Forests最新文献

{"title":"Evaluating the Ecological Restoration Effectiveness of Poverty Alleviation Relocation through Carbon Storage Analysis: Insights from Karst Regions","authors":"Qing Feng, Zhongfa Zhou, Quan Chen, Changli Zhu, Luoyuan Zhang","doi":"10.3390/f15061006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/f15061006","url":null,"abstract":"The Poverty Alleviation Relocation (PAR) policy is widely regarded as an effective approach for breaking the cycle of ecological vulnerability and poverty. However, quantitative research on the ecological restoration effectiveness of PAR lacks sufficient experimental data support. This study focuses on the karst region and employs analysis methods such as volume-derived biomass and correlation analysis to evaluate the impact of PAR on carbon storage in forest ecosystems using on-site experimental data. The objective is to enhance and broaden the research framework for assessing PAR’s ecological restoration effectiveness. The findings reveal that, compared to the pre-PAR implementation period in 2015, the study area experienced an 8.16% increase in forest land area and a 6.57% increase in carbon storage after six years of PAR implementation in 2021. Following PAR implementation, carbon storage in the stone desertification area surged by 14.31%, indicating a significant correlation between PAR households and carbon storage variables. In the karst area, carbon storage increased by 4.34%, exhibiting a significant correlation between the two variables. Conversely, in the non-karst area, carbon storage rose by 5.01%, but no significant correlation was observed between the variables. Furthermore, post-PAR implementation, there is a discernible trend of stronger carbon storage enhancement with increasing distance from the relocated PAR households.","PeriodicalId":12339,"journal":{"name":"Forests","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141374171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Applied Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects","authors":"J. D. Allison, Qing-He Zhang","doi":"10.3390/f15060997","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/f15060997","url":null,"abstract":" Forests provide diverse and complex services, including contributing directly to the livelihood of more than 1.5 billion people, providing habitat to ca. 80% of terrestrial species and combating climate change. With the continued growth of human populations, the significance of the ecosystem services provided by forests will increase.","PeriodicalId":12339,"journal":{"name":"Forests","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141375703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Silver Fir (Abies alba Mill.): Review of Ecological Insights, Forest Management Strategies, and Climate Change’s Impact on European Forests","authors":"Michal Bledý, S. Vacek, Pavel Brabec, Zdeněk Vacek, Jan Cukor, J. Černý, Richard Ševčík, Kateřina Brynychová","doi":"10.3390/f15060998","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/f15060998","url":null,"abstract":"The silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is among the most valuable conifers in Europe for ecological and economic reasons. Throughout the course of history, primarily in the 20th century, its share in stands has been declining due to ill-suited management practices, especially clear-cut management, air pollution (SO2 and NOX emissions), and wildlife-induced damage. This literature review compiles findings from 338 scientific papers. It describes futures for silver fir and its distribution, ecological requirements, threats and diseases, seed production and nurseries, and forest management practices with emphasis on ongoing climate change. Based on recent knowledge of fir ecology and population dynamics, small-scale shelterwood and selection management have been introduced in fir stands, which have also stabilized them. Fir is an essential species for maintaining high stability and biodiversity, especially on planosols and in waterlogged habitats. Owing to its shade tolerance and environmental plasticity, it can coexist very well with many tree species in mixtures, which can increase the productive potential of stands within the natural range in Europe. The average stand volume of mature fir stands ranges from 237–657 m3 ha−1. For its successful natural regeneration, it is essential to reduce cloven-hoofed game and thus prevent bud browsing damage. The attractiveness of fir in terms of heavy browsing is the highest of all conifers (52% damage). On the other hand, fir is a species relatively resistant to bark stripping and the spread of secondary rot compared with Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.). Under global climate change, fir is expected to shift to higher elevations with sufficient precipitation, while in the southern part of its natural range or at lower elevations, outside water-influenced habitats, it is likely to decline. Climate change is intricately linked to the heightened prevalence of forest pathogens with significant damage potential in Europe, necessitating careful consideration and strategic adaptation within management practices of fir forests.","PeriodicalId":12339,"journal":{"name":"Forests","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141374919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rethinking