Trees, Forests and People最新文献

{"title":"National growth models for stand basal area, volume, and biomass in Chinese larch plantations: integrating stand structure and species effects","authors":"Yangping Qin ,&nbsp;Xiao He ,&nbsp;Hong Guo ,&nbsp;Chaofan Zhou ,&nbsp;Weisheng Zeng ,&nbsp;Xinyun Chen ,&nbsp;Xiangdong Lei","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100943","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100943","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest growth and yield models are essential tools for forest management decision-making, but most models have neglected the inclusion of stand structure. The relationship between stand structure and stand growth has been widely reported, but the results remain inconsistent. The objective of the study was to develop national growth models for stand basal area, volume, and total biomass of four larch species plantations and quantify the effect of stand structure on basal area, volume, and total biomass. After testing nonlinear mixed effects, we developed stand basal area, volume, and total biomass models for <em>Larix gmelinii, Larix olgensis, Larix gmelinii</em> var. <em>principis-rupprechtii, and Larix kaempferi</em> plantations by incorporating tree size differentiation indices (DBH-based Shannon-Wiener index, D_Sh; DBH-based Simpson index, D_Si). Models were calibrated with 2, 129 permanent sample plots from four periods of China's National Forest Inventory. The national-scale models demonstrated high predictive accuracy, with adjusted <em>R</em>² &gt; 0.95, and 10-fold cross-validation confirmed robust generalization without over/underfitting. Stand basal area, volume, and biomass showed significant positive correlations with D_Sh and D_Si. Our approach successfully captured growth differences among the four larch species. We quantified the effects of tree size diversity on stand growth and enable tree species-specific management. These findings highlight that both tree species selection and structural optimization (e.g., regulating D_Sh/D_Si through density control) are critical for enhancing stand productivity. It is recommended to apply thinning regimes to maintain high tree size diversity for promoting stand growth and quality improvement of larch forests nationwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100943"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of drought stress and fertilization on plant traits and nonstructural carbohydrates of Red-Heart Chinese fir","authors":"Ren You ,&nbsp;Xiangwen Deng ,&nbsp;R. Alex Thompson ,&nbsp;Inès A. Cauquil ,&nbsp;Henry D. Adams ,&nbsp;Shuai Ouyang ,&nbsp;Wenhua Xiang","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100946","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100946","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding how drought stress and fertilization influence plant physiological responses is essential for improving forest management under climate change. Previous research has primarily focused on the effects of drought stress on resource allocation and mortality. However, the interaction effect of fertilization and drought on key plant traits and non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) dynamics remains uncertain, particularly in Red-Heart Chinese fir (<em>Cunninghamia lanceolata</em> (Lamb.) Hook.). In this study, the effects of different drought stress gradients and fertilization on aboveground plant traits (different organ biomass, water content, needle number, needle area), belowground plant traits (tap root depth and lateral root spreads), leaf water potential and NSCs were examined in a pot experiment. The trade-offs in growth between aboveground and belowground plant traits become increasingly evident with soil drought gradients. Saplings in the wettest (<em>W</em>_25min) and driest (<em>W</em>_0min) group in both fertilized and unfertilized groups show clear differentiation along the two principal component axes, which are primarily determined by variations in the number of leaves on branches and leaf predawn water potential. Drought intensity mainly influences the leaf total NSCs, and the drought duration mainly influences the branch total NSCs. Fertilization typically promotes the growth of plants, especially below ground tissues. However, fertilization during drought exacerbated mortality in our experiment, especially for the moderate drought. The work highlights that Red-heart Chinese fir traits respond to drought stress gradients and fertilization, demonstrates that fertilization in combination with drought has an antagonistic effect on the growth and survival of red-heart Chinese fir saplings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100946"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654375","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Altered composition and structure of plant communities in response to Lantana camara invasion in forest ecosystems of Kumaun