Decomposition of stumps in a chronosequence after clear-felling vs. clear-felling with prescribed burning in a southern boreal forest in Finland

The wood bulk density, bark mass and decomposition rate constants of cut stumps of the main European boreal tree species were assessed along a 40-year chronosequence of clear-felled sites with and without prescribed burning. Using the single exponential model, the annual decomposition rate constants k of above-ground stumps were calculated as 0.048, 0.052 and 0.068 year⁻¹ for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Norway spruce (Picea abies) and birch (Betula sp.), respectively. Bark decomposed faster than wood and bark fragmentation increased the rate of decomposition. There was a significant negative effect of burning on decomposition rate for pine wood, and for pine and spruce bark but not for spruce and birch wood or for birch bark. The decomposition of bark of all species was slower with larger diameter stumps but only slightly slower in the case of birch wood. Our results suggest (i) using different decomposition rate constants for wood and bark, (ii) taking into account fragmentation as it greatly increases the volume loss, and (iii) adjusting of k in carbon dynamics studies on burned sites. Such refinements to estimates of coarse woody debris decomposition constants could aid in identification of ecosystems and management scenarios necessary to maximize carbon storage and conserve biodiversity. Prescribed burning for restoration purposes decreases decomposition rates and consequently ensures longer persistence of stumps for maintaining biodiversity in intensively managed forests.     

Dissolution of wood in ionic liquids

The present paper demonstrates that both hardwoods and softwoods are readily soluble in various imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) under gentle conditions. More specifically, a variety of ionic liquids can only partially dissolve wood chips, whereas ionic liquids such as 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride have good solvating power for Norway spruce sawdust and Norway spruce and Southern pine thermomechanical pulp (TMP) fibers. Despite the fact that the obtained solutions were not fully clear, these ionic liquids provided solutions which permitted the complete acetylation of the wood. Alternatively, transparent amber solutions of wood could be obtained when the dissolution of the same lignocellulosic samples was attempted in 1-benzyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride. This realization was based on a designed augmented interaction of the aromatic character of the cation of the ionic liquid with the lignin in the wood. After dissolution, wood can be regenerated as an amorphous mixture of its original components. The cellulose of the regenerated wood can be efficiently digested to glucose by a cellulase enzymatic hydrolysis treatment. Furthermore, completely acetylated wood was found to be readily soluble in chloroform, allowing, for the first time, detailed proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra and NMR diffusion measurements to be made. It was thus demonstrated that the dissolution of wood in ionic liquids now offers a variety of new possibilities for its structural and macromolecular characterization, without the prior isolation of its individual components. Furthermore, considering the relatively wide solubility and compatibility of ionic liquids with many organic or inorganic functional chemicals or polymers, it is envisaged that this research could create a variety of new strategies for converting abundant woody biomass to valuable biofuels, chemicals, and novel functional composite biomaterials.     

Effects of Long-Term Aerial Pollution on Soil Seed Banks in Drained Pine Mires in Southern Finland

The effects of pollution on thecomposition of soil seed banks in four drained pinemires located along a pollution gradient in southernFinland were studied using the emergence method. Thespecies composition of the seed bank was compared withthe above ground vegetation. Dominant species in theseed banks were Calluna vulgaris, Betulaspp. and Ledum palustre. Seeds seemed to beviable despite a heavy pollution load. Especially inthe vicinity of the pollution source, seed bank andabove ground vegetation were weakly correlated.     

COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY OF ASPIRATION PNEUMONIA IN A DOG

A dog with aspiration pneumonia was examined by computed tomography (CT) with 8-mm continuous scans of the chest. The results demonstrated that CT is a useful procedure for evaluating pneumonia, although high cost prevents its routine use. A normal littermate was examined, and normal structures of the chest and chest wall were compared.     

