Reactivity of a condensed–type lignin model compound in the Mannich reaction and preparation of cationic surfactant from sulfuric acid lignin

 The chemical conversion of phenolized sulfuric acid lignin (P-SAL), prepared from sulfuric acid lignin (SAL) by phenolation with sulfuric acid catalyst, to novel cationic surfactant was investigated. To elucidate the chemical reactivity of the P-SAL to a Mannich reaction, 1-guaiacyl-1-p-hydroxyphenylethane (I) as a simple phenolized sulfuric acid lignin model compound was reacted with dimethylamine and formaldehyde. Quantitative analysis of the products by gas-liquid chromatography suggested that the p-hydroxyphenyl nucleus was more reactive than the guaiacyl nucleus. The Mannich reaction of SAL with dimethylamine did not yield a soluble cationic surfactant, but P-SAL produced water-soluble cationic surfactant in a quantitative yield. The Mannich reaction products (MP-SAL) of P-SAL had 1,3-dimethylaminomethyl groups/C₉-C₆. The results of the surface tension measurements showed that the decrease in surface tension of MP-SAL was much larger than that of lignosulfonate as a commercial surfactant from lignin.     

Evaluating the impacts of a carbon tax on imported forest products—evidence from Taiwan

Levying a carbon tax is one of the approaches used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) and has been adopted in a number of countries since the Kyoto Protocol. Applying such an approach in the forest sector may have important policy implications. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of a carbon tax on imported forest products using Taiwan as an example. Taiwan relies on foreign imported timber and such consumption of harvested wood products (HWPs) lengthens the storage of carbon beyond the life of the tree. This study investigates the impacts of implementing a carbon tax on seven types of HWPs by applying the ARDL approach to imported timber demand functions in Taiwan. The empirical results show that the volumes of imported HWPs as well as carbon dioxide are significantly reduced once a carbon tax is implemented. These empirical outcomes provide some important forest policy implications for countries importing wood products.     

Exploring Agrobiodiversity on Farm: A Case from Middle–Hills of Nepal

A survey was conducted to examine agrobiodiversity status of farms in the Pokhare Khola watershed of Dhading district in the Middle-Hills of Nepal. A total of 53 farmland tree and one crop species from 22 families were documented. The most commonly found species were fruit and fodder species (on over 60 % farms) including banana (Musa paradisiaca), khasrato (Ficus hispida) and khanayo (Ficus semicordata). Tree density was highest (226/ha) on marginal farms (farm area ≤0.25 ha) and lowest (165/ha) on small farms (farm area 0.26–0.5 ha). For the study area as a whole, the Shannon-Wiener species diversity index was 3.26 and the species evenness index 1.89. Large farms (farm area >1 ha) had the greatest tree species diversity (4.47 ± 0.52) and marginal farms the lowest (2.18 ± 0.37), indicating the positive relationship between farm size and species diversity. A total of six types of cereals and 18 types of vegetable crops were grown in the study area. The major livestock component of each household was chickens (average 8/household) and goats (6/household). The mean value of livestock in the large farm category was estimated as $2235, significantly higher than that of the other three categories. A significant relationship was found between agrobiodiversity and livelihoods, irrespective of annual production, and the critical role of the farmed landscape in agrobiodiversity conservation was apparent.     

Investigation on physical and mechanical properties of pulp–plastic composites from bagasse

High-density polyethylene (HDPE), bagasse fibers treated by four pulping processes (AS-AQ (alkaline sulfite anthraquinone), SODA-AQ (soda anthraquinone), MEA (monoethanolamine) and chemical–mechanical pulping (CMP)), three levels of nano-SiO₂ (0, 2, and 5?wt%), and maleic anhydride polyethylene as coupling agent were used to produce pulp–plastic composites (PPCs) by injection molding. The physical and mechanical properties of corresponding composites were evaluated according to ASTM standards. The results showed that compared to untreated bagasse/HDPE composite, the addition of bagasse pulp fibers increased significantly the mechanical properties such as tensile strength and modulus, flexural strength and modulus, and hardness. The chemical pulps-reinforced composites showed better mechanical strengths than that of CMP-reinforced composites, but in some properties, CMP pulp composites have comparable results to the chemical pulp-reinforced composites. Natural fibers (untreated and treated) increased water absorption and thickness swelling of composites compared to pure HDPE. The addition of nano-SiO₂ particles showed both increasing and decreasing trends on physical and mechanical properties ofPPCs.     