Himalaya, India","authors":"Charu Joshi,&nbsp;Vartika Joshi,&nbsp;Archana Fartyal,&nbsp;Kiran Bargali,&nbsp;Surendra Singh Bargali","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100947","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100947","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ecosystem stability is being threatened by the invasion of exotic plant species. This study examined the impact of <em>Lantana camara</em> (Verbenaceae) on associated plant communities and regeneration status across three different forests: Banj oak (<em>Quercus leucotrichophora</em>), Chir pine (<em>Pinus roxburghii</em>) and Sal (<em>Shorea robusta</em>) in Kumaun Central Himalaya, India. In each forest site, two paired plots (invaded by <em>L. camara</em> and uninvaded) of 0.5 hectare each were established. Within each plot, 5 random quadrats of 10 × 10 m for trees, 10 quadrats of 5 × 5 m for shrubs and 20 quadrats of 1 × 1 m for herbs were sampled and community variables for each species were recorded. Regeneration status was studied by classifying individuals into different size classes and developing population structure for tree species. Results showed decreasing trend in the density (92 % in oak, 74.7 % in pine, and 80.3 % in sal forests) and basal area of tree layer in invaded plots. However, shrub and herb layers exhibited higher density and diversity in invaded areas. Tree regeneration was decreased in invaded sites with few seedlings converting to sapling and mature trees mainly in oak and pine forests. Statistical analyses (ANOVA) revealed that invasion had significant impact on density, diversity (H′), evenness (e) and species richness (SN), especially in the seedling and shrub layers. Principal Component Analysis indicated that variation due to invasion was explained by differences in diversity, species richness and dominance. The invasion by <em>L. camara</em> led to increase in the shrub and herb layer, which in turn had a detrimental impact on the tree layer of the studied forests. The observed decline in species diversity and richness indicate loss of ecosystem resilience and function. This decline in the native flora could have long-term harmful effect on the forest ecosystem.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100947"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diurnal variation and prediction method of floor fuel moisture content in a Pinus massoniana-dominated forest in Guizhou province, China","authors":"Yunlin Zhang ,&nbsp;Man Liu ,&nbsp;Na Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100940","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100940","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fuel moisture content (FMC) on forest floor exhibits consistent diurnal fluctuations between daytime and night-time, and the construction of a high-precision prediction model is important for estimating the diurnal variation of forest fires and implementing scientific management strategies. In this study, typical fuel from a <em>Pinus massoniana</em> dominated forest in southwestern China was selected as the research object, and its moisture content was monitored during the fire prevention period. Analyze the diurnal variation of FMC and its driving factors, establish a prediction model of moisture content based on the classification of diurnal changes, and discuss the necessity of predicting FMC separate during the daytime and night-time. The results show that: (1) a significant difference exists in the FMC between day and night-time in <em>Pinus massoniana</em> dominated forests, and the daily variation patterns of FMC are similar (2) with an increase in air temperature and wind speed, the FMC showed a significant downward trend, whereas the dynamic changes in humidity and FMC showed a significant positive correlation. Simultaneously, the impact of meteorological factors on the dynamic changes of FMC had a certain lag effect. (3) The Nelson method was the most effective in predicting the diurnal moisture content of <em>Pinus massoniana</em> dominated forests in the southwest forest area. The mean absolute errors for the entire day, daytime, and night-time that were 0.303, 0.329, and 0.197 %, respectively. (4) It is necessary to distinguish between daytime and night-time to predict the FMC separately. We elucidated the law of diurnal variation of FMC, and FMC prediction models should be established separately for daytime and night-time periods, which has important guiding significance for research on diurnal changes in forest fires and night-time fire prediction, and provides basic data support for managing extreme fires that may occur under extreme climate conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100940"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Air temperature and particulate matter 2.5 are key environmental drivers of negative air ion dynamics: Results from long-term monitoring