A Survey of Logging Contract Rates in the Southern European Alps

A survey of harvesting contracts was conducted in the Alpine regions of France and Italy. The main goal was to produce a benchmark for the harvesting contract rates in the area that may guide forest owners and logging contractors when making their harvesting decisions. The sample included 443 contracts, evenly distributed between France and Italy. The mean tract size was 9.17 ha, while the mean lot size was slightly larger than 500 m³ under bark (ub). Mean removal intensity varied from 70 to 120 m³ ub ha^?1, depending on country and harvesting technique (i.e. ground-based or cable-yarder based). Mean contract rate was 35€ m^?3 ub, but individual contract rates varied significantly between countries and for different harvest techniques. Regression analysis showed that contract rate was strongly affected by tree size, extraction distance and harvest technique. Contrary to expectation, neither tract size nor lot size had any effect on contract rate. This may be explained by the widespread use of mobile operations that are specifically designed for handling small lots and incur minimum relocation cost. The technical factors explored in the study could only explain 40 % of the variability in the dataset, and therefore at least part of the variability must derive from non-technical factors such as local market dynamics and national economics. The study did find significant differences between countries. In particular, ground-based operations were more cost efficient in France, and cable yarder-based operations in Italy.     

Micromechanics of wood subjected to axial tension

Summary The behaviour of a small group of wood fibers of Sitka spruce during tensile loading is investigated. The load-extension curves for both early and late wood fibers consist of three distinct segments. The first segment is almost a straight line, at some stage of loading a yield point is observed. Beyond this point the specimen becomes less stiff and undergoes a large, mainly irreversible deformation. As the load is increased further, the curve exhibits the third segment showed by a significant change in slope. These curves look different from those obtained on thick specimens. In this respect, the behaviour of a thin wood specimen subjected to cyclic type tensile loading along its longitudinal direction is also illustrated. Based on wood microstructure, a model is presented to interpret the evolution of the Young's modulus of a wood fiber during tensile loading. The model considers wood as an assembly of cylindrical fibers pasted together in a longitudinal direction. We have assumed the cell wall to comprise only an S₂ layer made of a composite material consisting of a lignin and hemicellulose matrix reinforced by helical microfibrils along the fiber. Furthermore, it is assumed that the microfibril angle a in the S₂ layer is not uniform along the fiber axis and matrix degradation occurs in the zones where the microfibril angles are bigger. The validity of this assumption is verified by using holographic interferometry to visualize the displacement field of the specimen's surface under tension.The work reported in this paper is supported by a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation, and its support is gratefully acknowledged     

“WaterMan”: an on-farm water management game with heuristic capabilities

A modern computer-based simulation tool (WaterMan) in the form of a game for on-farm water management was developed for application in training events for farmers, students, and irrigators. The WaterMan game utilizes an interactive framework, thereby allowing the user to develop scenarios and test alternatives in a convenient, risk-free environment. It includes a comprehensive soil water and salt balance calculation algorithm. It also employs heuristic capabilities for modeling all of the important aspects of on-farm water management, and to provide quantitative performance evaluations and practical water management advice to the trainees. Random events (both favorable and unfavorable) and different strategic decisions are included in the game for more realism and to provide an appropriate level of challenge according to player performance. Thus, the ability to anticipate the player skill level, and to reply with random events appropriate to the anticipated level, is provided by the heuristic capabilities used in the software. These heuristic features were developed based on a combination of two artificial intelligence approaches: (1) a pattern recognition approach and (2) reinforcement learning based on a Markov decision processes approach, specifically the Q-learning method. These two approaches were combined in a new way to account for the difference in the effect of actions taken by the player and action taken by the system in the game world. The reward function for the Q-learning method was modified to reflect the suggested classification of the WaterMan game as what is referred to as a partially competitive and partially cooperative game.     

Spatial suitability assessment for vineyard site selection based on fuzzy logic

Developing a sustainable agricultural production system requires knowledge of the climate, soil, and topography of the area of interest. This is especially relevant for wine grape (Vitis vinefera L.) production. The main objective of this study was the development of a comprehensive system to aid in the selection of suitable areas for grapevine cultivation. Included in this system were several bioclimatic indices, such as Growing Degree Days (GDD), Frost Free Days (FFD), and the Huglin Index (HI) calculated over a period of 30 years using daily weather data obtained from the University of Idaho’s Gridded Surface Meteorological (UI GSM) dataset. Soil data and topographical data were also included in the system. The bioclimatic indices, soil, and topographic data were then transformed using fuzzy logic, and suitability maps with scores ranging from 0 to 1 were developed. The final vineyard-potential scores were obtained by combining the soil, weather, and topographic potential scores with a range from 0 to 1, where 0 pertained to non-suitable areas and 1 referred to optimal sites. The maps were evaluated by comparing the range of suitability scores of existing vineyards in Washington State. The evaluation indicated that 97% of the established vineyards have a vineyard-potential score that ranges from 0.8 to 1. The results of this study revealed that 11% of the total study area had a high potential for wine grape production. This study was able to successfully employ fuzzy logic to help decision-makers, growers, and others with conducting a precise land assessment for wine grape production.     

