Stand and landscape-level factors related to bird assemblages in exotic pine plantations: Implications for forest management

Plantations cover a substantial amount of Earth's terrestrial surface and this area is expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades. Pinus plantations make up approximately 32% of the global plantation estate. They are primarily managed for wood production, but have some capacity to support native fauna. This capacity likely varies with plantation management. We examined changes in the richness and frequency of occurrence of bird species at 32 plots within a Pinus radiata plantation (a management unit comprising multiple Pinus stands) in south-eastern Australia. Plots were stratified by distance to native forest, stand age class and thinning regime. We also assessed the landscape context of each plot to determine relationships between bird assemblages and stand and landscape-level factors. Bird species richness was significantly higher at plots ≥300 m from native forest and in mature (∼20 years since planting) and old (∼27 years since planting) thinned pine stands. We were able to separate the often confounding effects of stand age and thinning regime by including old stands that had never been thinned. These stands had significantly fewer species than thinned stands suggesting thinning regime, not age is a key factor to improving the capacity of pine plantations to support native species (although an age × thinning interaction may influence this result). At the landscape level, species richness increased in pine stands when they were closer to native riparian vegetation. There were no significant differences in species composition across plots. Our study indicates the importance of stand thinning and retention of native riparian vegetation in improving the value of pine plantations for the conservation of native fauna.     

Forest thinning and subsequent bark beetle-caused mortality in Northeastern California

The Warner Mountains of northeastern California on the Modoc National Forest experienced a high incidence of tree mortality (2001–2007) that was associated with drought and bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) attack. Various silvicultural thinning treatments were implemented prior to this period of tree mortality to reduce stand density and increase residual tree growth and vigor. Our study: (1) compared bark beetle-caused conifer mortality in forested areas thinned from 1985 to 1998 to similar, non-thinned areas and (2) identified site, stand and individual tree characteristics associated with conifer mortality. We sampled ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa var ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.) and Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi Grev. and Balf.) trees in pre-commercially thinned and non-thinned plantations and ponderosa pine and white fir (Abies concolor var lowiana Gordon) in mixed conifer forests that were commercially thinned, salvage-thinned, and non-thinned. Clusters of five plots (1/50th ha) and four transects (20.1 × 100.6 m) were sampled to estimate stand, site and tree mortality characteristics. A total of 20 pre-commercially thinned and 13 non-thinned plantation plot clusters as well as 20 commercially thinned, 20 salvage-thinned and 20 non-thinned mixed conifer plot clusters were established. Plantation and mixed conifer data were analyzed separately. In ponderosa pine plantations, mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) (MPB) caused greater density of mortality (trees ha⁻¹ killed) in non-thinned (median 16.1 trees ha⁻¹) compared to the pre-commercially thinned (1.2 trees ha⁻¹) stands. Percent mortality (trees ha⁻¹ killed/trees ha⁻¹ host available) was less in the pre-commercially thinned (median 0.5%) compared to the non-thinned (5.0%) plantation stands. In mixed conifer areas, fir engraver beetles (Scolytus ventralis LeConte) (FEN) caused greater density of white fir mortality in non-thinned (least square mean 44.5 trees ha⁻¹) compared to the commercially thinned (23.8 trees ha⁻¹) and salvage-thinned stands (16.4 trees ha⁻¹). Percent mortality did not differ between commercially thinned (least square mean 12.6%), salvage-thinned (11.0%), and non-thinned (13.1%) mixed conifer stands. Thus, FEN-caused mortality occurred in direct proportion to the density of available white fir. In plantations, density of MPB-caused mortality was associated with treatment and tree density of all species. In mixed conifer areas, density of FEN-caused mortality had a positive association with white fir density and a curvilinear association with elevation.     

Thinning effect on height and radial growth of Pinus thunbergii Parlat. trees with special reference to trunk slenderness in a matured coastal forest in Hokkaido, Japan