Airborne small-footprint discrete-return LiDAR data in the assessment of boreal mire surface patterns, vegetation, and habitats

Boreal mires encompass high diversity in species and habitats, many of which are endangered. In Finland, extensive use of peatlands has resulted in habitat fragmentation. A need for accurate and cost-efficient vegetation mapping and monitoring of habitat changes exists in mire conservation, restoration and peatland forestry. LiDAR is an emerging and excellent tool for probing the geometry of vegetation and terrain. Modern systems measure the backscattered signal accurately and also provide radiometric information. Experiments were carried out in a complex minerotrophic–ombrotrophic eccentric raised bog in southern Finland (61°47′N, 24.18′E). First, we tested discrete-return LiDAR for the modeling of mire surface patterns and the detection of hummocks and hollows, as well as the effect of mire plants on the Z accuracy of the surface echoes. Secondly, the response of different mire vegetation samples in LiDAR intensity was examined. Thirdly, we tested area-based geometric and radiometric features in supervised classification of mire habitats to discover the meaningful variables. The vertical accuracy of LiDAR in mire surface modeling was high: 0.05–0.10 m. A binary hummock-hollow model that was estimated from a LiDAR-based elevation model matched flawlessly in aerial images and had moderate explanatory power in habitat classification trials. The intensity of LiDAR in open-mire vegetation was mainly influenced by the surface moisture, and separation of vegetation classes spanning from ombrotrophic to mesotrophic vegetation proved to be difficult. Area-based features that characterize the height distribution of LiDAR points in the canopy were the strongest explanatory variables in the classification of 21 diverse mire site types. Actual qualifying differences in the ground flora were unattainable in the LiDAR data, which resulted in inferior accuracy in the characterization of ecohydrological conditions and nutrient level of open mires and sparsely forested wet sites. Mire habitat classification accuracy with LiDAR surpassed earlier results with optical data. The results suggested that LiDAR constitutes an efficient aid for monitoring applications. We propose the co-use of images and LiDAR for enhanced mapping of open mires and tree species. In situ calibration and validation procedures are required until invariant geometric and radiometric features are discovered.     

Copper in Scots pine forests around a heavy-metal smelter in south-western Finland

Distribution and fluxes of copper within Pinus sylvestris stands were studied during 1992–1994 along a heavy-metal pollution gradient in south-western Finland. The stands are situated at distances of 0.5, 4 and 8 km from a copper-nickel smelter that started operating in 1945 at Harjavalta. According to the results, copper concentrations in the soil, in the understorey vegetation and in the trees increased steeply towards the smelter. Almost 50 years' accumulation of heavy metals in the soil has caused direct toxic effects to soil microbes, thus decreasing decomposition and nutrient mineralisation. During the past few years, sulphur and heavy metal emissions from the copper and nickel smelter have been radically decreased. However, the heavy metals which have been accumulating in the soil for decades continue to affect the vegetation for a long time through soil processes. Consequently, long-term accumulation in the soil has to be taken into account when determining the critical loads of forest ecosystems for heavy metals.     

Carbohydrates as Chemical Constituents of Biowaste Composts and their Humic and Fulvic Acids

The decomposition of organic matter of source-separated biowaste during composting was followed during 18 months. Compost samples were fractionated into three parts: (i) hot water soluble extract (HWE) (ii) bitumen fraction and (iii) humic substances (humic acids (HA) and fulvic acids (FA)). Original compost samples and the HA and FA fractions were hydrolyzed with sulfuric acid for hexoses and pentoses. Quantitative spectrophotometric and qualitative GC/MS analyses of monosaccharides as trimethylsilyl ethers of the corresponding alditols were carried out.

During composting, the amount of HA in the organic matter of the compost increased, the amounts of HWE and bitumen decreased and the amount of the FA fraction changed only a little. Carbohydrates were found to be important constituents of biowaste composts and their HA and FA fractions. Elemental analysis (C, N and H) of compost and HA samples showed an increase in the C:H ratio and in unsaturation of compounds during composting. The decrease in the C:N ratio was marginal.

The amounts of hexoses and pentoses in original compost samples and the HA and FA fractions decreased during composting. The sugar alcohols erythritol, xylitol, L-arabitol, ribitol, L-rhamnitol, L-fucitol, D-mannitol, D-glucitol and galactitol were identified in both the HA and FA fractions. 2-Deoxy-D-erythro-pentitol was identified in one HA fraction and inositol in two FA fractions. An analysis of gas chromatographic data for relative abundances showed that, in every sample except one and in every stage of composting D-glucitol was the main sugar alcohol. In general, the relative amount of D-glucitol decreased during composting, while the relative amounts of all other sugar alcohols increased.

