Assessment of molecular detection of Fusarium circinatum in insects and passive spore traps in Pinus radiata plantations

Fusarium circinatum is the causal agent of pitch canker, a destructive disease that threatens natural and planted pine forests around the world. Although pitch canker has caused problems in Spain and Portugal, concerning Europe as a whole, the fungus is not established across the pine distribution area. Its dispersion by wind and/or insect vectors could nevertheless play a role in the colonization of currently uninfected stands. It is therefore crucial to develop monitoring tools for its detection. To this end, we assessed the molecular detection of the pathogen in environmental samples of bark beetles and passive spore traps, collected in two infected Pinus radiata plantations in Basque country, Spain. The spread pattern of F. circinatum was assessed by an experimental design that included insect and spore traps installed at the centre, at the edge and outside the plots. Our results showed that F. circinatum was detected in both types of samples, at almost all collection dates. In both type of samples, positive detections were mainly found at the centre of the plots, a lower proportion at the edge, and very few outside. This suggests that long‐distance dispersion of Fusarium circinatum does not rely on wind spore dispersal neither on insect flight. Our study also shows that molecular methods are a powerful tool to monitor the pathogen in environmental samples.     

辐射松人工幼林生物量和生产力研究

本文对岷江上游干旱河谷区引种栽培的5 a生辐射松幼林生物量和生产力进行了测定和研究,用"平均标准木法"和"样方收获法"分别调查了乔木层、灌木层、草本层、苔鲜层和凋落物层的生物量.据调查数据,用"相对生长法则"建立了乔木层单株立木及其各器官干重的回归方程,方程的精度均在97%以上.同时还研究了林分平均净生产量和产量结构.结果表明岷江上游干旱河谷区5 a生辐射松人工林分生物量平均为19.507 t/hm2,净生产量为3 902.40kg/(hm2·a).其中,乔木层生物量为8.510 t/hm2,占林分总量的43.62%;净生产量1.702 t/(hm2·a),占林分净生产量的43.63%.灌木的生物量和净生产量分别为2.171 t/hm2、434.20 kg/(hm2·a);草本的生物量和净生产量分别为8.091 t/hm2、1 618.20 kg/(hm2·a);苔鲜层的生物量和净生产量分别为0.464 t/hm2、92.80kg/(hm2·a);凋落物的生物量和净生产量分别为0.271 t/hm2、54.20 kg/(hm2·a).辐射松人工林与同区域同龄油松和岷江柏相比,其生物量和生产力都远高于它们.     

Site variation in Pinus radiata plantations and implications for site specific management

685,000 ha of Pinus radiata(D. Don) plantations in Australia werecategorized using a matrix of mean annualrainfall, rainfall regime and Parent Rock Codefrom a Technical Soil Classification. Datawere obtained from a number of differentorganizations which in total managed nearly allthe Australian P. radiata plantations. The selected characteristics were those whichcould be obtained at an acceptable level ofconfidence from all sources. Such acharacterization of plantation sites provided asystem for utilization of technical informationand extrapolation of research results and alsoa basis for the development of Site SpecificManagement systems. Analysis of theinformation indicated the high degree ofvariability of environments in whichplantations have been established withinAustralia and also the distinctive nature ofindividual regions. Such differences betweenareas make extension of silvicultural andrelated information difficult from one area toanother without appropriate validation. Abroad comparison with 1.26 million hectares ofP. radiata plantations in New Zealandindicated only a small overlap of areas of sitetypes between Australia and New Zealand. Assumptions derived in one location on thesites, characteristics, models and/or genotypeswould require significant testing beforeconfident application could be undertaken toanother area. The value of a Site SpecificManagement system for research planning andapplication of research and operational resultswas demonstrated from analysis of a series ofexperimental trials assessing application offertilizer after thinning and from evaluationof soil carbon in P. radiataplantations.     