in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest","authors":"Aibo Li ,&nbsp;Ziqing Zhao ,&nbsp;Yuhao Yang ,&nbsp;Kun Sun ,&nbsp;Jilai Chen ,&nbsp;Benzhi Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100944","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100944","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Negative air ions (NAIs) are widely studied for their role in evaluating the therapeutic effects of forests on human health and mitigating air pollution through mechanisms such as neutralizing airborne particulate matter and reducing reactive gaseous pollutants via oxidative pathways. This study examined NAI temporal dynamics and key environmental drivers in forests. On-site monitoring (June 2021-May 2023) included NAIs, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, direct radiation, and particulate matter. We found that NAI concentrations in the forest generally met the World Health Organization's clean air threshold, averaging 1698 ± 347 ions·cm⁻³. NAI concentrations followed a single-peak diurnal pattern, peaking at 12:00–15:00 and reaching a minimum at 5:00–8:00. Seasonal variations in NAI concentrations were significant, with the highest levels in summer (1919 ± 260 ions·cm⁻³), followed by autumn (1734 ± 115 ions·cm⁻³), spring (1580 ± 338 ions·cm⁻³), and winter (1535 ± 226 ions·cm⁻³). Correlation analyses indicated significant positive correlations between NAI concentrations and air temperature, wind speed, and direct radiation, while relative humidity and particulate matter showed significant negative correlations. Multiple regression and random forest analyses identified air temperature and particulate matter 2.5 as the primary factors influencing NAI concentrations. A predictive model (NAIs = 18.4 × Ta–17.5 × WS–3.6 × RH–8.0 × PM_2.5 + 5.3 × PM₁₀ + 1.8 × 10³) was developed to estimate NAI concentrations in forest environments. Given these temporal patterns of NAI, the findings support scheduling forest therapy in summer and autumn afternoons to maximize exposure to NAI at peak concentrations. Additionally, the predictive model offers a practical tool for air quality management in forested areas, supporting evidence-based decisions in urban green space planning, forest therapy zone scheduling, and environmental health policy development. This study addresses a crucial knowledge gap regarding NAI dynamics and environmental drivers in forests, potentially informing evidence-based decision-making in forest-based health interventions and ecological planning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100944"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144632486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Forest fire dynamics in Nepal: Regional trends and socio-ecological drivers","authors":"Khagendra Prasad Joshi ,&nbsp;Susma Giri ,&nbsp;Dipesh Kuinkel ,&nbsp;Sajesh Kuikel ,&nbsp;Rohini Devkota ,&nbsp;Dhiraj Pradhananga ,&nbsp;Suresh Marahatta ,&nbsp;Binod Pokharel","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100942","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100942","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest fires pose a significant threat to global ecosystems and communities. In Nepal, the country’s diverse vegetation, climates, and socioeconomic settings contribute to unique regional fire dynamics, which are often underrepresented in national forest fire analyses. This study investigates fire trends, key drivers, and public perceptions of management strategies across Nepal’s four major physiographic regions: the Terai, Chure, Middle Mountains, and High Mountains. We employed remote sensing data, questionnaire surveys (<em>n</em> = 337), and statistical modelling to assess regional fire dynamics and evaluate management approaches. We found that over the past two decades, fire incidents and burned areas have increased significantly in the Chure and Middle Mountains. Broad-leaf deciduous forests in lower regions and needle-leaf forests in higher regions were the most significant contributors. While topographical factors played a major role in most regions, they had minimal influence in the Chure. In the High Mountains, anthropogenic factors—such as proximity to roads and agricultural land cover—were strongly negatively correlated with burned area. Pre-monsoon precipitation consistently showed a significant negative relationship with fire occurrence across all regions, whereas pre-monsoon temperature had no discernible impact. Survey responses highlight strong community support for awareness programs and training, and a widespread belief in the importance of local institutions in fire management. However, labor-intensive fire prevention practices, such as creating fire lines and collecting leaf litter, were less preferred. To mitigate future fire risks, we recommend strengthening community involvement, expanding fire management training, and increasing economic incentives linked to forest resources. These findings offer valuable insights