To evaluate the effect of thinning on a mature coastal Pinus thunbergii Parlat. forest in Hokkaido, northern Japan, we established four study plots with different thinning intensities (control and 20, 40, and 60 % thinned at individual base; each 20 m × 20 m) and monitored them for 10 years. Radial growth of individual trees in the 60 % thinned plot was significantly greater than that in the other plots, whereas height growth in the 60 % thinned plot was significantly lower than in the other plots. Applying the height growth contribution index, which represents the trade-off between relative height growth rate and relative diameter growth rate, revealed that individual trees in the control and weakly (20 and 40 %) thinned plots had invested more in height growth compared to trees in the 60 % thinned plot. Though higher trunk slenderness value (>80) indicates higher susceptibility to meteorological disturbance such as wind storm and heavy snow, trunk slenderness in the control and the weakly thinned plots increased significantly compared to that in the 60 % thinned plot. In this study, 44.3 % of trees in the control plot had trunk slenderness values >80 over a period of 10 years. The number of trees with trunk slenderness values >80 also increased in the weakly thinned plots. In contrast, no increase was observed in the 60 % thinned plot. In Japan, the thinning intensity is legally supposed to be <35 % of stand volume, which is not enough to improve tree architecture in terms of trunk slenderness.     

Thinning method and intensity influence long-term mortality trends in a red pine forest

Tree mortality shapes forest development, but rising mortality can represent lost production or an adverse response to changing environmental conditions. Thinning represents a strategy for reducing mortality rates, but different thinning techniques and intensities could have varying impacts depending on how they alter stand structure. We analyzed trends in stand structure, relative density, stand-scale mortality, climate, and correlations between mortality and climate over 46 years of thinning treatments in a red pine forest in Northern Minnesota, USA to examine how thinning techniques that remove trees of different crown classes interact with growing stock manipulation to impact patterns of tree mortality. Relative density in unharvested plots increased during the first 25 years of the study to around 80%, then began to plateau, but was lower (12–62%) in thinned stands. Mortality in unharvested plots claimed 2.5 times more stems yr⁻¹ and 8.6 times as large a proportion of annual biomass increment during the last 21 years of the study compared to the first 25 years, but showed few temporal trends in thinned stands. Mortality in thinning treatments was generally lower than in controls, particularly during the last 21 years of the study when mortality averaged about 0.1% of stems yr⁻¹ and 4% of biomass increment across thinning treatments, but 0.8% of stems yr⁻¹ and 49% of biomass increment in unharvested plots. Treatments that combined thinning from above with low growing stock levels represented an exception, where mortality exceeded biomass production after initial thinning. Mortality averaged less than 0.1% of stems yr⁻¹ and less than 1% of annual biomass production in stands thinned from below. These trends suggest thinning from below minimizes mortality across a wide range of growing stock levels while thinning from above to low growing stock levels can result in dramatic short-term increases in mortality. Moderate to high growing stock levels (21–34 m² ha⁻¹) may offer greater flexibility for limiting mortality across a range of thinning methods. Mean and maximum annual and growing season temperatures rose by 0.6–1.8 °C during the study, and temperature variables were positively correlated with mortality in unharvested plots. Mortality increases in unharvested plots, however, were consistent with self-thinning principles and probably not driven by rising temperatures. These results suggest interactions between thinning method and intensity influence mortality reductions associated with thinning, and demonstrate the need for broader consideration of developmental processes as potential explanations for increased tree mortality rates in recent decades.     

Stand structure interacts with previous defoliation to influence herbivore fitness

The intensity and duration of Neodiprion abietis outbreaks have recently increased in forests of North America that were precommercially thinned more than a decade earlier. We tested the hypotheses that changes in stand structure following thinning increase the fitness (i.e., survival rate × fecundity) of N. abietis by either (a) increasing foliar availability and/or quality (i.e., increased availability of primary metabolites and/or reduced foliar defenses) or (b) by reducing any negative effects on foliar quality and/or availability resulting from herbivory that occurred during the preceding season(s). Effects of thinning and previous herbivory on N. abietis and its host plant (Abies balsamea) were determined through (i) a manipulative field experiment that evaluated the effects of experimental defoliation on N. abietis in a thinned stand, (ii) a manipulative field experiment that examined the effects of thinning on N. abietis in undamaged and naturally defoliated stands, and (iii) a field survey to estimate survival of N. abietis in natural populations.Defoliation caused reductions in the availability of different-aged foliage available to larvae and in the fitness of a subsequent N. abietis generation feeding on defoliated branches, but decreases in fitness were smaller in thinned than unthinned stands. In thinned stands, defoliation was associated with increases in foliage production and foliar contents of monoterpenes and nitrogen, as well as with a decrease in foliar contents of water. Conversely, only small changes in plant growth and foliar contents of nutrients and secondary chemicals were observed in defoliated unthinned stands. This suggests that deleterious effects of defoliation on sawfly fitness were offset by an increase in the foliar content of nitrogen, a primary compound known to improve larval growth in sawflies, which supports the hypothesis that thinning moderates negative effects of previous defoliation on sawfly fitness. The present study demonstrates that forestry practices that alter stand structure by reducing tree density may increase herbivory by affecting the way trees respond to insect attack, even after crown closure, with consequences on the buildup of herbivore populations in attacked trees.     