Productivity Evaluation in Precision Forestry through Dominant Height and Site Index Measurements Using Aerial Laser Scanning LiDAR Data","authors":"Iván Raigosa-García, Leah C. Rathbun, Rachel L. Cook, Justin S. Baker, M. Corrao, M. Sumnall","doi":"10.3390/f15061002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/f15061002","url":null,"abstract":"Optimizing forest plantation management has become imperative due to increasing forest product demand, higher fertilization and management costs, declining land availability, increased competition for land use, and the growing demands for carbon sequestration. Precision forestry refers to the ability to use data acquired with technology to support the forest management decision-making process. LiDAR can be used to assess forest metrics such as tree height, topographical position, soil surface attributes, and their combined effects on individual tree growth. LiDAR opens the door to precision silviculture applied at the tree level and can inform precise treatments such as fertilization, thinning, and herbicide application for individual trees. This study uses ALS LiDAR and other ancillary data to assess the effect of scale (i.e., stand, soil type, and microtopography) on dominant height and site index measures within loblolly pine plantations across the southeastern United States. This study shows differences in dominant height and site index across soil types, with even greater differences observed when the interactions of microtopography were considered. These results highlight how precision forestry may provide a unique opportunity for assessing soil and microtopographic information to optimize resource allocation and forest management at an individual tree scale in a scarce higher-priced fertilizer scenario.","PeriodicalId":12339,"journal":{"name":"Forests","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141375612","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chemical and Microbial Differences of Root and Rhizosphere Soil among Different Provenances of Fokienia hodginsii","authors":"Hao−Lan Liu, Tengfei Zhu, Xinyi Wen, Qing Zhao, Yao Chen, Yun−Zi Wang, Jian Li, Shunde Su","doi":"10.3390/f15061005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/f15061005","url":null,"abstract":"Aims: Fokienia hodginsii is a threatened conifer tree species, known as the dominant nursery-grown species capable of colonizing the challenging woodland environments in southern China due to its strong root penetrating ability. The ecological phenotype of Fokienia hodginsii is not well documented during its breeding process, which limits the potential planting area and its ecological function. This study aims to understand how Fokienia hodginsii associates with microbes to conduct its key ecological function and provide a theoretical basis for further improving the forest nursery management of Fokienia hodginsii. Methods: This study explored the ecological traits of 11 main Fokienia hodginsii provenances in a homogeneous garden experiment by analyzing their nutrient utilization strategies and associated microbial features in the rhizosphere soil and roots. Results: The study found that the paramount difference in the rhizosphere soil among provenances is in Ca and Fe content. Some microbial communities, namely Crenarchaeota, Verrucomicrobiota, and Desulfobacterota, were positively correlated with the amounts of the soil nutrient elements, whereas Abditibacteriota and Dependentiae were negatively correlated. The abundance of N- and Fe-related bacteria in the Fu Jian Chang Ting (FJCT) provenance was significantly higher than that in other provenances, while the C-, P-, K-, and Mg-related fungal communities, respectively, had higher abundances in the FJCT, Fu Jian Long Yan (FJLY), Fu Jian Gu Tian (FJGT), and Fu Jian Xian You (FJXY) provenances than the others. The impacts of the Gui Zhou Li Ping (GZLP), Hu Nan Dao Xian (HNDX), Jiang Xi Shang Yao (JXSY), and Guang Dong Shi Xing (GDSX) provenances on the rhizosphere soil are similar, but the differences in nutrient utilization arise from the plant itself. Conversely, the root nutrient contents of the FJCT, Fu Jian You Xi (FJYX), Fu Jian An Xi (FJAX), FJLY, Fu Jian De Hua (FJDH), FJGT, and FJXY provenances are highly correlated with soil nutrient features. Conclusions: For the native provenances, their economic traits are better than the exotic provenances. The native provenances are more sensitive to local soil conditions, so they should benefit more from human interventions, rendering them more suitable for artificial cultivation. The growth of the exotic provenances is less affected by the soil environment, making them better suited for the ecological transformation of forest stands and soil improvement.","PeriodicalId":12339,"journal":{"name":"Forests","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141371202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Trends in the Altitudinal Gradient Evolution of Vegetation Ecological Functions in Mountainous Areas","authors":"Changhao Niu, Chenyang Huang, Xiaolong Zhang, Shuai Ma, Lianglie Wang, Haibo Hu, Jiang Jiang","doi":"10.3390/f15061000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/f15061000","url":null,"abstract":"Natural vegetation protects, maintains, and improves the environment through its ecological functions and