As chemical indicators of compost maturity, carbohydrates would appear to be a important group of compounds. Most informative as a general indicator would be the ratio of the amount of HA to the amount of organic matter in the total compost samples.

According to our studies, the carbohydrates in composts are covalently bound to the structures of FA and HA. Carbohydrate determination clearly deserves more attention in the structural elucidation of FA and HA.     

Phytoestrogen Content of Birdsfoot Trefoil and Red Clover: Effects of Growth Stage and Ensiling Method

The phytoestrogen content of birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) and red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) was determined. In addition, the effects of growth stage, wilting and ensiling additives on content were studied. Birdsfoot trefoil raw material and silage contained only traces of phytoestrogens. In red clover raw material and silage, the phytoestrogen content varied from 0.8% to 1.1% of dry matter. Content was affected by growth stage of the plant and wilting. Formononetin concentration decreased as the plant matured from budding to flowering stage, and wilting from 25% to 40% of dry matter content decreased genistein and biochanin A content. The phytoestrogen content of red clover silage was 18% higher than that of raw material. Silage additives also affected the content. Silage ensiled with an additive containing Lactobacillus plantarum bacterial inoculate had higher concentrations of genistein and biochanin A than silage made with formic acid.     

Carbon and nitrogen release from decomposing Scots pine,Norway spruce and silver birch stumps

Stumps are the largest coarse woody debris component in managed forests, but their role in nutrient cycling is poorly understood. We studied carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Norway spruce (Picea abies), and silver birch (Betula pendula) stumps, which had decomposed for 0, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 years after clear-cutting in southern Finland. Carbon and N were released significantly faster from birch stumps than from conifer stumps. In 40 years, conifer stumps lost 78% and birch stumps 90% of their initial C. In contrast, the amount of N in stumps increased, indicating that external N accumulated in the stumps. After 40 years of decomposition, the amount of N was 1.7 and 2.7 times higher than the initial amount in pine and spruce stumps, respectively. Nitrogen was released from birch stumps, but only after they had decomposed for 20 or more years. On average, 59% of N stored in birch stumps was released during 40 years. The results indicate that the stumps of the major tree species in Fennoscandian forests are long-term C and, especially, N pools which serve as N sinks, thus potentially diminishing N leaching into ground water and watercourses after harvesting. This suggests that the removal of stumps for bioenergy production may markedly affect the nutrient status and nutrient cycling of boreal forests.     

Mapping of snow-damaged trees based on bitemporal airborne LiDAR data

The use of multitemporal LiDAR data in forest-monitoring applications has been so far largely unexplored. In this work, we aimed to develop and test a simple method for the detection of snow-induced canopy changes by employing bitemporal LiDAR data acquired in 2006–2010. Our study area was located in southern Finland (62°N, 24°E), where snow-induced damage occurred in 10 permanent Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)-dominated plots in winter 2009–2010. For the detection of snow-damaged crowns, we developed a ?CHM method by contrasting bitemporal LiDAR canopy height models (CHMs) and analyzing the resulting difference image, using binary image operations to extract the damaged crowns. Furthermore, we examined the structural and spatial factors that could explain snow damage at the individual tree level. The ?CHM method developed is based on two threshold parameters, i.e., the required height difference in the contrasted CHMs and the minimum plausible area of damage. When testing the performance of ?CHM method, we found that the plot-level omission error rates were 19–75%, while the commission error rates were 0–21%. Furthermore, the relative estimation accuracy of the damaged crown projection area (DCPA) ranged from ?16.4 to 5.4%. The observed damage could be explained at tree level by stem tapering, relative tree size, and local stand density. To conclude, ?CHM method developed constitutes a potential tool for the monitoring of structural canopy changes in the dominant tree layer if dense multitemporal LiDAR data are available.