澳大利亚辐射松森林健康考察报告

通过对澳大利亚的新南威尔市州和昆士南州辐射松苗圃和人工林实地考察,比较系统了解了澳大利亚辐射松从种子处理到造林和病虫害发生及后期保护情况,使我们在病虫害研究和防治工作中得到启发。     

Mega-trap-plots: a novel method of Sirex woodwasp management on Pinus radiata plantations in Chile

Sirex noctilio is one of the most important invasive pests that affect Pinus radiata plantations in Chile. Its management is based on a biological control complex, the most important component of which is the nematode, Deladenus siricidicola. However, in some areas, S. noctilio populations attain epidemic levels and no effective control methods exist to reduce large populations in a short period. In this study, we evaluated a novel method called mega-trap-plots (MTPs), which consist of an area of 1 ha with trap trees, which were debilitated in four different months (from November to February) with the purpose of reducing the Sirex wasp population through harvesting of trees attacked. The main objective was to reduce the potential population of S. noctilio, by evaluating four periods or months of MTP installation to maximise the colonisation of trap trees by wood wasps. The results showed that the MTPs that were installed from November to January had the highest wood wasp infestation, which was coincident with the flight period of the insect. The trap trees were clearly attractive to S. noctilio females up to 90 d following their establishment. The MTPs that were established in November concentrated a potential population of 57 901 females of S. noctilio, which represents a population 5.4 times greater than that in the control, with 10 701 females. The population of S. noctilio attracted between November and January shows that the use of MTPs is an effective system for the management of wood wasps on plantations with a high level of infestation and thereby can reduce their spread and the attack of new trees within the same forest compartments.     

Tracheid differentiation in Pinus radiata

Summary Differentiating tracheids in Pinus radiata D. Don have been examined with the electron microscope. Despite the fact that one of the major differentiation processes is cellulose formation, little ultrastructural evidence has been found to indicate how this occurs. On the other hand, there is ample evidence of the incorporation of non-cellulosic material into both the expanding primary wall and the developing secondary wall. The only structure which could possibly be related to cellulose formation is a system of osmiophilic particles which have been found in the space between the plasmalemma and the developing wall, or attached to the most recently formed wall layer. The absence of microtubules during the main phase of secondary wall formation supports the view that these structures are not involved directly in the biosynthesis of cellulose.The author wishes to thank Mrs B. A. Hodgkiss for technical assistance.     

Impact of local slope and aspect assessed from LiDAR records on tree diameter in radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) plantations

Context

Reliable information on tree stem diameter variation at local spatial scales and on the factors controlling it could potentially lead to improved biomass estimation over pine plantations.

Aims

This study addressed the relationship between local topography and tree diameter at breast height (DBH) within two even-aged radiata pine plantation sites in New South Wales, Australia.

Methods

A total of 85 plots were established, and 1,302 trees were sampled from the two sites. Airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) was used to derive slope and aspect and to link them to each individual tree.

Results

The results showed a significant relationship between DBH and local topography factors. At both sites, trees on slopes below 20° and on southerly aspects displayed significantly larger DBHs than trees on steeper slopes and northerly aspects. Older trees with similar heights also exhibited a significant relationship between DBH and aspect factor, where greater DBHs were found on southerly aspects.

Conclusions

The observed correlation between tree DBH and LiDAR-derived slope and aspect could contribute to the development of improved biomass estimation approaches in pine plantations. These topographical variables are easily attained with airborne LiDAR, and they could potentially improve DBH predictions in resource inventories (e.g. stand volume or biomass) and support field sampling design.     

溆浦县马尾松人工林立地指数简表编制

以湖南省溆浦县马尾松人工林为研究对象,采用优势木树高与年龄关系的常用数学模型,研制马尾松人工林立地指数导向曲线模型。结果表明:导向曲线方程H=439.93×(1-exp(-0.001×AGE))0.914是最适合的导向拟合曲线;马尾松人工林的标准年龄应定为20年,优势高在11~29 m范围内可划分为9个立地指数级。选用相对优势高法展开导向曲线编制形成立地指数表,检验结果表明所编立地指数表精度高、适用性强,能够客观评价溆浦县马尾松人工林的立地质量。     

