Evaluation of the wave attenuation function of a coastal black pine Pinus thunbergii forest using the individual-based dynamic vegetation model SEIB-DGVM

The wave attenuation function of a Japanese black pine forest was evaluated based on its growth at different initial planting densities (P _ini) using the spatially explicit, individual-based, dynamic global vegetation model. The forest dynamics were simulated for 150 years utilizing datasets for tree density and stem diameter at different stand ages obtained in the field. To elucidate the ability of the forest to reduce the wave height $ \eta_{t} $ (m), a long linear wave that propagates on dry ground was assumed. The attenuation of $ \eta_{t} $ (m) was expressed as follows: $ \eta_{t} = \eta_{t0} \exp ( - k_{\text{i}} x) $ , where $ \eta_{t0} $ , x, and k _i are the initial wave height (m), the distance (m), and the wave attenuation coefficient (m^?1), respectively. The tree destruction caused by the waves was considered in order to estimate k _i. The model suggested that there was a peak age that maximized k _i and was dependent on $ \eta_{t} $ , and that the maximum k _i attained decreased with increasing $ \eta_{t} $ . When P _ini was varied widely from 0.5 to 4 m^?2, the maximum k _i for a relatively low wave height (≤3 m) changed dramatically. For example, when $ \eta_{t} = 2{\text{ m}},$ the maximum k _i ranged from 0.008 to 0.031 m^?1, depending on P _ini. Thus, utilizing a relatively low P _ini would be an efficient way of quickly creating a forest capable of sufficient wave attenuation in areas where a relatively high wave height (≥4 m) is expected. It was concluded that regular harvesting and planting would be required to realize the full potential of the coastal forests to attenuate waves, and that tailoring P _ini is one of the management options that could be used to establish a wave prevention forest.     

Causes for the small scale variability of nitrate concentration in seepage water of an N saturated mature spruce stand

Context

In N-saturated forests nitrate concentrations in seepage water ( $ {\text{N}}{{\text{O}}_3}{^{ - }_{\text{seepage}}} $ ) regularly show high spatial variability even within homogeneous stands. Up to now the reasons of this variability are not fully understood.

Aims

The main objective was to identify the crucial parameters that control spatial variability of $ {\text{N}}{{\text{O}}_3}{^{ - }_{\text{seepage}}} $ at the H?glwald site.

Methods

We investigated a multitude of parameters (e.g. N turnover, root biomass, soil chemistry, soil physics, stand parameters) and related them to $ {\text{N}}{{\text{O}}_3}{^{ - }_{\text{seepage}}} $ , measured in 40?cm depth with suction cups.

Results

A small number of biological parameters (net N mineralization, root distribution, and stand density) explained up to 93?% of the variability of $ {\text{N}}{{\text{O}}_3}{^{ - }_{\text{seepage}}} $ in linear regression models. Net N-mineralization rates in the humus layer and fine root biomass in the upper mineral soil influenced $ {\text{N}}{{\text{O}}_3}{^{ - }_{\text{seepage}}} $ positively. Fine root biomass in deeper soil layers (30?C40?cm depth) and stand density had a negative influence.

Conclusion

The rate of net N mineralization in the organic layer is decisive for the nitrate production in the soil. Roots in the upper mineral soil increase $ {\text{N}}{{\text{O}}_3}{^{ - }_{\text{seepage}}} $ by intensive water uptake but excluding nitrate at the same time. The variation of these two parameters is responsible for most of the small-scale variability of $ {\text{N}}{{\text{O}}_3}{^{ - }_{\text{seepage}}} $ .     

Within-tree variations in the surface free energy of wood assessed by contact angle analysis

Although the heterogeneity of wood could preclude assessment of the performances of adhesion, the within-tree variations in its thermodynamic properties still remain unexplored. This study analyzed the surface free energy of wood (γ _W ) calculated by the geometric mean approach along the radius and at different sampling heights in black spruce and balsam fir with a statistical model, employing apparent contact angles of three testing liquids. Sampling height and species affected the apparent contact angles, and consequently the polar ( $ \gamma_{W}^{P} $ ) and dispersed ( $ \gamma_{W}^{D} $ ) components of γ _W , but no significant difference was observed along the radius. On average, γ _W was 43.77?mJ?m^?2 at the stem base and gradually decreased, attaining 27.19?mJ?m^?2 at 14?m of height. $ \gamma_{W}^{P} $ was markedly higher than $ \gamma_{W}^{D} $ with an opposite pattern along the tree height. These findings demonstrated the huge variability in γ _W along the stem, which could be related to the structural or chemical features of wood.     