into Nepal’s fire regimes and support evidence-based forest fire management strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100942"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A coffee corridor for biodiversity and livelihoods: climatic feasibility of shade coffee cultivation in western Rwanda","authors":"Tom Reckmann ,&nbsp;Marina Frietsch ,&nbsp;Christoph Schwenck ,&nbsp;Athanase Mukuralinda ,&nbsp;Dula Wakassa Duguma ,&nbsp;Joern Fischer","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100941","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100941","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Around the world, restoration activities are underway to halt and reverse ecosystem degradation. A key challenge is to identify restoration approaches that work for both people and nature – i.e. approaches that can sustain livelihoods as well as biodiversity. Here, we focused on a mosaic landscape in western Rwanda. The landscape features two strictly protected remnant patches of Afromontane rainforest (Gishwati and Mukura forests), which are of high conservation value, but are isolated from one another by some 30 km of smallholder farmland. Connecting Gishwati and Mukura forests would be valuable from a biodiversity perspective, but to date, it is unclear how this could be done in a way that is consistent with local people’s livelihoods. To that end, we modelled the climatic suitability for growing shade coffee in the area between Gishwati and Mukura forests. We systematically evaluated plausible scenarios of future climate change and found that much of the study area is already suitable for growing coffee, and will become increasingly suitable in the future. In addition, we identified a series of local species that could be used as shade trees. With the study area becoming increasingly suitable for growing coffee over the coming decades, and with suitable shade trees being native to the study area, we argue there is high potential for establishing a shade coffee corridor between Gishwati and Mukura forests. Such a corridor, in turn, could provide a win-win opportunity for biodiversity conservation and local people’s livelihoods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100941"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing household, plant-based, and animal-based dietary diversity and their determinants among Sundarbans mangrove forest resource-dependent communities in Bangladesh","authors":"Md. Tanvir Hossain ,&nbsp;Tunvir Ahamed Shohel ,&nbsp;Md. Nasif Ahsan ,&nbsp;Md. Nazrul Islam","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100936","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100936","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Household Dietary Diversity Scale (HDDS) is a widely accepted measure of dietary and nutritional intake patterns of individuals or households. However, it comprises two components: the plant-based dietary diversity score (P-BDDS) and animal-based dietary diversity score (A-BDDS). However, there is no empirical study regarding the pattern of HDDS, P-BDDS, and A-BDDS among Sundarbans mangrove forest resource-dependent communities (SMFRDCs). Thus, this endeavor attempts to assess the HDDS, P-BDDS, and A-BDDS of SMFRDCs and identify the factors associated with these measures of dietary diversity. Administering a structured interview schedule, data for this cross-sectional study were collected from 782 participants from three southwestern coastal districts of Bangladesh, selected following multistage stratified random sampling, and data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27. The findings suggest that the average score of HDDS, P-BDDS, and A-BDDS was 4.8 (±1.8), 2.8 (±1.0), and 2.0 (±1.2), respectively. The hierarchical multiple regression (HMR), explaining 33 % of the variance for HDDS, indicates that education, seasonal occupation, transport and land assets, social, financial, and political capital, institutional vulnerability, and food insecurity significantly determined the HDDS of SMFRDCs. For P-BDDS, the HMR, explaining 20 % variance, showed that seasonal occupation; <em>Upazila</em>; savings; transport; livestock; land assets; natural, financial, and political capital; institutional vulnerability; and food insecurity were the key predictors of P-BDDS of SMFRDCs. For A-BDDS, it is apparent that education, <em>Upazila</em>, type of family, savings, domestic, livestock, land assets, human, social, natural, and political capital, institutional vulnerability, and food insecurity were important determinants of A-BDDS among the SMFRDCs, explaining over 40 % variance. To ensure dietary diversity with proper nutritional intake by SMFRDCs, the complex interplay between livelihood resources and food access in ecologically vulnerable and economically marginalized communities should be addressed through context-specific, evidence-based collaborative interventions from the government and its