兴国县飞播马尾松林多功能经营评价

根据2009年江西省兴国县森林资源二类调查数据,以飞播马尾松林为研究对象,通过对森林多功能经营内涵的探讨,从兴国县飞播马尾松林功能定位与林种结构现状出发,采用理论分析与专家咨询相结合的方法,构建了由水土保持功能、水源涵养功能、用材功能3个方面共13个指标组成的多功能经营评价指标体系,并运用模糊综合评判法从林分尺度分另别对兴国县飞播马尾松林各小班和林分多功能经营总体状况进行评价.结果表明:兴国县1 894个飞播马尾松林小班中,多功能经营状况优等级的小班160个,中等级的小班665个,差等级的小班1 069个;兴国县飞播马尾松林林分多功能经营总体上处于差等级.制约其森林多功能充分发挥的主要限制因子为林下植被盖度低、树种结构单一和林分蓄积生长率低.     

A new model for predicting the total tree height for stems cut-to-length by harvesters in Pinus radiata plantations

A new model for predicting the total tree height for harvested stems from cut-to-length(CTL) harvester data was constructed for Pinus radiata(D.Don) following a con?ceptual analysis of relative stem profiles,comparisons of candidate models forms and extensive selections of predictor variables.Stem profiles of more than 3000 trees in a taper data set were each processed 6 times through simulated log cutting to generate the data required for this purpose.The CTL simulations not only mimicked but also covered the full range of cutting patterns of nearly 0.45 × 10~6 stems harvested during both thinning and harvesting operations.The single-equation model was estimated through the multipleequation generalized method of moments estimator to obtain efficient and consistent parameter estimates in the presence of error correlation and heteroscedasticity that were inherent to the systematic structure of the data.The predictive performances of our new model in its linear and nonlinear form were evaluated through a leave-one-tree-out cross validation process and compared against that of the only such existing model.The evaluations and comparisons were made through benchmarking statistics both globally over the entire data space and locally within specific subdivisions of the data space.These statistics indicated that the nonlinear form of our model was the best and its linear form ranked second.The prediction accuracy of our nonlinear model improved when the total log length represented more than 20% of the total tree height.The poorer performance of the existing model was partly attributed to the high degree of multicollinearity among its predictor variables,which led to highly variable and unstable parameter estimates.Our new model will facilitate and widen the utilization of harvester data far beyond the current limited use for monitoring and reporting log productions in P.radiata plantations.It will also facilitate the estimation of bark thickness and help make harvester data a potential source of taper data to reduce the intensity and cost of the conventional destructive taper sampling in the field.Although developed for P.radiata,the mathematical form of our new model will be applicable to other tree species for which CTL harvester data are routinely captured during thinning and harvesting operations.     

Comparison of two coniferous plantations in central Japan with respect to forest productivity, growth phenology and soil nitrogen dynamics

Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa Endl.) and Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) are common species for plantation forestry in Japan. Cypress is conventionally planted on sites of low fertility whereas for cedar high fertility sites are used. Objectives of this study were to compare the productivities of cypress and cedar plantations grown on adjacent sites where common properties of soils, such as pH values and C and N contents, were similar, and to relate the N cycling at their site with productivities. The stem diameter of trees, aboveground litter production and fine root biomass were measured as indices of forest productivity. Parameters of N cycling included pools of total N and mineral N (ammonium + nitrate), annual N leaching, and potentially mineralizable N. The radial stem increment of the two tree species was similar. However, cedar site had higher total basal area and annual basal increment than cypress site reflecting higher tree density on the cedar site. Aboveground litter, fine root biomass, soil organic matter, and N turnover were higher on the cedar site than on the cypress site. However, litter production and fine root biomass per unit basal area was greater at the cypress site. Phenological pattern of stem growth and periodical litter production were similar for both species during the study period (1992–2000), but showed distinct annual variations caused by the fluctuation in the ambient temperature and precipitation. Mineral N content and the N mineralization potential were greater on the cedar site, indicating greater N availability and higher total tree productivity at the cedar site than those at the cypress site. When provided with more space in the canopy to expand more needles and in the soil to develop more fine roots to exploit sufficient resources, the individual cypress trees have the potential to grow faster. On fertile site and at lower tree density, thicker logs of cypress might be yielded.     