Genetics of wood quality attributes in Western Larch

Context

Wood quality traits are important to balance the negative decline of wood quality associated with selection for growth attributes in gymnosperm breeding programs. Obtaining wood quality estimates quickly is crucial for successful incorporation in breeding programs.

Aims

The aims of this paper are to: (1) Estimate genetic and phenotypic correlations between growth and wood quality attributes, (2) Estimate heritability of the studied traits, and (3) Assess the accuracy of in situ non-destructive tools as a representative of actual wood density.

Methods

Wood density (X-ray densitometry), tree height, diameter, volume, resistance drilling, acoustic velocity, and dynamic modulus of elasticity were estimated, along with their genetic parameters, for 1,200, 20-year-old trees from 25 open-pollinated families.

Results

Individual tree level heritabilities for non-destructive evaluation attributes were moderate ( $ {\widehat{h}}_i^2=0.37-0.42 $ ), wood density and growth traits were lower ( $ {\widehat{h}}_i^2=0.23-0.35 $ ). Favorable genetic and phenotypic correlations between growth traits, wood density, and non-destructive evaluation traits were observed. A perfect genetic correlation was found between resistance drilling and wood density (r _G ?=?1.00?±?0.07), while acoustic velocity and dynamic modulus of elasticity showed weaker genetic correlations with wood density (r _G ?=?0.25?±?0.24;?0.46?±?0.21, respectively).

Conclusion

This study confirmed that resistance drilling is a reliable predictor of wood density in western larch, while the weak genetic correlations displayed by acoustic velocity and dynamic modulus of elasticity suggest limited dependability for their use as fast in situ wood density assessment methods in this species.     

Genetic structure of Tunisian natural carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) populations inferred from RAPD markers

? Seven RAPD markers were used to assess the genetic diversity and structure of ten Tunisian natural Ceratonia siliqua L. populations from different geographic and bioclimatic zones.

? The species maintain a high diversity within population as estimated by the percentage of polymorphic loci and Shannon’s index (P% = 76.31, $\bar H'_{pop} = 0.569$ ). The range of variation between populations was large. Populations from the upper semi-arid bioclimates, with more continuous distribution area showed the highest level of variation.

? A high genetic differentiation among populations (Φ_ST = 0.250 and $\bar G_{ST} = 0.347$ ), as a result of population isolation was revealed. Nevertheless, the genetic structure is in accordance with bioclimate indicating that ecological factors also should influence differentiation. Populations from the sub-humid, upper semi-arid and mean semi-arid zones clustered together and were distinct from those of the lower semi-arid ones.

? Conservation strategy should be made according to the level of polymorphism within population and bioclimate.

     

Optimization of processing variables during heat treatment of oak (Quercus mongolica) wood

The properties of oak heat treated at temperatures of 160–220 °C, oxygen concentrations of 2–10 %, steam pressures of 0.1–0.4 MPa and treatment time of 2–4 h were investigated. Although modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR) and equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of the heat-treated wood (HTW) were reduced, the value of $ \Updelta E^{*} $ was increased, and the dimensional stability [anti-swelling efficiency in radial (ASE-R), anti-humidity efficiency (AHE)] was improved considerably. Six regression equations (temperature, oxygen concentration, steam pressure and time as functions of MOE, MOR, ASE-R, AHE, EMC and $ \Updelta E^{*} $ ) were developed for the estimation and a nonlinear programming model was derived with operation research theory to obtain the most desirable HTW properties under some production constraints.     