is, thus, an important component of Earth’s ecosystems. The distribution of natural vegetation and its corresponding ecological roles vary with the topographic gradient. Understanding this role is essential for effective ecosystem management and conservation efforts. This study analyzes vegetation composition across altitude gradients and the spatiotemporal evolution of water conservation, soil conservation, and carbon storage in the southern hill and mountain belt of China. We then explored the drivers of the ecological functions of vegetation at different altitude gradients. The results showed that water conservation increased by 108.56%, soil conservation increased by 97.04%, and carbon storage increased only slightly. The ecological functions of vegetation varied across altitude gradients, with the 500–800 m gradient exhibiting markedly higher ecological functions than the other gradients. The effect of precipitation on soil conservation increases with altitude. In addition, at higher altitudes, evergreen coniferous forests had a greater effect on carbon storage. Based on the results, we propose vegetation management measures for different altitudes. This study provides a reference for decision-makers to develop and adjust ecological restoration programs in mountainous areas for the improvement of the local ecological environment.","PeriodicalId":12339,"journal":{"name":"Forests","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141373868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Anthropogenic Disturbance on the Structure, Competition, and Succession of Abies ziyuanensis Communities","authors":"Huacong Zhang, Yueqiao Li, Keqin Xu, Longhua Yu, Ping He, Suping Zeng, Yunxia Song, Ren Liu, Yun Sun","doi":"10.3390/f15061001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/f15061001","url":null,"abstract":"Attention to habitat dynamics in subtropical mid-mountain forest plant communities containing endangered vegetation is critical for understanding the responses of ecosystems to global climate change and for their effective conservation. This study examines the species composition, structure, and interspecies competition within endemic and endangered Abies ziyuanensis (Abies ziyuanensis L.K.Fu and S.L.Mo) communities in China, comparing undisturbed and anthropogenically disturbed conditions. The survey recorded a total of 71 plant species across 39 families and 60 genera. PERMANOVA analysis highlighted significant disparities in species composition between the two forest community conditions. Communities impacted by anthropogenic disturbances showed a higher diversity of shrub and herbaceous species compared to those that were undisturbed, coupled with a significant increase in the number of Abies ziyuanensis seedlings, suggesting a greater potential for self-renewal. Nonetheless, the distribution of diameter class structures in these two community conditions indicates a declining trend in population numbers. In undisturbed Abies ziyuanensis communities, the Weighted Hegyi Competition Index (WCI) for Abies ziyuanensis was 6.04, below the average WCI of 12.24 for all trees within these communities. In contrast, within communities affected by anthropogenic disturbances, the WCI for Abies ziyuanensis reached 7.76, higher than the average WCI of 7.43 for all trees, indicating that Abies ziyuanensis in disturbed communities face heightened competitive pressure compared to undisturbed settings. These findings underscore that previous anthropogenic disturbances have altered the community composition, competition dynamics, growth environment, and succession trends of Abies ziyuanensis communities. While these disturbances promote the regeneration of Abies ziyuanensis, they also reduce its current dominance as a target species.","PeriodicalId":12339,"journal":{"name":"Forests","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141375659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Growth and Non-Structural Carbohydrate Response Patterns of Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila) under Salt Stress with Different Intensities and Durations","authors":"Peipei Jiang, Cheng Yang, Xuejie Zhang, Boqiang Tong, Xiaoman Xie, Xianzhong Li, Shoujin Fan","doi":"10.3390/f15061004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/f15061004","url":null,"abstract":"(1) Background: Soil salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses that limits plant growth and production. However, the response patterns of plant growth and carbon metabolism to salt stress are still unclear. (2) Methods: We measured the relative growth rate, non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations and pool size across organs, the leaf mass area (LMA), root-to-shoot ratio, midday leaf water potential (Ψmd), and photosynthetic characteristics of elm seedlings planted in the field under different salt stress intensities and durations. (3) Results: Salt stress can reduce the photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, and Ψmd and inhibit the growth of elm species. LMA increased with the degree and duration of salt stress, indicating an increase in leaf carbon investment to resist salt stress. The root-to-shoot ratio decreased under salt stress to reduce salt absorption by the roots. In the early stage of stress, the concentrations of starch and total NSCs in