Simple and effective large-scale preparation of geniposide from fruit of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis using a liquid–liquid two-phase extraction

Geniposide was prepared on a large-scale using a selective two-phase liquid–liquid extraction. The aqueous residue from the fruit of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis was treated with sodium carbonate and extracted with n-butanol several times. The n-butanol extracts were treated with activated granular charcoal to remove pigments and were then concentrated to produce a residue with a high solid content. The residue was crystallized to obtain geniposide with 98% purity. For large-scale synthesis, the residue (solid content 45%, geniposide 5.5%) was extracted to generate 70 g of geniposide with 98% purity and 84.8% recovery using 1500 g residue.     

Allelopathic effects of essential oil from Eucalyptus grandis × E. urophylla on pathogenic fungi and pest insects

This study on the allelopathic effects and chemical components of the essential oi l from Eucalyptus grandis × E. urophylla shows that the leaf oil emulsion of E. grandis × E. urophylla can inhibit the proliferation of pathogenic fungi Fusarium oxysporum, Pyriculerie grisea, Glorosprium musa rum and Phytophthora capsici. Pupation and feeding of the pest insects Spodopteralitura Fabricius and Helicoverpa armigera Hubner are shown to be affected with restraining effects which increase with the increasing levels of oil concentration. A GC/MS analysis of the leaf oil indicated that the main components, with a relative content of ⩾3%, were alloocimene (43.22%), α-pinene (13.63%), γ-terpinene (5.49%), (E)-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadien-1-ol (3.58%), β-fenchyl alcohol (4.58%), and 2-amino-3,5-dicyano-6-(4-methoxyphenoxy)-pyridine (3.67%). Terpenes played an important role in the inhibitory effects of E. grandis × E. urophylla essential oil on pathogenic fungi and pest insects. Poor biodiversity of eucalyptus plantations is a function of allelopathy. __________ Translated from Chinese Journal of Ecology, 2007, 26(6): 835–839 [译自: 生态学杂志]     

The effects of partial cutting on stand structure and growth of western hemlock–Sitka spruce stands in southeast Alaska

The effects of partial cutting on species composition, new and residual-tree cohorts, tree size distribution, and tree growth was evaluated on 73 plots in 18 stands throughout southeast Alaska. These partially cut stands were harvested 12–96 years ago, when 16–96% of the former stand basal area was removed.Partial cutting maintained stand structures similar to uncut old-growth stands, and the cutting had no significant effects on tree species composition. The establishment of new-tree cohorts was positively related to the proportion of basal-area cut. The current stand basal area, tree species composition, and stand growth were significantly related to trees left after harvest (p<0.001). Trees that were 20–80 cm dbh at the time of cutting had the greatest tree-diameter and basal-area growth and contributed the most to stand growth. Diameter growth of Sitka spruce and western hemlock was similar, and the proportion of stand basal-area growth between species was consistent for different cutting intensities.Concerns about changing tree species composition, lack of spruce regeneration, and greatly reduced stand growth and vigor with partial cuts were largely unsubstantiated. Silvicultural systems based on partial cutting can provide rapidly growing trees for timber production while maintaining complex stand structures with mixtures of spruce and hemlock trees similar to old-growth stands.     

Effects of Public Financed Aid on Private Forest Investments: Some Evidence from Finland, 1963–2000

The relationship between private forest investments and public cost sharing (government financial aid to private investment projects) was first analysed with an economic optimization model. In the general case the model predicted that cost-sharing causes substitution between private funding of investments and public aid. However, in some special cases complementarities were not ruled out. Next, the model predictions were tested with a translog cost function specification of forest investment fund shares. Aggregate data from Finland in years 1963–2000 were used. The substitution and own price elasticities of purely private, subsidized individual and subsidized collective investments are derived from maximum likelihood estimates of translog system model, allowing for investment scale effects. Investments supported by public funding behave in a strongly complementary fashion to each other. Some substitution of subsidized private funding for non-subsidized private funding was found. Strong scale effects and forest investment incentives were found among forest owners in response to public investment aid.     