杉木密度间伐试验林林分断面积生长效应

通过对26年生杉木密度试验林进行多次间伐后的结果进行比较研究,结果表明:(1)只要人工林立地条件相同,经过足够长的时间,林分断面积最终趋于一致,与是否间伐无关;(2)随间伐次数增加,获得的木材径阶也逐渐增大,未被间伐的保留木则多为大径材;(3)对于立地指数大于16的杉木宜林地,宜采用高密度造林、多次间伐的经营模式,以生产不同规格用材满足木材市场需求,还可提高林分累积断面积的生长量;对于立地指数小于14的杉木宜林地,应该采用稀植造林,以生产小、中径材为主;(4)应在立地条件好、低密度造林条件下培育大径材林木;(5)在立地指数小于14的杉木宜林地,间伐在促进林分断面积生长方面的贡献并不明显,对林分断面积生长起主要作用的因素是立地质量。     

Snow damage in lodgepole pine stands brought into thinning and fertilization regimes

Several heavy wet snowfalls occurred during 2007-2009 across a broad-scale thinning and fertilization experiment to bring overstocked juvenile lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) in the foothills of Alberta, Canada into an intensive management regime. We examined the bending and breakage of trees in relation to thinning and fertilization and used a multimodel information-theoretic approach to model stand and tree level predictors of snow damage. Fertilized stands suffered the greatest amount of snow damage, and this was most noteworthy when stands were also thinned; here 22% (17% broken stems) of trees were damaged compared to 8% (4% broken stems) in the thinned and unfertilized stands. At the stand level, needle weight and crown cover were reliable predictors of snow damage. At the tree level, separate models were developed for each combination of thinning and fertilization. All models used total tree volume; usually the smaller trees in the stands were more susceptible to damage but in the thinned and fertilized stands larger but slender trees with large asymmetrical crowns tended to be damaged. Also, trees with lower total stem volume were more susceptible to damage. Only in the thinned and fertilized stands were variables related to crown shape and asymmetry important predictors of snow damage. We conclude that snow damage is an important agent for self-thinning in unthinned stands and fertilization tends to exacerbate damage because of increase in foliage size. In areas with regular occurrence of heavy snow, we do not recommend fertilization at the same time as thinning, as the larger and more economically important trees in the stand are at risk.     

抚育间伐对杉木人工林生长及出材量的影响

间伐对人工林生长及木材质量具有重要影响。在浙江开化开展了间伐强度（强度、中度和对照）和间伐方式（间伐1次,间伐2次）对杉木人工林生长及出材量等的影响研究,第1试验区大径材培育林分在第7年和第14年进行了2次间伐,第2试验区中径材培育林分仅在第12年时进行1次间伐。结果表明：22年生大径材培育林分和19年生中径材培育林分不同间伐处理之间树高、总断面积的差异均不显著。间伐显著增加了林木胸径的生长,大径材培育林分强度和中度间伐处理的平均胸径分别比对照增加13.78%和9.69%,中径材培育林分强度和中度间伐处理的平均胸径分别比对照增加12.28%和7.02%。间伐显著促进了林木单株材积的增加,2组试验林分活立木材积随着间伐强度的增加而降低,第1试验区22年生林分不同间伐强度之间活立木材积的差异不显著（P>0.05）,第2试验区强度间伐活立木材积显著低于对照（P<0.05）,中度间伐林分活立木材积与对照和强度间伐之间的差异不显著（P>0.05）。2组试验林分总蓄积和出材量也随着间伐强度的增加而降低,二者在3种间伐处理之间均没有显著差异（P>0.05）。间伐强度不能有效增加林分活立木材积和林分出材量,间伐次数对林分出材量及出材规格有重要影响。试验区杉木大径材培育以2次间伐,总间伐强度50%左右较为适宜,而中径材培育则以1次中度间伐（约25%）为宜。     

Altered light conditions following thinning affect xylem structure and potential hydraulic conductivity of Norway spruce shoots

