Technical change in forest sector models: the global forest products model approach

Technical change is developing rapidly in some parts of the forest sector, especially in the pulp and paper industry where wood fiber is being substituted by waste paper. In forest sector models, the processing of wood and other input into products is frequently represented by activity analysis (input–output). In this context, technical change translates in changes over time of the input–output (I–O) coefficients and of the manufacturing cost (labor, capital, and materials, excluding wood and fiber). In the case of the global forest products model, the I–O coefficients and the manufacturing costs are determined empirically from historical data, while correcting for possible reporting errors. The method consists of goal programming. The objective function is the sum of the weighted absolute value of the deviations from estimated and observed production in each country of interest. The constraints express the relationship between the multiple output (sawnwood, panels, pulp, paper) and input (wood, waste paper, other fiber) and prior knowledge on the limits of the I–O coefficients. The paper presents observed technical changes from 1993 to 2010 and projections to 2030 with their consequences for the global forest sector in terms of prices, production and consumption, value added, and carbon sequestration in forest biomass.     

Frost heaving of forest tree seedlings: a review

Soil frost heaving is the result of the formation of ice lenses in the soil caused by a segregation of the soil water. Ice lenses are growing from below and pushed upward. Seedlings heave when they are pushed out of the ground by the ice sheet formed at the surface of the soil. Frost heaving may greatly reduce growth and survival of forest tree seedlings particularly in regions where freezing and thawing are accompanied by high soil moisture. Resistance to frost heaving increases with size of seedling as the ability of a seedling to anchor itself increases. A few methods, such as fertilizing, choice of planting spots, sowing or planting at the proper time, shading, and use of mulches, appear to be effective in controlling frost heaving. Shade from natural plant cover can greatly reduce frost heaving.     

Correction to: Climatic factors controlling stem growth of alien tree species at a mesic forest site: a multispecies approach

European Journal of Forest Research -     

林木常规育种与生物技术的应用

林木育种的根本任务是选育和繁育林木优良繁殖材料,是实用性很强的学科。该文简要介绍了林木育种的发展历程,选育良种的主要途径及国内外取得的主要成就及对生产的贡献,并评价了我国与林业发达国家当前的发展水平。生物技术的兴起是客观的需要,也是科学技术发展的结果,概括了林木遗传标记和基因工程取得的主要进展,并论述了生物技术在林木中应用的特点和展望。笔者认为,正确处理常规育种技术与生物技术的关系,是持续、健康、高效发展我国林木育种,发展林业生产的基础,新技术与常规育种是相互依存、相互促进的两个方面,但当前应实施以常规育种为主的育种策略。     

漫谈城市防护林的建设与树种选择

建设城市防护林的目的是为了防止风沙、保持水土、涵养水源、减轻污染、净化空气。城市防护林与城市绿地（包括街道绿化、居住区绿化）构成点、线、面相结合的保护城市的绿色防护工程,是现代化城市建设的重要组成部分。随着经济的发展,城市化的增强,人类生存环境的恶化...     

Effects of species and tree size diversity on recruitment in the Alaskan boreal forest: A geospatial approach

This study empirically evaluates and maps the relationships between recruitment and species and tree size diversity, as measured with the Shannon’s index, within mixed poplar/birch and mixed spruce stands across the boreal forest of Alaska. Data were collected from 438 permanent sample plots re-measured at a 5-year interval. Significant explanatory factors of recruitment, including species and tree size diversity were first identified using hierarchical partitioning. The effects of tree diversity on recruitment were then studied using generalized linear models and universal kriging to account for non-spatial factors and for spatial autocorrelation. We found a consistent positive relationship between recruitment and species diversity and a general negative relationship between recruitment and tree size diversity, indicating a tradeoff between species diversity and tree size diversity in affecting recruitment. These relationships however were not uniform across the landscape, presumably because they were subject to strong spatial autocorrelation attributable to natural disturbances and environmental stressors. In general, diversity had least effect on recruitment in stressful environments where stress, rather than competition, most likely governed recruitment.     

Inventory and analysis of tree injuries in a rockfall-damaged forest stand

Rockfall is a major threat to settlements and transportation routes in many places. Consequently, the protective function of mountain forests has recently gained particular interest. However, much is still unknown about the ideal properties of protective forest stands. Therefore the present paper discusses a method for the inventory and analysis of tree injuries in a rockfall-damaged forest stand. With this method, the interrelation between stand geometry and rockfall injuries in a subalpine Polygalo chamaebuxi-Piceetum was examined. The study site of 0.3 Ha is located in the transit zone of frequently passing, small rockfall fragments (~10 cm in diameter) causing healable tree injuries. Tree and injury parameters were recorded and analysed as to injury number, height and size. The spatial distribution of the 157 trees (diameter at breast height dbh>5 cm) in the stand as well as of the 1,704 identified rockfall injuries showed a very uneven pattern. As expected, number, height and size of the injuries generally declined with increasing distance from the cliff as well as due to higher stem densities. In contrast, results indicated that the dbh of trees has no significant influence on the number of injuries per tree. However, this study showed a clear interrelation between tree and injury distribution: in general, large trees close to the cliff and smaller trees with a high density further down the slope seem to be favourable for good protection. At least an uneven-aged, multilayered stand should be sustained. Overall, the combined analysis of stand geometry and injury parameters provides information on the spatial distribution of rockfall and on the influence of tree arrangements.     