Advances in modelling and decision support systems for vegetation management in young forest plantations

The two most common forest vegetation management objectivesare to (1) minimize resource competition, and (2) to developmethods for managing specific weed species. This paper reviewsrelevant models and decision support systems for assisting inachieving these objectives. The aim of reducing resource competitionis to increase crop-tree growth and survival. Several modellingapproaches have been applied to this problem and these generallyestimate crop survival and growth benefits following some formof generalized weed control. Linkages with models of older treecrops are needed for comparing vegetation management strategiesin the context of complete silvicultural regimes. More refinedindividual tree models use competition indices to estimate thequantity of weed vegetation within the growing space aroundeach tree. The indices reflect resource use by the weeds andare sensitive to changes in weed growth over time and to theapplication of specific vegetation management treatments. Hybridand process-based models have the potential to provide moregeneralized models of inter-specific competition, but theirusefulness for forest practitioners has yet to be proven. Someforest vegetation management problems require a more detailedunderstanding of the biology and ecology of a specific species.In this case, different modelling approaches that consider overallweed population dynamics, distribution or spread may be appropriate.     

澳大利亚辐射松考察报告

通过对澳大利亚辐射松的现场考察参观、学习培训、学术交流与讨论,对澳大利亚在辐射松种源选择、苗木快繁培育、丰产栽培、集约经营、遗传改良、病虫害防治、木材采伐、加工利用等方面进行归纳叙述,了解到澳大利亚的辐射松人工林发展思路和趋势,经营和管理水平,经营理念、技术与方法等,对四川省大规模引种栽培辐射松具有十分重要的借鉴作用。     

The effects of understory vegetation on P availability in Pinus radiata forest stands: A review

In many second-rotation Pinus radiata forest planta-tions, there has been a steady trend towards wider tree spacing and an increased rate of application of P fertiliser. Under these regimes, the potential for understory growth is expected to in-crease through increased light and greater nutrient resources. Therefore, understory vegetation could become a more signifi-cant component of P cycling in P. radiata forests than under closely-spaced stands. Studies have shown that growth rates and survival of trees is reduced in the presence of understory vegeta-tion due to the competition of understory vegetation with trees. Other studies have suggested that understory vegetation might have beneficial effects on nutrient cycling and conservation within forest stands. This review discusses the significance of understory vegetation in radiata pine forest stands, especially their role in enhancing or reducing P availability to forest trees.     

Additive predictions of aboveground stand biomass in commercial logs and harvest residues for rotation age Pinus radiata plantations in New South Wales,Australia

Two systems of additive equations were devel-oped to predict aboveground stand level biomass in log products and harvest residue from routinely measured or pred...     

Reconstructing the size of individual trees using log data from cut-to-length harvesters in Pinus radiata plantations: a case study in NSW,Australia

With their widespread utilization, cut-to-length harvesters have become a major source of ‘‘big data' for forest management as they constantly capture, and provide a daily flow of, information on log production and assortment over large operational areas. Harvester data afford the calculation of the total log length between the stump and the last cut but not the total height of trees. They also contain the length and end diameters of individual logs but not always the diameter at breast height overbark(DBHOB) of harvested stems largely because of time lapse, operating and processing issues and other system deficiencies. Even when DBHOB is extracted from harvester data, errors and/or bias of the machine measurements due to the variation in the stump height of harvested stems from that specified for the harvester head prior to harvesting and diameter measurement errors may need to be corrected. This study developed(1) a system of equations for estimating DBHOB of trees from diameter overbark(DOB) measured by a harvester head at any height up to 3 m above ground level and(2) an equation to predict the total height of harvested stems in P. radiata plantations from harvester data. To generate the data required for this purpose, cut-to-length simulations of more than 3000 trees with detailed taper measurements were carried out in the computer using the cutting patterns extracted from the harvester data and stump height survey data from clearfall operations. The equation predicted total tree height from DBHOB, total log length and the small end diameter of the top log. Prediction accuracy for total tree height was evaluated both globally over the entire data space and locally within partitioned subspaces through benchmarking statistics. These statistics were better than that of the conventional height-diameter equations for P. radiata found in the literature, even when they incorporated stand age and the average height and diameter of dominant trees in the stand as predictors. So this equation when used with harvester data would outperform the conventional equations in tree height prediction. Tree and stand reconstructions of the harvested forest is the necessary first step to provide the essential link of harvester data to conventional inventory, remote sensing imagery and Li DAR data. The equations developed in this study will provide such a linkage for the most effective combined use of harvester data in predicting the attributes of individual trees, stands and forests, and product recovery for the management and planning of P. radiata plantations in New South Wales, Australia.     