Trees must respond to many environmental factors during their development, and light is one of the main stimuli regulating tree growth. Thinning of forest stands by selective tree removal is a common tool in forest management that increases light intensity. However, morphological and anatomical adaptations of individual shoots to the new environmental conditions created by thinning are still poorly understood. In this study, we evaluated shoot morphology (shoot length, needle number, projected leaf area) and anatomy (tracheid lumen area, tracheid number, tracheid dimensions, xylem area, potential hydraulic conductivity) in three Norway spruce (Picea abies/L./Karst.) families exposed to different thinning regimes. We compared shoot characteristics of upper-canopy (i.e. sun-exposed) and lower-canopy (i.e. shaded) current-year shoots in a control plot and a plot thinned to 50 % stand density the previous year. One tree per family was chosen in each treatment, and five shoots were taken per canopy position. We found that upper-canopy shoots in both plots had higher values than lower-canopy shoots for all studied parameters, except lumen roundness and tracheid frequency (i.e. tracheid number per xylem area). Thinning had little effect on shoot morphology and anatomy 1 year after thinning, except for small but significant changes in tracheid dimensions. Needles were more sensitive to altered light conditions, as projected leaf area of shoot, needle number and leaf hydraulic conductivity changed after thinning. Differences between upper- and lower-canopy shoots did not seem to be influenced by thinning and were almost the same in both plots. Our results suggest that lower-canopy shoots require several years to modify their morphology and anatomy to new light conditions following thinning. The slow light adaptation of the lower canopy may be of practical importance in forest management: thinned stands may be predisposed to drought stress because newly exposed shoots experience increased illumination and transpiration after thinning.     

Restoration thinning and influence of tree size and leaf area to sapwood area ratio on water relations of Pinus ponderosa

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex P. Laws) forest stand density has increased significantly over the last century (Covington et al. 1997). To understand the effect of increased intraspecific competition, tree size (height and diameter at breast height (DBH)) and leaf area to sapwood area ratio (A(L):A(S)) on water relations, we compared hydraulic conductance from soil to leaf (kl) and transpiration per unit leaf area (Q(L)) of ponderosa pine trees in an unthinned plot to trees in a thinned plot in the first and second years after thinning in a dense Arizona forest. We calculated kl and Q(L) based on whole- tree sap flux measured with heat dissipation sensors. Thinning increased tree predawn water potential within two weeks of treatment. Effects of thinning on kl and Q(L) depended on DBH, A(L):A(S) and drought severity. During severe drought in the first growing season after thinning, kl and Q(L) of trees with low A(L):A(S) (160-250 mm DBH; 9-11 m height) were lower in the thinned plot than the unthinned plot, suggesting a reduction in stomatal conductance (g(s)) or reduced sapwood specific conductivity (K(S)), or both, in response to thinning. In contrast kl and Q(L) were similar in the thinned plot and unthinned plot for trees with high A(L):A(S) (260-360 mm DBH; 13-16 m height). During non-drought periods, kl and Q(L) were greater in the thinned plot than in the unthinned plot for all but the largest trees. Contrary to previous studies of ponderosa pine, A(L):A(S) was positively correlated with tree height and DBH. Furthermore, kl and Q(L) showed a weak negative correlation with tree height and a strong negative correlation with A(S) and thus A(L):A(S) in both the thinned and unthinned plots, suggesting that trees with high A(L):A(S) had lower g(s). Our results highlight the important influence of stand competitive environment on tree-size-related variation in A(L):A(S) and the roles of A(L):A(S) and drought on whole-tree water relations in response to thinning.     

Hydrology-oriented (adaptive) silviculture in a semiarid pine plantation: How much can be modified the water cycle through forest management?