Impact of time lags on diurnal estimates of canopy transpiration and canopy conductance from sap-flow measurements of Populus cathayana in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Recently, canopy transpiration(Ec) has been often estimated by xylem sap-flow measurements. However, there is a significant time lag between sap flow measured at the base of the stem and canopy transpiration due to the capacitive exchange between the transpiration stream and stem water storage. Significant errors will be introduced in canopy conductance(gc) and canopy transpiration estimation if the time lag is neglected. In this study, a cross-correlation analysis was used to quantify the time lag, and the sap flowbased transpiration was measured to parameterize Jarvistype models of gcand thus to simulate Ecof Populus cathayana using the Penman–Monteith equation. The results indicate that solar radiation(Rs) and vapor pressure deficit(VPD) are not fully coincident with sap flow and have an obvious lag effect; the sap flow lags behind Rsand precedes VPD, and there is a 1-h time shift between Ecand sap flow in the 30-min interval data set. A parameterized Jarvis-type gc model is suitable to predict P. cathayana transpiration and explains more than 80% of the variation observed in gc, and the relative error was less than 25%, which shows a preferable simulation effect. The root mean square error(RMSEs)between the predicted and measured Ecwere 1.91 9 10-3(with the time lag) and 3.12 9 10-3cm h-1(without the time lag). More importantly, Ecsimulation precision that incorporates time lag is improved by 6% compared to the results without the time lag, with the mean relative error(MRE) of only 8.32% and the mean absolute error(MAE) of1.48 9 10-3cm h-1.     

Effects of wood species,particle sizes and dimensions of residue obtained from trimming of wood–cement composites on physical and mechanical properties of cement-bonded particleboard

Abstract

The present work was conducted to study the effects of wood species, particle size and residue particle size obtained from trimming of wood–cement composites on physical and mechanical properties of cement-bonded particleboard (CBPB). Particleboard was manufactured with a wood/cement ratio of 1:3 and specific gravity 1200 kg m^?3. After manufacturing, the boards were tested. The second order plan was used to test the significant difference between factors and levels. It was shown that slenderness and compaction ratio increased and bulk density and specific surface decreased with the increase of particle size. With the increase in slenderness ratio and compaction ratio and decrease in bulk density and specific surface, thickness swelling and mechanical properties improved, but water absorption by the board increased. The addition of 6% of 5/3 fraction size of particle obtained from trimming of boards improved significantly the properties of the boards. The optimized panel properties, obtained using poplar particles with a fraction size of 7pass/on5, exceeded the BISON type HZ and EN Standard for Wood Particleboard. CBPB made of alder or poplar particles with 5/3 fraction size of residue exceeded the BISON type HZ. All CBPB with 5/3 fraction size of residue showed lower mean values of thickness swelling, well below the maximum requirements of both standards. In addition, wood species, fraction size of particles and residue size are believed to have been the main cause of change in the properties of the boards.     

Causal effects of shelter forests and water factors on desertification control during 2000–2010 at the Horqin Sandy Land region,China

The Horqin Sandy Land(HSL), the largest sandy land in the semi-arid agro-pastoral ecotone of Northeast China, has been subject to desertification during the past century. In response, and to control the desertification,government implemented the Three-North Shelter/Protective Forest Program, world’s largest ecological reforestation/afforestation restoration program. The program began in1978 and will continue for 75 years until 2050. Understanding the dynamics of desertification and its driving forces is a precondition for controlling desertification.However, there is little evidence to directly link causal effects with desertification process(i.e., on the changing area of sandy land) because desertification is a complex process,that can be affected by vegetation(including vegetation cover and extent of shelter forests) and water factors such as precipitation, surface soil moisture, and evapotranspiration.The objectives of this study were to identify how influencing factors, especially shelter forests, affected desertification in HSL over a recent decade. We used Landsat TM imagery analysis and path analysis to identify the effects of spatiotemporal changes in water and vegetation parameters during2000–2010. Desertification was controlled during the study period, as indicated by a decrease in desert area at a rate of163.3 km2year-1and an increase in the area with reduced intensity or extent of desertification. Total vegetation cover in HSL increased by 10.6 % during the study period and this factor exerted the greatest direct and indirect effects on slowing desertification. The contribution of total vegetation cover to controlling desertification increased with the intensity of desertification. On slightly and extremely severe desertified areas, vegetation cover contributed 5 and 42 % of the desertification reduction, respectively. There were significant correlations between total vegetation cover and water conditions(i.e., evapotranspiration and precipitation)and the area of shelter forests(P 0.0001), in which water conditions and the existence of shelter forests contributed49.7 and 12.8 % to total vegetation cover, respectively. The area of shelter forests increased sharply due to program efforts, but only shrub forests had significant direct effects on reducing the area of desertification categorized as slightly desertified. The reason for the lack of direct effect of increased arbor forests(accounting for 95.3 % of the total increase in shelter forests) on reducing desertification might be that the selected arbor species were not suited to water conditions(low precipitation, high evapotranspiration) prevailing at HSL. The establishment of shelter forests aided control of desertification in the HSL region, but the effect was less than expected. Effective control of desertification in the HSL region or other similar sandy areas will require greater improvements in vegetation cover. In particular,shrub species should be selected for plantation with reference to their potential to survive and reproduce in the harsh climatic and weather conditions typical of desertified areas.     