The longitudinal Young's modulus of Pinus radiata

Summary The variation of the longitudinal Young's modulus with mean cellulose microfibril angle of the wood substance of the earlywood of a softwood has been determined from small clear samples.The longitudinal Young's modulus falls steeply as the angle between the longitudinal axis and the mean microfibril direction in the cell walls increases. The variation has been explained in both form and magnitude by applying the elastic theory of a fibre composite material with distributed fibre directions to a model of the experimental material. It confirms the two phase concepts of the plant cell wall, as far as the elastic properties are concerned, of rigid crystalline microfibrils embedded in an isotropic matrix of amorphous and paracrystalline materials.

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Zusammenfassung Die Änderung des Young-Moduls in longitudinaler Richtung mit dem mittleren Winkel der Cellulose-Mikrofibrillen in der Frühholzsubstanz von Nadelholz wurde an kleinen, fehlerfreien Proben bestimmt.Der longitudinale Young-Modul fällt mit zunehmendem Winkel zwischen Längsachse und mittlerer Mikrofibrillen-Richtung in der Zellwand steil ab.Die Änderung wurde nach Form und Größe durch Anwendung der Elastizitätstheorie für ein faseriges Material mit wechselnden Faserrichtungen auf ein Modell aus dem Versuchsmaterial erklärt. Das Zwei-Phasen-Modell der Pflanzenzellwand wird damit bestätigt, soweit es sich um die elastischen Eigenschaften von starren, kristallinen Cellulose-Mikrofibrillen handelt, die in einer isotropen Matrix aus amorphem, parakristallinen Material eingebettet sind.

     

Cooling and steam conditioning after high-temperature drying of Pinus radiata board: experimental investigation and mathematical modelling

 Steam conditioning of softwood boards after kiln drying is of critical importance for relief of residual drying stresses and to improve distribution of final moisture content. The conditioning practice in New Zealand includes two steps: immediately after high temperature (HT) drying the load is cooled until the core wood temperature is 75 to 90°C, and then the stack is steam conditioned for a period of 1 to 4 hours depending on the lumber thickness and moisture content after drying. In this work, experimental and theoretical studies were performed to better understand the conditioning process and to investigate factors which influence its effectiveness. In the experiment, 50 mm thick Pinus radiata sapwood boards were first dried at 120/70°C for 11, 12, 13, 16 and 18 hours, respectively, to varying moisture contents, and then cooled and steam conditioned for 1 hour. To assess the effectiveness of conditioning, moisture pick-up, moisture gradient, and transverse residual drying stress (indicated by cup and strain) were measured. It was found that drying wood to a low moisture content (below 6%) increased the conditioning effectiveness. A separate matched stack was conditioned for 4 hours after 13 hours drying which showed better results than 1 hour conditioning. A mathematical model for wood drying was extended to include both the cooling and conditioning phases. The model was numerically solved to examine the wood temperature and moisture content changes during the whole process of drying, cooling and final steam conditioning. Increase in wood temperature, moisture pickup and moisture gradient during steam conditioning were predicted and validated by the experimental data. This information is currently being used at the New Zealand Forest Research Institute in simulation of stress development and relief for drying of Pinus radiata lumber. Received 6 July 1998