Hydrology-oriented silviculture might adapt Mediterranean forests to climatic changes, although its implementation demands a better understanding and quantification on the water fluxes. The influence of thinning intensity (high, medium, low and a control) and its effect on the mid-term (thinned plots in 1998 and 2008) on the water cycle (transpiration, soil water and interception) and growth [basal area increment (BAI)] were investigated in 55-year-old Aleppo pine trees. Thinning enhanced a lower dependence of growth on climate fluctuations. The high-intensity treatment showed significant increases in the mean annual BAI (from 4.1 to 17.3 cm²) that was maintained in the mid-term. Thinning intensity progressively increased the sap flow velocity (v _s) in all cases with respect to the control. In the mid-term, an increased functionality of the inner sapwood was also observed. Mean daily tree water use ranged from 5 (control) to 18 (high intensity) l tree^?1. However, when expressed on an area basis, daily transpiration ranged from 0.18 (medium) to 0.30 mm (control), meaning that in spite of the higher transpiration rates in the remaining trees, stand transpiration was reduced with thinning. Deep infiltration of water was also enhanced with thinning (about 30 % of rainfall) and did not compete with transpiration, as both presented opposite seasonal patterns. The changes in the stand water relationships after 10 years were well explained by the forest cover metric. The blue to green water ratio changed from 0.15 in the control to 0.72 in the high-intensity treatment, with the remaining treatments in the 0.34–0.48 range.     

Stem dimensional fluctuation in Jeffrey pine from variation in water storage as influenced by thinning and prescribed fire

Forest thinning utilizing cut-to-length and whole-tree harvesting systems with subsequent underburning were assessed for their impacts on water storage in the extensible tissues of dominant and codominant trees in an uneven-aged Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi Grev. & Balf.) stand on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada. Prior to the onset of the third growing season following thinning and the second season after burning, manual band dendrometers were installed at breast height on the selected trees and readings of diurnal fluctuation in stem circumference, an indication of bole water status, were taken monthly for one year. Diameter and relative diameter fluctuation were calculated from the circumference measurements. Overall, thinning had a positive influence on stem water recharge capacity, with the most pronounced effects evident in the latter part of the growing season. During this period, bole contraction in thinned stand portions was 49 to 55% greater than in the unthinned control, suggesting that both a greater volume of stored water was available for transpiration and was transpired in trees of the former treatment. There was no clear evidence that harvesting method affected stem water storage and influences of underburning were also absent entirely. Seasonal effects on diurnal changes in stem diameter were prominent, as the extent to which boles contracted generally increased over the course of the growing season, whereas fluctuations were at a minimum during the colder months. The magnitude of stem dimensional flux was found to be negatively correlated with initial tree DBH in one instance, while negative relationships between the former and live crown length as well as percentage were also revealed, albeit infrequently. Changes in bole size were positively correlated with residual basal area in some cases. These results suggest that improvement in water relations can be realized from density management in a dry site forest type with no apparent compromise of this benefit by broadcast underburning.     

Response of bark beetles and their natural enemies to fire and fire surrogate treatments in mixed-conifer forests in western Montana

Four treatments (control, burn-only, thin-only, and thin-and-burn) were evaluated for their effects on bark beetle-caused mortality in both the short-term (one to four years) and the long-term (seven years) in mixed-conifer forests in western Montana, USA. In addition to assessing bark beetle responses to these treatments, we also measured natural enemy landing rates and resin flow of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) the season fire treatments were implemented. All bark beetles were present at low population levels (non-outbreak) for the duration of the study. Post-treatment mortality of trees due to bark beetles was lowest in the thin-only and control units and highest in the units receiving burns. Three tree-killing bark beetle species responded positively to fire treatments: Douglas-fir beetle (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae), pine engraver (Ips pini), and western pine beetle (Dendroctonus brevicomis). Red turpentine beetle (Dendroctonus valens) responded positively to fire treatments, but never caused mortality. Three fire damage variables tested (height of crown scorch, percent circumference of the tree bole scorched, or degree of ground char) were significant factors in predicting beetle attack on trees. Douglas-fir beetle and pine engraver responded rapidly to increased availability of resources (fire-damaged trees); however, successful attacks dropped rapidly once these resources were depleted. Movement to green trees by pine engraver was not observed in plots receiving fire treatments, or in thinned plots where slash supported substantial reproduction by this beetle. The fourth tree-killing beetle present at the site, the mountain pine beetle, did not exhibit responses to any treatment. Natural enemies generally arrived at trees the same time as host bark beetles. However, the landing rates of only one, Medetera spp., was affected by treatment. This predator responded positively to thinning treatments. This insect was present in very high numbers indicating a regulatory effect on beetles, at least in the short-term, in thinned stands. Resin flow decreased from June to August. However, resin flow was significantly higher in trees in August than in June in fire treatments. Increased flow in burned trees later in the season did not affect beetle attack success. Overall, responses by beetles to treatments were short-term and limited to fire-damaged trees. Expansions into green trees did not occur. This lack of spread was likely due to a combination of high tree vigor in residual stands and low background populations of bark beetles.     