Applicability of a forest simulation model for estimating effects of nitrogen deposition on a forest ecosystem: Test of the validity of a gap-type model

Ecosystem models have been used to compile scattered information on various ecosystem processes and to test the hypotheses about ecosystem responses to various simultaneously changing environmental factors. In spite of the widespread use of models, there have been comparatively few quantitative evaluations of model projections compared to long-term observations under changing environmental conditions (e.g. increased nitrogen deposition). In this study we tested the validity of a gap-type forest simulation model (SIMA) in order to extend the applicability of the model for the prediction of how nitrogen deposition influences the production of a boreal forest ecosystem. The validity of the model was tested by comparing the prediction of the model with independent data from long-term fertilization experiments. The predictions provided by the SIMA model agreed fairly well with the results of long-term fertilization experiments. Both the experiments and the model simulations showed similar increases in stem-wood production and in growing stock as a consequence of repeated nitrogen fertilization over the 30-year study period. The addition of nitrogen increased the total production by 30–53% according to field experiments and by 39–63% according to model computations. In both the model calculations and the field experiments, organic matter accumulated in the soil after the addition of nitrogen. The increase in the amount of soil organic matter can be explained as being due to the increased biomass production and the resulting increase in litterfall. According to the model computations, annual litterfall of needles on the mesic site varied from 970 kg ha⁻¹ to 3050 kg ha⁻¹ and this agreed well with measured litterfall of the stand.     

Mechanical cleaning and prescribed burning for recruiting commercial tree regeneration in a Bolivian dry forest

A critical component of sustainable forest management is the regeneration of commercially valuable tree species. Mechanical cleaning with machetes and chainsaws, prescribed burning, and a combination of both treatments were applied to recently-created logging gaps in a Bolivian dry forest to evaluate their impact on the natural regeneration of commercial tree species and on control of competing vegetation. The three treatments and an untreated control were applied to logging gaps during the dry season of 1998 and replicated ten times. Eight months following burning, the density of commercial tree regeneration in gaps did not differ statistically among treatments. Relative height growth of total commercial regeneration also did not differ among treatments, although it did vary by species. Reduction in competing vegetation following the application of site preparation treatments was significantly higher, but competing plant cover was beginning to converge among treatments after eight months. Despite better control of competing vegetation, early recruitment and growth responses to burning and cleaning of vegetation in logging gaps do not appear to justify application of these treatments in this forest, especially considering their high costs.     

基于混合效应的湖南马尾松次生林单木生长模型

[目的]建立湖南省马尾松次生林单木断面积与材积生长模型,为林木的生长预估提供理论依据.[方法]以湖南省2014年一类清查样地中的20块马尾松次生林为研究对象,选取5个具有生物学意义的生长方程,建立马尾松断面积和材积随年龄变化的基础模型,在此基础上,加入以样地为随机效应的随机参数,构建基于混合效应的湖南马尾松次生林单木断...     

Ecological strategies of forest insects: the need for a community-level approach to reforestation

The traditional, single-species approach to forest pest management is considered in light of the range of ecological strategies respresented in forest arthropod communities. Insect population growth and impact depend on host variables subject to silvicultural manipulation, especially during early stages of forest development, but silvicultural practices often induce undesirable responses from non-target insect populations. A suggested approach to forest pest management involves consideration of arthropod community structure, life history traits, and interactions among arthropod and plant species in order to anticipate insect responses and refine silvicultural recommendations accordingly.     

建立相似林分样木因子回归模型推算采伐木蓄积

在安化县杉木人工林相似林分内设立样地,测量样地对角线上26株林木的地径、胸径和树高,用Excel软件建立地径与胸径、胸径与树高的回归模型,再测量采伐木地径,用回归模型预测采伐木的胸径和树高,推算采伐木蓄积量。同时,采用地径一元立木材积表法测算林木蓄积量,并与采伐作业设计的二元立木材积表法测算的林木蓄积量相比较。结果表明:采用建立相似林分样木因子回归模型推算采伐木蓄积量方法接近采伐作业设计的蓄积量。     

Extending a physiological forest growth model by an observation-based tree competition module improves spatial representation of diameter growth

One of the pivotal objectives in forestry research is to estimate the response of silvicultural target variables to climate change scenarios at high temporal resolution in order to consider within-year feedbacks between growth and environmental conditions. To meet this challenge, models are needed which support and complement the widely used observation-based decision systems in forest management and consulting. Physiological models in particular provide the fundamental prerequisites to reflect the impact of various simultaneously changing environmental conditions. However, a physiological representation at the individual tree level is computationally very expensive and sensitive to uncertain initializations. We thus propose an approach that combines a modern representative of the physiological cohort model type, MoBiLE-PSIM, with the individual tree competition concept of a distance-dependent empirical growth simulator (SILVA). The resulting hybrid provides a key feature for the consideration of forest management in long-term simulations at high computational efficiency. The extended model was evaluated with growth-diameter distributions obtained from core-boring at two beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest sites in south-west Germany that differ in exposure and soil conditions. The mean bias of annual stand-scale growth from 2001 to 2007 decreased from ?0.59 to ?0.41 mm at one evaluation plot and from ?0.55 to ?0.24 mm at the other when the competition module was coupled in. Inclusion of the SILVA-based individual tree module into MoBiLE-PSIM improved the size-dependent representation of competition and growth on five-year and even annual timescale. This was particularly the case where the spatial distribution of dominant trees was clustered.     