Surface characterization of a series of cured polyurethane adhesives by inverse gas chromatography and adhesion strength testing of plywood

Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) was used to determine the surface properties of a series of polyurethane adhesives, A ₁, A ₂, A ₃ and A ₄ cured with water. The weight percentages of isocyanate group (NCO) in polyurethane adhesives were 5.3, 7.0, 13.0 and 19.6%, respectively. Four n-alkanes, C₆, C₇, C₈ and C₉ were chosen as non-polar probes to characterize the dispersive component of surface free energy, $ \gamma_{s}^{d} . $ Acetone, tetrahydrofuran and ethyl acetate were chosen as polar probes to detect the Lewis acid–base parameters, K _a and K _b. The trend of $ \gamma_{s}^{d} $ and K _a and K _b of the series of cured adhesives was also shown in this paper. The cured adhesives were all amphoteric, but predominantly Lewis basic. The adhesion strength of the poplar plywood bonded with polyurethane adhesives was tested. The results showed that the adhesion strength of plywood increased with increasing the NCO content of the adhesives and K _b/K _a of the cured adhesives.     

Bayesian inference for multi-environment spatial individual-tree models with additive and full-sib family genetic effects for large forest genetic trials

Context

The gain in accuracy of breeding values with the use of single trial spatial analysis is well known in forestry. However, spatial analyses methodology for single forest genetic trials must be adapted for use with combined analyses of forest genetic trials across sites.

Aims

This paper extends a methodology for spatial analysis of single forest genetic trial to a multi-environment trial (MET) setting.

Methods

A two-stage spatial MET approach using an individual-tree model with additive and full-sib family genetic effects was developed. Dispersion parameters were estimated using Bayesian techniques via Gibbs sampling. The procedure is illustrated using height growth data at age 10 from eight large Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg. second-generation full-sib progeny trials from two series established across seven sites in British Columbia (Canada) and on one in Washington (USA).

Results

The proposed multi-environment spatial mixed model displayed a consistent reduction of the posterior mean and an increase in the precision of error variances $ \left( {\sigma _{e}^{2}} \right) $ than the model with ??sets in replicates?? or incomplete block alpha designs. Also, the multi-environment spatial model provided an average increase in the posterior means of the narrow- and broad-sense individual-tree heritabilities (h _N ² and h _B ² , respectively). No consistent changes were observed in the posterior means of additive genetic correlations (r _Ajj??).

Conclusion

Although computationally demanding, all dispersion parameters were successfully estimated from the proposed multi-environment spatial individual-tree model using Bayesian techniques via Gibbs sampling. The proposed two-stage spatial MET approach produced better results than the commonly used nonspatial MET analysis.     

Kinetic analysis of color changes in keyaki (Zelkova serrata) and sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) wood during heat treatment

The kinetics of color changes in keyaki (Zelkova serrata Makino) and sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) wood during heat treatment were examined. The color of wood specimens treated at 90, 120, 150, and 180 °C was measured by an imaging spectrophotometer and expressed using CIELAB color parameters. At any treatment temperature, values for L* and $ \Updelta E_{ab}^{*} $ decreased and increased in both wood species, respectively, with increased treatment time. Changes in a* and b* varied depending on wood species and treatment temperature. The color changes were successfully analyzed using the kinetic approach applying time–temperature superposition method. This approach elucidated and accurately predicted color changes during heat treatment.     

A simple theory to link bole surface area,stem density and average tree dimensions in a forest stand

A geometrical model of a forest stand has been analyzed. A forest stand has been modeled as a population of cones which was described by the change of total bole surface area with density \(\hat{S}(N)\) , relation between density and a horizontal dimension (radius r) r(N), and the relation between vertical dimension (generatrix l) and radius l(r). It has been shown that there are close relationships between \(\hat{S}(N)\) , l(r) and r(N). In case of \(\hat{S}(N) = const\) , power exponent of l(r) can be predicted from the power exponent of r(N) and vice versa. A comparison of the model analysis with the data available on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands has been performed. In spite of the model simplicity, its inferences proved to be workable in many cases where the data can be interpreted as a dynamics of an even-aged forest stand. In particular, if the estimation of total bole surface area is constant, the power exponent in the relation of diameter and stand density DBH(SD) can be calculated on the basis of the power exponent in the relation of height and diameter H(DBH) and vice versa. Possible limitations and the meaning of the analysis are discussed.     