间伐对祁连山青海云杉人工林土壤水分的影响

利用EM50土壤水分监测仪,在样地尺度上,测定了祁连山青海云杉天然林、无间伐和间伐强度为20%的人工林地生长季节的土壤水分,对比分析间伐对人工林土壤水分的影响。结果表明:未间伐人工林林地表层(10 cm)土壤含水量显著高于间伐强度为20%的人工林和天然林,间伐导致了人工林林地表层土壤水分下降;而对于深层土壤含水量而言,间伐措施又显著提高了深层60 cm处的土壤含水量。与天然林地土壤含水量相比,无间伐人工林深层60 cm和80 cm处的土壤体积含水量仅为天然林的49.7%和52.1%,深层土壤已经出现旱化现象,间伐措施能够减缓这种旱化现象。     

Multipurpose conversion management of Scots pine towards mixed oak–birch stands—A long-term simulation approach

The forest growth model 4C was used to investigate how conversion management of a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stand towards a mixed oak–birch stand would affect stand structural development – and hence biodiversity and productivity – in the long term. For this purpose the 4C model was parameterised for natural regeneration of light demanding species and extended for management of multi-layered stands. A series of structural indicators was selected to describe key factors of forest biodiversity at the stand scale. Two consecutive aspects of Scots pine conversion were tested: (1) the choice of conversion strategy between thinning and gap creation and (2) the choice of conversion regime in terms of cutting cycle, thinning type and pine tree retention. Three simulated conversion strategies aim at the gradual removal of the pine canopy but differ in the spatial organisation of pine cuttings and hence result in different light conditions for regeneration. Only the directed gap creation strategy was able to maintain and increase birch admixture to the stand and to approach natural stand structural development. Simulation of 12 conversion regimes for the directed gap creation strategy indicated that thinning type (from above or from below), pine tree retention at final felling (50% of the standing volume or none) and cutting cycle (6, 9 or 12 years) all significantly influence stand structural development. These effects were clearest for oak development. Birch occurred in a few mixed clusters, but tended to disappear when longer cutting cycles were used. Based on a multi-criteria analysis we conclude that the optimal conversion regime – in which both stand productivity and biodiversity objectives can be combined – implies thinning from above, pine tree retention, and cutting cycles of 6 years. The conceptual validity of the model as well as the applicability of the results are discussed.     

Response of climate-growth relationships and water use efficiency to thinning in a Pinus nigra afforestation

Thinning is the main forestry measure to increase tree growth by reducing stand tree density and competition for resources. A thinning experiment was established in 1993 on a 32-year-old Pinus nigra Arn. stand in central Spain. The response of growth, climate-growth relationships and intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi) to a stand density reduction were compared between moderate thinned plots and a control plot by a combined analysis of basal area increments (BAI), and C and O stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C_c and δ¹⁸O_c). BAI in the control plot showed a decreasing trend that was avoided by thinning in the thinned plot. Thinning also partially buffered tree-ring response to climate and trees were less sensitive to precipitation although more sensitive to temperature. Δ¹³C_c in the thinned plot was not modified indicating that stomatal conductance (g) and photosynthetic capacity (A) did not change or change in the same direction. However, δ¹⁸O_c decreased in the control plot (unrelated to δ¹⁸O of precipitation) but not in the thinned plot, suggesting a relative increase of temperature and irradiance and/or a decrease of air humidity after reducing the density consistent with an increase in A, g and BAI. As WUEi did not increase in the thinned plot, faster growth in this plot was caused by higher abundance of resources per tree. The trend of WUEi in both plots indicated low-moderate CO₂-induced improvements. Thinning might be a useful adaptation measure against climate change in these plantations reducing their vulnerability to droughts. However, because WUEi was not affected, the positive growth response might be limited if droughts and warming continue and certain thresholds are exceeded.     

