Comparison of Electric and Petrol Chainsaws in Terms of Efficiency and Safety When Used in Young Spruce Stands in Small-Scale Private Forests

Since the electric tools are increasingly entering the field of forestry, the aim of this study was to establish the consequences of using electric powered chainsaws on work and its energy efficiency, as well as health of workers. For this purpose, 40 trees were felled in two young spruce stands, half with a cordless electric chainsaw and one half with a petrol chainsaw. Results showed that electric chainsaws are a good alternative to petrol chainsaws for use in small-scale forestry, since in terms of work efficiency their use is comparable to petrol chainsaws and they provide a lower level of energy consumption, and lower exposure of fellers to noise and hand-arm vibrations. Similar to other fields, the results confirmed a positive impact of hand toll electrification on man and environment. The development of electric tools for forestry is expected to intensify with the development of more powerful batteries which are currently still regarded as the major bottleneck.     

Diversity and seasonal variations of mycorrhiza and rhizosphere bacteria in three common plant species at the Slovenian Ljubljana Marsh

Interactions between plants and microorganisms can significantly affect plant health and productivity as well as ecosystem functioning. Detailed knowledge of the tripartite relationships between plants, fungi, and bacteria, and their environment is still limited. In the present study, the soils adjacent to three plant species (Cruciata laevipes, Mentha piperita, Equisetum arvense) in the Ljubljana Marsh and the bulk, plant-free soil were analyzed for their bacterial community structure in June and October 2006. The terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis indicated a different bacterial community structure in the rhizosphere and in bulk soil, however, with almost no seasonal changes between late spring and autumn samples and no apparent impact of the three plant species. In addition, root colonization of the three plant species by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septate endophytes (DSE) was microscopically assessed monthly from May until October 2006. A presumably accidental correlation between monthly precipitation and the degree of arbuscule formation, with the latter lagging 1 month, was noted for M. piperita, the most heavily colonized of the three plant species. With all three plants, the phosphorus content in roots correlated positively with most AMF structures. Microsclerotia of DSE were mainly abundant in autumn samples. Fungal diversity in roots was estimated using temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis separation of the fungal polymerase chain reaction products obtained for both 18S-rDNA and the 5.8S-ITS2-28S rDNA segments. No specific effects of either plant species or seasonal changes on mycorrhizal community structure were discernible.