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Annals of Forest Research
Journal Prestige (SJR): 0.4

Citation Impact (citeScore): 1
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This is an Open Access Journal

Open Access journal
ISSN (Print) 1844-8135 - ISSN (Online) 2065-2445
Published by Forest Research and Management Institute ICAS

[1 journal]

Forest tree dynamics from the first four years of permanent plot in Mount
Papandayan, Indonesia: mortality, recruitment, and growth
- Authors: Endah Sulistyawati; Nuri Nurlaila Setiawan, Ahmad Iqbal, Reza Alhumaira, Sylvanita Fitriana, Theo Syamuda, Devi Nandita Choesin
  Abstract: A permanent plot is a powerful tool to study the vegetation’s dynamics and regeneration in the forest ecosystem. This study presents the first four-year tree vegetation monitoring in a one-hectare permanent plot established in a mixed forest of Mount Papandayan (MP) Nature Reserve, Indonesia. Besides studying the structure and floristic tree community composition in the plot, this study aims to study the changes and in mortality and growth of the tree community after four years of plot establishment. A one-hectare permanent plot was established in 2010 and all trees inside the plot with a diameter over 5 cm were tagged and measured in 2011 and 2015. There were 1,820 trees from 33 species and 20 families recorded during the first monitoring in 2011. Four years later, there were more trees recorded (1,845 trees) with an average growth rate of 1.17 cm. The mortality rate (2.8%) was lower than the recruitment rate (4.2%) and there were no changes in the domination of Distylium stellare. The results of this study will help to provide the preliminary data on actual in situ tree mortality and growth, which will help to develop a more complete tree species selection criteria for MP restoration.
  PubDate: Mon, 04 Jul 2022 07:21:17 +000
Above-ground biomass estimation in a Mediterranean sparse coppice oak
forest using Sentinel-2 data
- Authors: Fardin Moradi; Seyed Mohamad Moein Sadeghi, Hadi Beygi Heidarlou, Azade Deljouei, Erfan Boshkar, Stelian Alexandru Borz
  Abstract: Implementing a scheduled and reliable estimation of forest characteristics is important for the sustainable management of forests. This study aimed at evaluating the capability of Sentinel-2 satellite data to estimate above-ground biomass (AGB) in coppice forests of Persian oak (Quercus brantii var. persica) located in Western Iran. To estimate the AGB, field data collection was implemented in 80 square plots (40×40 m, area of 1600 m2). Two diameters of the crown were measured and used to calculate the AGB of each tree based on allometric equations. Then, the performance of satellite data in estimating the AGB was evaluated for the area of study using the field-based AGB (dependent variable) as well as the spectral band values, spectrally-derived vegetation indices (independent variables) and four machine learning (ML) algorithms: Multi-Layer Perceptron Artificial Neural Network (MLPNN), k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN), Random Forest (RF), and Support Vector Regression (SVR). A five-fold cross-validation was used to verify the effectiveness of models. Examination of the Pearson’s correlation coefficient between AGB and the extracted values showed that IPVI and NDVI vegetation indices had the highest correlation with AGB (r = 0.897). The results indicated that the MLPNN algorithm was the best ML option (RMSE = 1.71 t ha-1; MAE = 1.37 t ha-1; relative RMSE = 24.75%; R2 = 0.87) in estimating the AGB, providing new insights on the capability of remotely sensed-based AGB modeling of sparse Mediterranean forest ecosystems in an area with limited number of field sample plots.
