trees, and the distribution of its basidiospores. Across 80 forest stands in Estonia dominated by Betula pendula, B. pubescens, Alnus incana, and A. glutinosa, the conks of I. obliquus were documented in 17 stands. The conks were more common in continental Estonia compared to the western islands. Among 800 randomly chosen trees, I. obliquus conks were documented on ten trees. Additionally, an asymptomatic I. obliquus infection was detected in one tree. After two years of spore trapping, I. obliquus basidiospores were detected only on four occasions, between the end of July and the beginning of September, and only at night. The proportion of rot damage in the total volume of model tree wood ranged from 8.6% to 58.5%. For fast and reliable detection of I. obliquus, TaqMan species-specific qPCR primers were developed and tested.

The timing of wood formation in peatland trees as obtained with different approaches

Dendrometers offer valuable insights into how tree growth responds to climatic variables and physiological processes over the course of a year. Yet, their applicability to extremely slow-growing trees, such as those in peatlands, has been limited due to the intricate and slow nature of growth, therefore rendering interpretation of results complex. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive monitoring of tree wood formation in both peatland and mineral soil ecosystems in southern Sweden (58.37 N, 12.17 E, 75 m asl) in 2021 and 2022, using both band and point dendrometers. To verify and validate the dendrometer data, we also sampled microcores every two weeks during both growing seasons. We find that peatland trees grow at approximately 30 % the rate of their neighbors on mineral soils. The onset of growth among peatland trees typically occurs between mid-May and early June, consistently lagging the start of the growing season in trees on mineral soils by one to three weeks. Notably, growth peaks are synchronized across peatland trees and coincide with the summer solstice. Both types of dendrometers exhibit varying degrees of accuracy depending on the phenological stages measured. They perform well in identifying growth onset and peak but are less effective at detecting growth cessation. Point dendrometers demonstrate superior accuracy as they better capture daily irreversible growth increments. In the case of band dendrometers, growth increments are obscured by greater reversible fluctuations in dead bark tissues. However, they remain valuable for tracking the wood phenology of trees with growth rates exceeding 2 mm/year. Based on our results, for an effective tree monitoring in peatlands, we strongly recommend (1) using point dendrometers and (2) removing the dead bark tissues on monitored trees.