non-government partners to ensure and achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of poverty and hunger reduction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100936"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144662740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ecosystem response to management of an invasive N2-fixing tree in Hawaiʻi","authors":"R.Flint Hughes ,&nbsp;Caitlin Morrison ,&nbsp;Edward Bufil ,&nbsp;James Leary","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100932","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100932","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many non-native tree species are recognized as problematic to ecosystems they have invaded, and subsequent control efforts have met with varying levels of success. <em>Falcataria falcata</em> is a fast-growing, N-fixing tree that has aggressively invaded landscapes across the Hawaiian Archipelago. Due to their ability to alter Hawaiʻi’s native forest ecosystems, large stature at maturity, and potential for catastrophic tree fall, <em>F. falcata</em> stands pose threats to Hawaiʻi’s native forests, residential communities, and agricultural lands. We investigated responses to chemical control of <em>F. falcata</em> stands immediately after control and during ensuing initial stages of succession. Herbicide treatment of <em>F. falcata</em> stands increased litter inputs of N and P that translated to increased soil nutrient availability. Such increases were exploited by extant understory vegetation consisting of non-native grasses and forbs that formed a continuous layer to severely limit the documented maximum potential germination of nearly 8 million <em>F. falcata</em> seedlings per hectare. Although trajectories of post-control vegetation development were dominated by non-native species in this case, control strategies could be employed to incorporate purposeful plantings of native Hawaiian species, non-native but bio-culturally important species, or desired agricultural species. In the absence of such interventions, however, non-native vegetation dominance following <em>F. falcata</em> control presents a daunting barrier to any hope for native species establishment. Overall, findings indicated that <em>F. falcata</em> control is possible and feasible where understory vegetation is allowed to respond to increased light and nutrient resources and limit potential seedbank recruitment that would otherwise lead to <em>F. falcata</em> stand reestablishment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100932"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of altitudinal gradients on composition, biomass and soil nutrients of Cedrus deodara forests in the Northwestern Himalaya","authors":"Pooja ,&nbsp;Prem Prakash ,&nbsp;Praveen Kumar ,&nbsp;Rohit Bishist ,&nbsp;Pradeep Kumar ,&nbsp;Shilpa ,&nbsp;Rupali Singh ,&nbsp;Avinash Kumar Bhatia","doi":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100937","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100937","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Himalayan forest ecosystems provide a wide range of ecological services, including climate regulation, water purification, biodiversity conservation and the production of forest goods. These ecosystems are critical for maintaining ecological balance and human well-being. Sustaining these functions requires healthy floristic composition, high biological productivity and balanced nutrient cycling. This study evaluates the vegetation structure, biomass, carbon stock and soil nutrient status of moist temperate <em>Cedrus deodara</em> forests across three altitudinal gradients (1600–1900 m, 1900–2200 m and &gt;2200 m) and three forest ranges (Bhajji, Mashobra and Koti) within the Shimla Forest Division. A total of 38 plant species were recorded, including 7 tree species, 11 shrubs and 20 herbaceous species. Key ecological parameters such as density, basal area, Importance Value Index (IVI) and diversity indices were assessed. Tree density ranged from 553.33 to 786.67 individuals ha⁻¹ and basal area varied from 52.52 to 121.05 m² ha⁻¹. Tree and shrub densities declined with increasing altitude, while herb density exhibited no consistent trend. Species richness and Shannon diversity index also declined with elevation. Biomass and carbon stock of <em>Cedrus deodara</em> followed a hump-shaped pattern, peaking at mid-altitudes, with total biomass ranging from 458.06 to 835.93 t ha⁻¹ and carbon stock from 219.28 to 382.48 t ha⁻¹. Soil pH and available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were highest at lower elevations, while soil organic carbon was greatest at higher altitudes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36104,"journal":{"name":"Trees, Forests and People","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100937"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144665857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}