  PubDate: Fri, 01 Jul 2022 11:08:12 +000
Concentrations of three rare elements in the hydrological cycle and soil
of a mountainous fir forest
- Authors: Panagiotis Michopoulos; Marios Kostakis, Athanassios Bourletsikas, Kostas Kaoukis, Ioannis Pasias, Theodoros Grigoratos, Nikolaos Thomaidis, Constantini Samara
  Abstract: In this work, the concentrations of three rare trace elements, antimony (Sb), selenium (Se), and vanadium (V) were determined in the hydrological cycle and soil of a mountain fir forest. The three elements were significantly enriched in throughfall compared to the bulk deposition. Dry deposits, either in particles or vapor form, are probably the cause of this. It was found that for the enrichment of rain with Sb and Se long range transport played a more important role compared to V. The latter had a significant relation with marine derived ions, a rather unexpected finding. Apart from dry deposition coming from long distances, all elements were enriched with continental material. The concentrations of the three elements in soils were close to the average values reported in literature. In addition, their concentrations in the streamflow water were far below the tolerable drinking water limits set up by the World Health Organization and national authorities
  PubDate: Fri, 01 Jul 2022 11:06:47 +000
Influence of spectral quality on the rooting of Corymbia and Eucalyptus
spp. minicuttings
- Authors: Denys Matheus Santana Costa Souza; Maria Lopes Martins Avelar, Eduardo Oliveira Silva, Vinícius Politi Duarte, Douglas Santos Gonçalves, Letícia Vaz Molinari, Gilvano Ebling Brondani
  Abstract: The pursuit of better adaptation in clonal plants seedling production processes based on the minicutting technique has expanded the use of species and hybrid combinations of genera Corymbia and Eucalyptus in the composition of commercial crops. The aim of the work was to evaluate the effect of spectral quality on the rooting of Eucalyptus andrewsii, E. saligna, E. microcorys, E. cloeziana, E. pilularis, E. grandis, E. grandis × E. urophylla and Corymbia torelliana minicuttings to help better understanding the production of clonal plants. E. grandis × E. urophylla and C. torelliana root anatomy was analyzed. The effects of spectral quality on the rooting of minicuttings were evaluated based on three sources (fluorescent, red and blue). Survival (SUR), callogenesis (CAL), oxidation (OXI) and rooting (RO) percentage; length (RL) and diameter of the largest root (ROD); mean number of roots per minicutting (NRM), root epidermis thickness (RET), root cortex diameter (RCD), diameter of the root vascular cylinder (DRVC) and root diameter (RD) were evaluated at 30 days. Based on the results, wavelength specificity was a useful technology to optimize the large-scale production of clonal plants of Eucalyptus. Fluorescent spectral quality was the most appropriate source in the rooting of E. saligna (68.7%), E. microcorys (43.7%), E. pilularis (75.0%) and C. torelliana (75.0%) minicuttings; blue spectral quality was the most appropriate for E. andrewsii (55.5%), E. grandis (75.0%) and E. grandis × E. urophylla (81.3%); and red spectral quality was the most appropriate for E. cloeziana (56.2%).
  PubDate: Fri, 01 Jul 2022 10:31:41 +000
Molecular and quantitative genetic analysis of the neotropical tree
Campomanesia xanthocarpa (Mart.) O. Berg.
- Authors: Isabel Homczinski; Jocasta Lerner, Fabiana Schmidt Bandeira Peres, Ezequiel Gasparin, Sebastião do Amaral Machado, Evandro Vagner Tambarussi
  Abstract: Campomanesia xanthocarpa is a fruit tree species of the Myrtaceae family with potential for fruit commercialization; however, studies on the genetic diversity and variability of the species are necessary to make it commercially viable. The objective of this study was to characterize the diversity and intrapopulation spatial genetic structure (SGS) of a C. xanthocarpa population and compare the genetic parameters of quantitative traits between and within open-pollinated progenies. For the analysis of genetic diversity, 80 individuals from a population in the Irati National Forest, Parana, Brazil, were analyzed. The observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosity, fixation index (F), and intrapopulation spatial genetic structure (SGS) were assessed. To analyze the quantitative traits, a field progeny test was installed using a randomized block design with nine progenies, three blocks, and four plants per plot at a spacing of 9 m². Total height (H), basal diameter (dbase), crown length and diameter (Ccrown and dcrown) at two years and nine months of age were measured. For the studied population, Ho and He had an average of 0.478 and 0.717, respectively, with an average fixation index of 0.333, suggesting that the population may be suffering from inbreeding. We found linkage disequilibrium for one evaluated pair of loci. SGS suggested a minimum distance of 25 to 50 m between mother trees for seed collection. For the quantitative genetic analyses, we found that average heritability ranged of 0.15 to 0.55 being considered from moderate (dbase) to high (H, Ccrown and dcrown). The traits H and dcrown were particularly noteworthy and can be used to obtain superior genotypes for the other traits (dbase and Ccrown), since the correlation was significant and high (> 0.80). The results provide applicable information for the implementation of breeding and conservation programs for the species.