Can the impulse propagation speed from cross-section tomography explain the conditioned density of wood?

Tomography is a wave-based technique used to depicture tree cross-sections; specifically, impulse tomography uses data given by the passage of impulse waves, which were primarily influenced by density, modulus of elasticity, and moisture content of wood. The influence of wood characteristics on various kinds of waves has been extensively studied, allowing the establishment of statistical correlations between wave behavior and wood properties. In this context, the relationship between impulse speed from cross-section tomography and conditioned density that was obtained on diametrical sample by X-ray densitometry was analyzed using logs of three tree species with different densities that were air dried to 12 % moisture content. For each species, means from 5 mm length intervals of conditioned density profile graph (ρ _12%) and impulse speed distribution graph (S _12%) on the same diametrical sample are used to fit models. Joining data from all species, the exponential model \( \ln \rho_{12\% } = - 4.32822 + 1.67894 *\ln S_{12\% } \) was obtained with correlation coefficient of 0.85 and highly significant parameters. The results indicate that conditioned density could be explained by impulse speed on the cross-section, but research is necessary to make a useful tool out of it.     

High organic carbon stock in a karstic soil of the Middle-European Forest Province persists after centuries-long agroforestry management

Little is known on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in karst areas worldwide, although many of them have seen long-term application of agroforestry systems with a potential for carbon sequestration. Therefore, our study aimed to assess landscape-level SOC concentration and stock in the Silica Plateau, a part of the Slovak Karst Biosphere Reserve located in the Western Carpathians (Slovakia) with a centuries-long agroforestry record. The most represented local soil units are Chromi-Rendzic Leptosols and Chromic Cambisols with clayey loam texture, C/N ratio 9–12, and $ {\text{pH}}_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}} $ 6.6–6.2 in their organo-mineral surface horizons. Mull surface humus form prevails under mixed forest stands dominated by hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.), oak (Quercus petraea L.), and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). A total of 2,700 soil samples were collected from 150 soil pits. Both SOC concentrations and stocks were determined for the 0–60?cm mineral soil layer. Soil stoniness was accounted for by means of electrical resistivity tomography. According to the analysis of covariance, cropland SOC concentration (0.026?g?g^?1) is significantly lower compared to forestland (0.040?g?g^?1) and pastureland (0.041?g?g^?1) (P?<?0.01). During the period of 130?years after forest clearing, cropland SOC stock has been reduced at an exponential decay rate of ca 0.002?year^?1, while the SOC stock in pastureland has increased following land use change from cropland by approximately 30% during the same period of time. Irrespective of land use history, overall SOC stock is high reaching on average 207.4?Mg?ha^?1, out of which 66% are stored within 0–30?cm and 34% within 30–60?cm soil layers.     

Modeling height–diameter relationship for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus euphratica</Emphasis> in the Tarim riparian forest ecosystem,Northwest China

Modeling height–diameter relationships is an important component in estimating and predicting forest development under different forest management scenarios. In this paper, ten widely used candidate height–diameter models were fitted to tree height and diameter at breast height(DBH)data for Populus euphratica Oliv. within a 100 ha permanent plots at Arghan Village in the lower reaches of the Tarim River, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Data from 4781 trees were used and split randomly into two sets:75 % of the data were used to estimate model parameters(model calibration), and the remaining data(25 %) were reserved for model validation. All model performances were evaluated and compared by means of multiple model performance criteria such as asymptotic t-statistics of model parameters, standardized residuals against predicted height,root mean square error(RMSE), Akaike’s informationcriterion(AIC), mean prediction error(ME) and mean absolute error(MAE). The estimated parameter a for model(6) was not statistically significant at a level of a = 0.05. RMSE and AIC test result for all models showed that exponential models(1),(2),(3) and(4) performed significantly better than others. All ten models had very small MEs and MAEs. Nearly all models underestimated tree heights except for model(6). Comparing the MEs and MAEs of models, model(1) produced smaller MEs(0.0059) and MAEs(1.3754) than other models. To assess the predictive performance of models, we also calculated MEs by dividing the model validation data set into 10-cm DBH classes. This suggested that all models were likely to create higher mean prediction errors for tree DBH classes[20 cm. However, no clear trend was found among models.Model(6) generated significantly smaller mean prediction errors across all tree DBH classes. Considering all the aforementioned criteria, model(1): TH ? 1:3 t a= e1 t b?eàc?DBHT and model(6): TH ? 1:3 t DBH2= ea t b?DBH t c ? DBH2T are recommended as suitable models for describing the height–diameter relationship of P. euphratica. The limitations of other models showing poor performance in predicting tree height are discussed. We provide explanations for these shortcomings.     