Assessing the effect of late-season fertilization on Holm oak plant quality: insights from morpho–nutritional characterizations and water relations parameters

Forest restoration projects with Holm oak (Quercus ilex) have had limited success, mostly due to water stress after planting and poor plant quality. Recent studies indicated that large and nutrient rich plants perform better in Mediterranean areas, suggesting that late-season fertilization may improve plant quality and field performance. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of late-season fertilization on the quality of Holm oak seedlings, as determined by morphological, nutritional, and water relations analyses. We grew Holm oak nursery seedlings under 5 different late-season fertilization regimes and then analyzed morphological characteristics, nutritional status, and water relations parameters of the fertilization groups at the end of the nursery period. We also analyzed the effect of fertilization on nutritional status by use of vector nomograms. Our results indicated that late-season NPK fertilization improved shoot and root growth, and the overall nutritional status of seedlings. The lack of late-season fertilization leads to nutrient deficiency in plants, whilst the application of imbalanced fertilization treatments may trigger nutrient luxury consumption and nutrient dilution, pointing out the importance of NPK proportions in the fertilizer. Moreover, late-season fertilization with nitrogen might improve the drought resistance of seedling by enhancing their osmotic adjustment.     

Trends of tree growth in Swedish forests 1953–1992: An analysis based on sample trees from the national forest inventory

Average tree height and basal area growth for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) in Sweden were studied as functions of species, age, stand density, location and year of inventory in the period 1953–1992, on the basis of sample tree data from the National Forest Inventory. A highly significant annual increase of both height and basal area growth was found, of the magnitude 0.5–0.8%, during the 40 yr period. Possible reasons for the trend are discussed. The altered way of cutting in the early 1950s, from selective cutting to clear felling and thinning from below, has had a large impact. Also, improved regeneration methods, nitrogen fertilization and ditching have increased growth. The increasing atmospheric deposition of nitrogen is another possible factor.     

Influence of felling season,drying method and within-tree location on the brinell hardness and equilibrium moisture content of wood from 27–35-year-old Betula pendula

The Brinell hardness and equilibrium moisture content (EMC) were measured from thinning-aged silver birch wood. Wood material both from the trees harvested in the first commercial thinning and from trees remaining on site after the thinning was included. The average Brinell hardness was 19.40 MPa. It correlated significantly with the basic density of wood. With respect to the distance from the pith, the Brinell hardness of air-dried wood was higher than that of artificially dried wood. The average EMC of the conditioned (20°C, 65% relative humidity) wood was 12.0%. The EMC of the wood also varied, with the EMC being higher for air-dried wood than for kiln-dried wood. EMC was the highest at a distance of 30–40 mm from the pith, decreasing towards both pith and log surface. Seasonal variation in both the Brinell hardness and the EMC of the wood was found. It was presumed to be a consequence of season-dependent physiological changes in trees.     

Reliable data on fine-root turnover from sequential soil coring in an old carbon budget for a 14-year-old Scots pine from the late 1970s: Comments on Majdi et al., Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 22: 299–303

Abstract

Comprehensive data from different research workers were included in the compilation of a carbon budget for a 14-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) in the late 1970s, within the SWECON project (the Swedish Coniferous Forest Project). In a recent paper in the Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, the authors published a surprisingly high turnover rate of fine roots (7.4 year^?1), maintaining that they had used our old SWECON data from our sequential soil coring. However, a close examination of our original data suggests a turnover of fine-root biomass of 2.3 and for fine-root standing crop (biomass+necromass) of 2.0 year^?1. Supporting evidence is available from other forest sites suggesting that our turnover rates were correctly estimated. Certain errors may exist in different parts of our old carbon budget, e.g. some measurements were carried out for different parts of the tree, while others were attributed to the whole stand. The sequential soil coring technique still remains the best technique available for fine-root growth and turnover estimates in forest stands.     