  PubDate: Fri, 01 Jul 2022 10:25:25 +000
Next Generation Sequencing genomic analysis of bacteria from soils of the
sites with naturally-occurring summer truffle (Tuber aestivum Vittad.)
- Authors: Marta Siebyła; Dorota Hilszczanska
  Abstract: The rhizosphere is the region of soil in which the highest densities of fungi and bacteria occur. In this study, an attempt was made to assess the distribution of bacterial species in soil where the summer truffle Tuber aestivum Vittad. bears fruit in selected stands in Poland. In order to determine the bacterial metagenome, the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) method was applied. Differences occurred in the bacterial species composition at the cluster level between soils in which summer truffle fruiting was recorded and control soils. In particular, differences in the percentage of Firmicutes bacteria were noted with an average frequency of 3.9% in truffle soil compared to 96.1% in the control soil. It was estimated that two bacterial species, namely Lysobacter antibioticus and Ensifer adhaerens had a positive effect on the occurrence of T. aestivum. Our research increased the knowledge of particular groups of bacteria accompanying truffles and their potential impact on the formation of fruiting bodies in T. aestivum.
  PubDate: Fri, 01 Jul 2022 10:23:45 +000
Genetic variability and predicted gain in progeny tests of native Atlantic
Forest timber species: Cariniana legalis, Cordia trichotoma, and Zeyheria
tuberculosa
- Authors: Aline Pinto dos Santos; Andrei Caique Pires Nunes, Marlon dos Santos Pereira Birindiba Garuzzo, Ronan Xavier Corrêa, Felipe Garbelini Marques
  Abstract: Over the years, the Atlantic Forest has been one of the biomes most affected by fragmentation and despite the scarcity of studies related to their genetic and breeding aspects, native Atlantic Forest species can provide various high-quality timber products. In this context, the objectives of this work were to estimate genetic parameters and predict genetic gain with selection of provenance/progeny tests of Cordia trichotoma, Zeyheria tuberculosa, and Cariniana legalis, for diameter at breast height (DBH) and survival rate. Seed trees from different provenances were selected and measured, and their seeds were collected and tested in the areas of Porto Seguro - Bahia state, Brazil. All test individuals were evaluated for DBH (cm) survival rate (%) and stem straightness. The variance components and genetic parameters were estimated for DBH and survival rate. The narrow-sense individual heritability (h2i) for DBH of the three species ranged from 0.26 to 0.72, showing moderate to high genetic control. However, based on the likelihood ratio test (LRT) there is no genetic variability among genotypes of Z. tuberculosa. For survival rate, high genetic control (0.54) was observed only for C. trichotoma, while for C. legalis and Z. tuberculosa h2i value was 0.11 and 0.0, respectively. After genetic parameter analyses, the expected genetic gains were estimated for seed trees, potential genitors and potential clones. For seed trees, gains based on the additive genetic values (u+a) for DBH by selecting the top 10 individuals of each species per family ranged between 17.17 and 30.31%. In the case of potential genitors, by selecting the top ten individuals based on u + a value, are expected gains between 19.17 and 49.65%. The ranking of the top ten potential clones based on genotypic values (u +g) for each species showed gains between 32.43 and 56.53%. Conducting genetic breeding for C. trichotoma and C. legalis presents high potential of genetic gains and efforts should be taken into account for supporting breeding strategies for those species. In the case of Z. tuberculosa, the absence of genetic variability seems to be a result of the Atlantic Forest deforestation and genetic basis narrowing
  PubDate: Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:48:28 +000
What determines the diversity and succession of lichens inhabiting
post-bark beetle snags in the Western Carpathians'
- Authors: Magdalena Tanona; Paweł Czarnota
  Abstract: The life strategy of Norway spruce allows the recovery of European spruce forests in a scenario of catastrophic disturbances caused by the European spruce bark beetle. However, little is known about how the development of this insect infestation has influenced the preservation of the ecological balance in these forests over the last decades. Based on the upper montane spruce forests in the Polish Western Carpathians, we decided to check what species of lichens are using the decaying wood of post-bark beetle snags and how the progressive changes in wood hardness and stand decomposition affect the process of species exchange.