The toughness contribution of bamboo node to the Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of bamboo

Bamboo is a kind of biological composite reinforced by unidirectional long fibers. The cleavage strength along grain of bamboo internode is low; however, the existence of bamboo node can hinder the propagation of interlaminar crack to make up for the defect of weak opening mode fracture toughness along interlamination. In this article, the double cantilever beam method was applied to test the Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of Moso bamboo internode specimens and specimens with node to study the difference of the Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness between Moso bamboo internode specimens and specimens with node. The results are shown as follows: the Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of Moso bamboo internode specimens was \( G_{{{\text{I}}C}}^{\text{Internode}} \)  = 498 J/m² (SD = 65 J/m²); the Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of Moso bamboo specimens with node was \( G_{{{\text{I}}C}}^{\text{Node}}\)  = 1,431 J/m² (SD = 198 J/m²). It can be seen that the Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of bamboo specimens with node was higher than that of bamboo internode specimens, and the toughness contribution of node to bamboo Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness was 1.87 times. The conclusion was drawn that bamboo node can contribute a lot to hinder the interlaminar fracture of bamboo.     

Density calculation of wood by portable X-ray tube with consideration of penetrating depth

A portable X-ray apparatus generates soft X-rays which have a continuous wavelength (wide range). When using continuous wavelength X-rays, the mass attenuation coefficient of the soft X-rays is changed as the penetrating depth in wood increases, unlike monochromatic X-rays which are usually used for medical purposes. In safety inspections of historic buildings, penetrating depth varies in an X-ray radiograph. Computerized tomography (CT) is a powerful tool that helps determine the density information of the inner sections of buildings. Because only portable X-rays can be used in historic buildings and the penetrating depth can vary, the mass attenuation coefficient of wood according to penetrating depth needs to be investigated. Therefore, in this study, we developed a statistical method which takes into account the influence of the penetrating depth on a density calculation made by a portable X-ray apparatus. X-ray tests were conducted on wood specimens of various depths. From the results, a statically determined mass attenuation coefficient (SMAC) ( $ \mu = - 0.214\ln (t) + 0.7251 $ ), which is the equation of mass attenuation coefficient according to the penetrating depth in wood, was derived to convert radiographs to density radiographs. All projections were converted into density profiles using two methods, average mass attenuation coefficient and SMAC. Based on the density profile for each projection, a density distribution of a cross-section was reconstructed by filtered back projection. Compared with the cases using a consistent mass attenuation coefficient, SMAC provided much higher precision in density prediction than the average mass attenuation coefficient.     

Orthotropic elastic constants of wood

Wood tracheids are essentially tubular structures but wood cross sections are characterized by large numbers of triple points or junctures of wall segments from three adjacent cells. A symmetric triple point is taken as an approximation to the basic unit of wood structure. This element is analysed as a linearly elastic, isotropic body. It is shown that bending effects enhance the deformations arising from simple strains so that the overall response of the element is anisotropic. The resulting stiffnesses are ordered $$E_L \user2{ > }E_R \user2{ > }G_{LR} \sim G_{LT} \user2{ > }E_T \user2{ > }G_{RT} $$ for what are considered to be fairly typical element geometries. It is shown that for all geometries the longitudinal Youngs modulus is proportional to the volume fraction of cell wall material.     