Impact of time lags on diurnal estimates of canopy transpiration and canopy conductance from sap-flow measurements of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus cathayana</Emphasis> in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Recently, canopy transpiration (E_c) has been often estimated by xylem sap-flow measurements. However, there is a significant time lag between sap flow measured at the base of the stem and canopy transpiration due to the capacitive exchange between the transpiration stream and stem water storage. Significant errors will be introduced in canopy conductance (g_c) and canopy transpiration estimation if the time lag is neglected. In this study, a cross-correlation analysis was used to quantify the time lag, and the sap flow-based transpiration was measured to parameterize Jarvis-type models of g_c and thus to simulate E_c of Populus cathayana using the Penman–Monteith equation. The results indicate that solar radiation (R_s) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) are not fully coincident with sap flow and have an obvious lag effect; the sap flow lags behind R_s and precedes VPD, and there is a 1-h time shift between E_c and sap flow in the 30-min interval data set. A parameterized Jarvis-type g_c model is suitable to predict P. cathayana transpiration and explains more than 80% of the variation observed in g_c, and the relative error was less than 25%, which shows a preferable simulation effect. The root mean square error (RMSEs) between the predicted and measured E_c were 1.91 × 10^?3 (with the time lag) and 3.12 × 10^?3 cm h^?1 (without the time lag). More importantly, E_c simulation precision that incorporates time lag is improved by 6% compared to the results without the time lag, with the mean relative error (MRE) of only 8.32% and the mean absolute error (MAE) of 1.48 × 10^?3 cm h^?1.     

Lethal and sub-lethal effects from short-term exposure of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhyzopertha dominica</Emphasis> on wheat treated with Storicide II<Superscript>®</Superscript>

Hard red winter wheat was treated at 0 (untreated control), 25, 50, 75, and 100% of the label rate of the insecticide Storicide II ^® , which is chlorpyrifos-methyl and deltamethrin applied at label rates of 3 and 0.5 ppm, respectively. Paired male and female Rhyzopertha dominica F., the lesser grain borer, were exposed at 27°C and 60% RH on wheat treated at each of the five rates above for 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 h, and then transferred to untreated wheat and held for 1 week at the same environmental conditions. After this 1-week holding period, the parental adults were removed, mortality was assessed, and the wheat was then held for 7 weeks at the same environmental conditions to determine progeny production. As the concentration and exposure interval increased, mortality of both sexes approached 100%, but at the intermediate concentration–time combinations male mortality was greater than female mortality. Progeny production also decreased with increasing concentration of Storicide II^® as the exposure time increased, with non-linear patterns of decrease at the lower concentrations and time combinations and linear decline at the higher levels of concentration and time. Results seem to indicate greater susceptibility of males to Storicide II^®, and also show delayed parental mortality from the insecticide exposure and sub-lethal effects of reduced progeny production.     

Lessons from long-term studies of harvest methods in southwestern ponderosa pine–Gambel oak forests on the Fort Valley Experimental Forest,Arizona, U.S.A.

The Fort Valley Experiment Station (now Fort Valley Experimental Forest) has contributed many long-term studies to forest research. This paper focuses on a “Methods of Cutting” study initiated in 1913 on the Coulter Ranch Unit of Fort Valley and how that long-term study yielded important ecological and management lessons. We quantified the historical and contemporary forest patterns at this ponderosa pine–Gambel oak site, which was harvested using three different harvesting systems in 1913 (seed tree, group selection, and light selection) and was partially excluded from livestock browsing in 1919. Using nine historically stem-mapped permanent plots for the following three stand structural scenarios: 1913 pre-harvest (modeled), post-harvest (actual), and 2003–2006 (actual) conditions, we examined the short- and long-term consequences of harvest and livestock grazing land-use and stand dynamics. We assessed changes in spatial pattern under each harvesting system and in each structural scenario, and lastly, we examined spatial and temporal tree recruitment patterns as observed in the contemporary (2003–2006) conditions. The seed tree harvests effectively converted the spatial patterns from aggregated to random and left few trees, while the group selection and light selection had varying effects, but consistently exaggerated the spatial patchiness of the stand. By 2003–2006, all plots were aggregated at all scales and were one large patch of predominately small trees. Sites that were harvested, but excluded from livestock browsing had 40% more trees in 2003–2006. Contemporary recruitment patterns were significantly aggregated under all harvesting systems, but were most strongly aggregated if the site received a group selection or light selection cut. For group and light selection, pine seedlings initially established in stump patches created by harvesting and then proceeded to fill-in the remaining area, with recruitment rarely found under the residual pine or oak trees. Long-term data sets, such as these established by the Fort Valley Experimental Forest in 1913, are essential for quantifying the impact of historical land-use practices on contemporary forest composition and structure. Ignoring land-use legacies may lead to the misinterpretation of stand dynamics and development, and therefore should be explicitly quantified and incorporated into future management and restoration activities.