  In 2018–2019, we investigated spruce snags on permanent monitoring plots in Gorce National Park, whose cause and time of death have been recorded since 1999, and earlier in 1992 and 1997. The study covered 374 post-bark beetle spruce snags at 76 sites. We found 84 species, including 77 lichens, 6 lichenicolous fungi and one non-lichenised fungus, 15 of which were exclusively wood-inhabiting species in Gorce range. Using generalised linear models, the wood age (A) and the scale of the forest stand breakdown phenomenon (B) were compared with the altitude (C), the aspects of hillside exposure (D) and the forest plant community (E) in the assessment of their effect on lichen species diversity and abundance. "A” was the most important of the tested factors, significantly and positively influencing both parameters, while “B–D” only weakly influenced lichen abundance.
  Five groups of wood age, significantly different in the lichen abundance and the composition of species were distinguished, and a characteristic combination of dominant species was determined for each of them. Based on the measurements of the wood hardness under the thalli using Shore’s method, the succession of species during the colonisation of the post-bark beetle snags was determined and four groups of species were selected, most frequent in the successive stages of wood decay process.
  The wood of spruces killed by the bark beetle is both an important substrate enabling the survival of obligately wood-inhabiting lichen species, as well as providing a habitat supporting the maintenance of epiphytes in the Carpathian forests. This study extends the knowledge about the specific requirements of lichens inhabiting spruce snags, as well as the pace and course of lichen succession on this substrate
  PubDate: Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:41:24 +000
Simulated annealing in feature selection approach for modeling aboveground
carbon stock at the transition between Brazilian Savanna and Atlantic
Forest biomes
- Authors: Laís Almeida Araújo; Isáira Leite e Lopes, Rafael Menali Oliveira, Sérgio Henrique Godinho Silva, Carolina Souza Jarochinski e Silva, Lucas Rezende Gomide
  Abstract: Forest ecosystems are important in the carbon storage process. Thus, the objective was to investigate the effectiveness of the Simulated Annealing meta-heuristic analysis for selecting variables to maximize the accuracy of the aboveground carbon prediction at the tree level. We used data from uneven-aged forests located in the Rio Grande Basin - Minas Gerais, Brazil, where 227 trees had their carbon stock measured. The classic Spurr linear model, stepwise linear regression and pan-tropical coverage, Random Forest (RF), and the hybrid SARF method (Simulated Annealing and Random Forest) were used to estimate the carbon stock from the selection of variables for the different compartments of the tree (total, stem, branch, and leaf). The SARF consisted of the metaheuristic to select the variables to be used in the RF. These methods were evaluated by the root mean square error (RMSE), coefficient of determination (R²), and residual graph. As a result, the pan-tropical equation demonstrated superior performance than the Spurr model due to its greater homogeneity of residues. The stepwise technique reduced the number of variables and the error of the estimates, mainly for the validation set. SARF showed better adjustments than RF, as it reduced in on average 99.2% of the number of variables and 9% of the error of estimates considering all compartments. In general, variables such as volume, basic wood density, canopy projection area, diameter at 0%, diameter at breast height, height, and latitude contributed strongly to the carbon independent of the tree compartment. Among the methods, SARF is an alternative to the traditional method, as it can extract accurate information from a large data set
  PubDate: Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:35:07 +000
Planning coastal Mediterranean stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) reforestations
as a green infrastructure: combining GIS techniques and statistical
analysis to identify management options
- Authors: Luigi Portoghesi; Antonio Tomao, Simone Bollati, Walter Mattioli, Alice Angelini, Mariagrazia Agrimi
  Abstract: Mediterranean stone pine reforestations are common characteristics of the Italian Tyrrhenian coast, which mostly maintain uniform and monolayered stand structures. However, improving structural diversity is an effective climate change adaptation strategy in forest management. The aim of this study was to implement a methodology which allows distinct reforested areas such as a single green infrastructure to be managed according to the surrounding land use and the characteristics of the forest stands. 240 hectares of Mediterranean stone pine forests located along a 16 km strip of the Lazio coast (Central Italy) were mapped. Twelve attributes describing the pine stands and showing possible constraints for future management decisions were associated to each forest patch. A hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to group the pinewood patches according to their similarity level and five different groups were identified. For each group, different silvicultural methods were proposed to guide the compositional and structural evolution of the stands, in order to make them suitable for providing services required locally and increasing overall diversity at landscape scale. The results of the study highlight how coastal land uses can offer effective inputs to differentiate the management of forest systems and therefore achieve greater variety and resilience in the landscape over time. This approach is particularly useful in the case of very homogeneous stands such as the stone pine reforestations under study.