Allometric equations for estimating aboveground biomass of Coffea arabica L. grown in the Rift Valley escarpment of Ethiopia

Coffee, Coffea arabica L., which is native to Ethiopia, is the world’s most widely traded tropical agricultural commodity. While much is known about the productivity and management of coffee for coffee beans little attention has been given to the plants overall biomass production and carbon sequestration. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate allometric equations for estimating the aboveground biomass of C. arabica plants growing in indigenous agroforestry system in the Rift Valley escarpment of south-eastern Ethiopia. Coffee plays an important role in providing income and in sustaining these productive systems. Biomass harvesting of 31 plants with 54 stems was carried out in a 40 km² area varying in elevation from 1,500 to 1,900 m. The stem accounted for most (56 %) of plant biomass, followed by branches (39 %) and twigs plus foliage (5 %). Plant mean biomass was 22.9 ± 15.8 kg. Power equations using stem diameter measured at either 40 cm (d ₄₀) or at breast height (d, 1.3 m) with and without stem height (h) were evaluated. The square power equation, $ Y \; = \; b_{ 1} d_{ 40}^{ 2} $ , was found to be the best (highest ranked using goodness-of-fit statistics) for predicting total and component biomass. The reliability of the prediction decreased in the order: stem > branches > twigs plus foliage. A cross-validation procedure showed that equation parameterization was stable and coefficients reliable. Our parameterized square power equation for total aboveground biomass was also found to be better than the equations parameterized by Hairiah et al. (Carbon stocks of tropical land use systems as part of the global C balance: effects of forest conversion and options for clean development activities, International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, Bogor, 2001) and Segura et al. (Agroforest Syst 68:143–150, 2006) for C. arabica grown in agroforestry systems, confirming the importance of parameterization of allometric equations with site specific data when possible.     

Strain analysis near the cutting edge in orthogonal cutting of hinoki (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Chamaecyparis obtusa</Emphasis>) using a digital image correlation method

A digital image correlation (DIC) method was utilized to measure strain distributed within approximately 0.5 mm of the cutting edge during slow-speed orthogonal cutting of air-dried hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa), to clarify the relationships of the strain distribution and cutting conditions, including cutting angle (\(\theta\)) and depth of cut (\(d\)). The strain was measured in 0.04 mm steps, and the measurable minimum strain was approximately 0.08%. Tensile strain of 3% or larger normal to the cutting direction, \({\varepsilon _y}\), tended to extend 0.2 mm or further ahead of the tool when \(\theta \leq 60^\circ\) and \(d \geq 0.1{\text{ mm}}\). This tensile \({\varepsilon _y}\) corresponded to the occurrence of the fore-split in Chip Type I. The tensile \({\varepsilon _y}\) detected along the path of the cutting edge decreased as \(\theta\) and/or \(d\) decreased. Positive shear strain, \({\gamma _{xy}}\), tended to be detected ahead of the tool in Type I. Negative \({\gamma _{xy}}\) tended to be detected ahead of the tool in Type II and III \(\left( {\theta \geq 70^\circ ,\,\,d \geq 0.05{\text{ mm}}} \right)\). These \({\gamma _{xy}}\) values were considered to be related to the elongation and shrinkage of the chip. The study confirmed the usability of the DIC method for the evaluation of cutting conditions and also to classify chip formation into chip types.     

Spectral image database for observing the quality of Nordic sawn timbers

In this study, a comprehensive spectral image database of Nordic sawn timbers for public use was measured. Economically significant Finnish wood species birch (Betula sp.), Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) were chosen for inclusion in the database. The total of samples was 107 containing heartwood, sapwood, decayed wood, blue stain, mold, resin, early wood, late wood, knots, cracks, pith, reaction wood and bark. Board and crosscut samples were measured in frozen, melted and room-dried conditions. The reflectance of samples was measured over a 300- to 2,500-nm wavelength range. Additionally, the photoluminescence of samples excited by an ultraviolet B light source was measured. The spot size used was 250 μm with an 80 mm \(\times \) 200 mm imaging area, and produced all in all 44 million spectra. In this paper, examples of the possibilities of this spectral image database as a means of detection of the spatial distribution of aromatic lignin and the moisture content (MC) of nonfrozen timber were introduced and provided. From the results, it was found that it was possible to detect the lignin distribution from spectral images, and simple and robust methods for wood MC estimations were also introduced.