all organs increased to improve stress resistance and the survival of plants. In the late stage of stress, the concentration of NSCs in the root decreased, which could restrict root growth and water uptake. The relationships between NSC concentration and growth in different organs were contrasting. Meanwhile, the pool size of NSCs had a more significant impact on growth than their concentration. Moreover, the pool size of NSCs in below-ground organs is more closely related to growth than that of above-ground organs. (4) Conclusions: Our research elucidates the carbon allocation mechanism across organs under different salt stress intensities and durations, providing theoretical support for understanding the relationship between tree growth and carbon storage under salt stress.","PeriodicalId":12339,"journal":{"name":"Forests","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141371103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mapping Forest Stock Volume Using Phenological Features Derived from Time-Serial Sentinel-2 Imagery in Planted Larch","authors":"Qianyang Li, Hui Lin, Jiangping Long, Zhaohua Liu, Zilin Ye, Huanna Zheng, Pei-qi Yang","doi":"10.3390/f15060995","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/f15060995","url":null,"abstract":"As one of the important types of forest resources, mapping forest stock volume (FSV) in larch (Larix decidua) forests holds significant importance for forest resource management, carbon cycle research, and climate change monitoring. However, the accuracy of FSV mapping using common spectral and texture features is often limited due to their failure in fully capturing seasonal changes and growth cycle characteristics of vegetation. Phenological features can effectively provide essential information regarding the growth status of forests. In this study, multi-temporal Sentinel-2 satellite imagery were initially acquired in the Wangyedian Forest Farm in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia. Subsequently, various phenological features were extracted from time series variables constructed by Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) using Savitzky–Golay filters, stepwise differentiation, and Fourier transform techniques. The alternative features were further refined through Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis and the forward selection algorithm, resulting in six groups of optimal subsets. Finally, four models including the Random Forest (RF), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) algorithms were developed to estimate FSV. The results demonstrated that incorporating phenological features significantly enhanced model performance, with the SVM model exhibiting the best performance—achieving an R2 value of 0.77 along with an RMSE value of 46.36 m3/hm2 and rRMSE value of 22.78%. Compared to models without phenological features, inclusion of these features led to a 0.25 increase in R2 value while reducing RMSE by 10.40 m3/hm2 and rRMSE by 5%. Overall, integration of phenological feature variables not only improves the accuracy of larch forest FSV mapping but also has potential implications for delaying saturation phenomena.","PeriodicalId":12339,"journal":{"name":"Forests","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141379116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimating the Vertical Distribution of Biomass in Subtropical Tree Species Using an Integrated Random Forest and Least Squares Machine Learning Mode","authors":"Guo Li, Can Li, G. Jia, Zhenying Han, Yu Huang, Wenmin Hu","doi":"10.3390/f15060992","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/f15060992","url":null,"abstract":"Accurate quantification of forest biomass (FB) is the key to assessing the carbon budget of terrestrial ecosystems. Using remote sensing to apply inversion techniques to the estimation of FBs has recently become a research trend. However, the limitations of vertical scale analysis methods and the nonlinear distribution of forest biomass stratification have led to significant uncertainties in FB estimation. In this study, the biomass characteristics of forest vertical stratification were considered, and based on the integration of random forest and least squares (RF-LS) models, the FB prediction potential improved. The results indicated that compared with traditional biomass estimation methods, the overall R2 of FB retrieval increased by 12.01%, and the root mean square error (RMSE) decreased by 7.50 Mg·hm−2. The RF-LS model we established exhibited better performance in FB inversion and simulation assessments. The indicators of forest canopy height, soil organic matter content, and red-edge chlorophyll vegetation index had greater impacts on FB estimation. These indexes could be the focus of consideration in FB estimation using the integrated RF-LS model. Overall, this study provided an optimization method to map and evaluate FB by fine stratification of above-ground forest and reveals important indicators for FB inversion and the applicability of the RF-LS model. The results could be used as a reference for the accurate inversion of subtropical forest biomass parameters and estimation of carbon storage.","PeriodicalId":12339,"journal":{"name":"Forests","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141375850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}