Susceptibility of ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa (Dougl. ex Laws.), to mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins,attack in uneven-aged stands in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming USA

Mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins can cause extensive tree mortality in ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws., forests in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. Most studies that have examined stand susceptibility to mountain pine beetle have been conducted in even-aged stands. Land managers increasingly practice uneven-aged management. We established 84 clusters of four plots, one where bark beetle-caused mortality was present and three uninfested plots. For all plot trees we recorded species, tree diameter, and crown position and for ponderosa pine whether they were killed or infested by mountain pine beetle. Elevation, slope, and aspect were also recorded. We used classification trees to model the likelihood of bark beetle attack based on plot and site variables. The probability of individual tree attack within the infested plots was estimated using logistic regression. Basal area of ponderosa pine in trees ≥25.4 cm in diameter at breast height (dbh) and ponderosa pine stand density index were correlated with mountain pine beetle attack. Regression trees and linear regression indicated that the amount of observed tree mortality was associated with initial ponderosa pine basal area and ponderosa pine stand density index. Infested stands had higher total and ponderosa pine basal area, total and ponderosa pine stand density index, and ponderosa pine basal area in trees ≥25.4 cm dbh. The probability of individual tree attack within infested plots was positively correlated with tree diameter with ponderosa pine stand density index modifying the relationship. A tree of a given size was more likely to be attacked in a denser stand. We conclude that stands with higher ponderosa pine basal area in trees >25.4 cm and ponderosa pine stand density index are correlated with an increased likelihood of mountain pine beetle bark beetle attack. Information form this study will help forest managers in the identification of uneven-aged stands with a higher likelihood of bark beetle attack and expected levels of tree mortality.     

Survival and early growth of mixed forest stands installed in a Mediterranean Region: Effects of site preparation intensity

In Mediterranean environments, availability of water and nutrients are the main factors limiting the success of afforestation. As part of a wider project, an experiment was established in Northeast Portugal, aiming at testing the effect of several site preparation techniques on plant survival and growth (height and diameter) in a newly installed mixed forest stand. Results presented regard plant response during 42 months after plantation. The experimental protocol consisted in seven treatments described by mechanical operations that rank soil disturbance intensity from none to high, set in plots of 375 m², randomly distributed in three blocks, in different topographic positions (gentle slope plateau, moderate slope shoulder, and steep mid-slope). Pseudotsuga menziesii (PM) and Castanea sativa (CS) forest species were planted in a 4 m × 2 m scheme and in alternate rows with 12 plants on each row per plot, summing up 72 plant per specie and treatment at start of the experiment. The results show that: (i) the highest mortality was observed immediately after the plantation and before the dry season, on the lowest intensity treatments; (ii) after the dry season, the highest mortality was also observed in treatments with the lowest intensity of soil disturbance, while the lowest values were found on the intermediate intensity treatments; (iii) during the experimental period, the effect of treatments on plant growth (height and diameter) was statistically significant; however, experimental results do not lead yet to a clear quantitative relationship between soil disturbance intensity due to site preparation and plant response under the conditions tested.     

Line thinning promotes stand growth and understory diversity in Japanese cedar (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptomeria japonica</Emphasis> D. Don) plantations

We studied the effects of line thinning on stand structure, microclimate and understory species diversity of two Cryptomeria japonica D. Don plantations in south-central Japan. In each of two study sites we compared stand structure between the thinned stand and an adjacent unthinned stand and found that line thinning increased the growth rate of residual trees such that stand basal area may recover within 10 years after thinning. In the thinned stand, more open canopy conditions resulted in higher maximum temperatures on the forest floor during the early growing season than in the unthinned stand. The thinned stand had greater understory plant species richness and biomass than the unthinned stand. This study suggested that line thinning could potentially enhance biodiversity while simultaneously increasing tree-growth rates in overstocked Cryptomeria japonica plantations.     

Factors affecting the probability of windthrow at stand level as a result of Gudrun winter storm in southern Sweden

A storm in January 2005 in southern Sweden (Gudrun) caused large damage to forests, archaeological sites, buildings, power supply, telecommunications, and infrastructure. In this work, we analyzed the factors affecting the probability of windthrow at stand level (i.e. tree- and stand characteristics) in southern Sweden. We selected a sub-sample (1721 plots) of existing plots from the Swedish National Forest Inventory (inventoried in 2003 and 2004). To assess whether these plots had suffered damage or not, aerial photographs were taken in summer 2005. In order to analyze the effects of measured characteristics on damage, field data for each sub-sample plot were merged with the corresponding result of the aerial photo interpretation.We found that the plots damaged were typically well stocked mature stands, dominated by Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), and often also recently thinned. Probability of damage increased with increase in stand height. In mixed stands, decrease of proportion of Norway spruce decreased the probability of damage. An admixture of deciduous trees, leafless in this winter storm, showed larger effect in this sense than that of Scots pine.