  PubDate: Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:33:12 +000
Future forest fires as functions of climate change and attack time for
central Bohemian region, Czech Republic
- Authors: Peter Lohmander; Zohreh Mohammadi, Jan Kašpar, Meryem Tahri, Roman Berčák, Jaroslav Holuša, Robert Marušák
  Abstract: This paper presents a new analysis of how global warming may affect the size of forest fires through its effects on air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. The effects of attack time on the size of the final burned area were also determined simultaneously in the statistical analysis. Two nonlinear functions determining the size of fires in the Prague-East District of the Czech Republic were estimated, based on a set of explanatory variables including air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and attack time. The functions were determined by multiple regression analysis combined with logarithmic transformations. The effects of climate change scenarios on future forest fires were calculated using the estimated fire-size function. The results show that if global warming leads to increased air temperature, reduced humidity, and stronger winds, we can expect larger fires. According to climate change scenarios, an upturn in the size of fires is predicted over this century. While we can control the fire by reducing the attack time, the results also show that if firefighters can reach a fire more quickly, the size of the fire will be reduced. If forest management methods, infrastructure, and fire brigade capacity are not adapted to the new climate, larger areas can be expected to be destroyed by fire
  PubDate: Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:30:52 +000
Phylogenetic analysis of Chosenia arbutifolia (Pall.) A. Skv. in
Salicaceae using complete chloroplast genome sequence
- Authors: Xudong He; Yu Wang, Jiwei Zheng, Zhongyi Jiao, Jie Zhou, Baosong Wang, Qiang Zhuge
  Abstract: As a unique and endangered species in the family Salicaceae, Chosenia arbutifolia (Pall.) A. Skv. has great potential for use in ornamental and industrial purposes. Despite its comprehensive importance, the phylogenetic position of C. arbutifolia within Salicaceae is still ambiguous. In the present study, the whole chloroplast genome of C. arbutifolia was sequenced and compared with the genome of other Salicaceae species. A phylogenetic tree was established based on the maximum-likelihood (ML) methods. The de novo assemblies generated 155684 bp in length for the completed cp genome of C. arbutifolia, including a large single-copy region of 84551 bp, a small single-copy region of 16217 bp, and two inverted repeat regions of 27458 bp each. In total, 130 genes were predicted, of which 85 protein-coding genes were annotated in at least one of the five reference databases. In the repeat analysis, 23 forward, 15 palindromic, one complement, one reverse long repeats, and 221 putative SSRs were identified. The results of genome comparison showed that the large single copy region (LSC) region was more divergent than the small single copy region (SSC) and inverted repeated (IR) regions, and a higher divergence occurred in non-coding regions than in coding regions. Significant contractions or expansions were also observed at the IR-LSC/SSC boundaries. Phylogenetic analysis of 20 Salicaceae species confirmed that C. arbutifolia is closely related to Salix species and may therefore be treated as a member of the genus Salix. The complete C. arbutifolia chloroplast genome will provide insight into the chloroplast architecture, function, and evolution of this species and provide additional resources for future research
  PubDate: Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:28:13 +000