Green fluorescent protein as a tool for monitoring transgene expression in forest tree species

The gene coding for green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria was successfully used as a vital marker for the transformation of three woody plant species, black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP), white pine (Pinus strobus L.) and poplar (Populus spp.). The gfp gene and the gene conferring resistance to kanamycin (nptII) were introduced by microprojectile bombardment or Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated technology. Screening by fluorescence microscopy of the transformed plant material, under the selection of kanamycin, identified five to eight cell lines from each tree species that clearly expressed GFP. Expression of GFP was observed in somatic embryonal cells of the coniferous species and in stem sections of poplar. For all species, GFP transgene expression was stable over multiple subcultures. Stable integration of the gfp gene into plant genomes was confirmed by Southern hybridization or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. We conclude that GFP can be used as a vital marker and reporter protein in transformation experiments with gymnosperms and deciduous trees.     

Finding the appropriate level of complexity for a simulation model: An example with a forest growth model

The topic of model complexity is fundamental to model developers and model users. In this study, we investigate how over- and under-fitting of a driving function in a simulation model influences the predictive ability of the model. Secondly, we investigate whether model selection approaches succeed in selecting driving functions with the best predictive ability. We address these issues through an example with the forest simulator SORTIE-ND. Utilizing maximum likelihood methods and individual tree growth data we parameterize five growth functions of increasing complexity. We then incorporate each growth function into the simulation model SORTIE-ND and test predicted growth against independent data. Compared to the independent data, the simplest and the most complex growth functions had the poorest predictive ability while functions of intermediate complexity had the best predictive ability. The poor predictive ability of the simplest model is caused by poor approximation of the system while the poor predictive ability of the most complex model is caused by biased parameter estimates. A growth function of intermediate complexity was the most parsimonious model where error due to approximation and error due to estimation were simultaneously minimized. The model selection criteria AIC and BIC were found to select complex functions that were over-fitted according to the independent data comparison. BIC was closer to choosing the model that minimized prediction error than AIC. In this example, BIC is the more appropriate model selection criterion. It is important that both model developers and models users remember that more complex models do not always result in better predictive models.     

Light spectral composition in a tropical forest: measurements and model

I present a simple model that simulates vertical variations in the light spectrum within a forest canopy. The model considers only the vertical, downward transmission of light. The light in each canopy level was assumed to consist of non-intercepted radiation and radiation intercepted within the level and transmitted. The spectrum of non-intercepted light in each canopy level is the same as that of incident light above the canopy (input parameter), whereas the spectrum of transmitted light depends on leaf area index (LAI) and the mean transmission spectrum of leaves. The model was tested in a forest and provided adequate predictions of measured values. Stronger deviations were produced in the near infrared (NIR) waveband in lower canopy levels. Multiple regression between LAI, as the dependent variable, and spectral characteristics (Blue, Green, Red and NIR intensities) had an r(2) of 0.926. As a complement to other methods, I suggest light spectrum analysis as a non-destructive technique for estimating LAI in forest canopies.     

A forest optimisation model including carbon flows: Application to a forest in Norway

We analyse which management to choose in order to increase the carbon benefit from the 1.342 million ha forest area in Hedmark County, Norway, and the cost of doing this compared to traditional profit maximising behaviour. The model used in the analysis is a dynamic forest management optimisation model which includes the main carbon flows and benefits from the forest area: tree growth and mortality, litter accumulation, decomposition of dead wood and harvest residues, soil processes, end-use of wood products, and saved greenhouse gas emissions from using wood products instead of more energy intensive materials and fossil fuels.     

Aboveground tree volume and phytomass prediction equations for forest species in Italy

In this article, we present equations derived for the prediction of the aboveground tree volume and phytomass for twenty-five of the most important forest species growing in Italy. These equations result from ongoing research aiming to fill a gap in the models available at the national scale. With regard to volume, the results are particularly important for thirteen species or groups of species that were once scaled with models, conventionally assumed as reference models, available for other species. In Italy, phytomass models had never been constructed at the national level before. For any single tree, specific equations allow estimations of the following tree components to be made: stem and large branches (for either volume or phytomass), small branches (phytomass), stump (phytomass) and the whole tree phytomass. The models have been constructed on the basis of nearly 1,300 sampling units (sample trees). Although these equations must be considered intermediate results of the ongoing research because only half the scheduled number of samples has been collected, they have already been used in the practice, for example in the estimates reported in the recently published second national forest inventory.