Inorganic and organic carbon dynamics in forested soils developed on contrasting geology in Slovenia—a stable isotope approach

Purpose

Soil carbon dynamics were studied at four different forest stands developed on bedrocks with contrasting geology in Slovenia: one plot on magmatic granodiorite bedrock (IG), two plots on carbonate bedrock in the karstic-dinaric area (CC and CD), and one situated on Pleistocene coalluvial terraces (FGS).

Materials and methods

Throughfall (TF) and soil water were collected monthly at each location from June to November during 2005–2007. In soil water, the following parameters were determined: T, pH, total alkalinity, concentrations of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and Cl^? as well as δ¹³C_DIC. On the other hand, in TF, only the Cl^? content was measured. Soil and plant samples were also collected at forest stands, and stable isotope measurements were performed in soil and plant organic carbon and total nitrogen and in carbonate rocks. The obtained data were used to calculate the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and DOC fluxes. Statistic analyses were carried out to compare sites of different lithologies, at different spatial and temporal scales.

Results and discussion

Decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) controlled by the climate can explain the ¹³C and ¹⁵?N enrichment in SOM at CC, CD, and FGS, while the soil microbial biomass makes an important contribution to the SOM at IG. The loss of DOC at a soil depth of 5 cm was estimated at 1 mol m^?2 year^?1 and shows no significant differences among the study sites. The DOC fluxes were mainly controlled by physical factors, most notably sorption dynamics, and microbial–DOC relationships. The pH and pCO₂ of the soil solution controlled the DIC fluxes according to carbonate equilibrium reactions. An increased exchange between DIC and atmospheric air was observed for samples from non-carbonate subsoils (IG and FGS). In addition, higher δ¹³C_DIC values up to ?19.4?‰ in the shallow soil water were recorded during the summer as a consequence of isotopic fractionation induced by molecular diffusion of soil CO₂. The δ¹³C_DIC values also suggest that half of the DIC derives from soil CO₂ indicating that 2 to 5 mol m^?2 year^?1 of carbon is lost in the form of dissolved inorganic carbon at CC and CD after carbonate dissolution.

Conclusions

Major difference in soil carbon dynamics between the four forest ecosystems is a result of the combined influence of bedrock geology, soil texture, and the sources of SOM. Water flux was a critical parameter in quantifying carbon depletion rates in dissolved organic and inorganic carbon forms.

     

Response of snails and slugs to fragmentation of lowland forests in NW Germany

Habitat fragmentation is a major cause for species loss, but its effect on invertebrates with low active dispersal power, like terrestrial gastropods, has rarely been studied. Such species can not cross a hostile habitat matrix, for which the predictions of island theory, such as positive relations between species richness and patch size, should apply. In order to test this prediction, we studied gastropod species diversity by assessing gastropod assemblage characteristics from 35 sites in 19 fragments of deciduous old-growth forests in the Lower Rhine Embayment, Germany. Assemblages differed between larger (≥700 ha) and smaller forests (<400 ha), those of large forests held a higher percentage of forest species. Although α-diversity was similar between the two forest size classes, small forests often comprised matrix species, resulting in a higher β-diversity. Edge effects on the species richness of matrix species were noticeable up to 250 m into the forest. Hierarchical partitioning revealed that distance to disturbances (external edge, internal edges like roads) explained most assemblage variables, whereas forest size and woodland cover within a 1 km radius from the sites explained only a few assemblage variables. Densities of two forest-associated species, Discus rotundatus and Arion fuscus, decreased with forest size. Yet, forest size was positively correlated with richness of typical forest species and densities of Limax cinereoniger. The latter species seems to need forests of >1,000 ha, i.e., well above the size of most fragments. In conclusion, the prediction is valid only for forest species. The response to fragmentation is species specific and seems to depend on habitat specialization and macroclimatic conditions. Jean-Pierre Maelfait: Deceased.     

Adaptation of regional digital soil mapping for precision agriculture

In the initial phase of a national project to map clay, sand and soil organic matter (SOM) content in arable topsoil in Sweden, a study area in south-west Sweden comprising about 100 000 ha of arable land was assessed. Models were created for texture, SOM and two estimated variables for lime requirement determination (target pH and buffering capacity), using a data mining method (multivariate adaptive regression splines). Two existing reference soil datasets were used: a grid dataset and a dataset created for individual farms. The predictor data were of three types: airborne gamma-ray spectrometry data, digital elevation from airborne laser scanning, and legacy data on Quaternary geology. Validations were designed to suit applicability assessments of prediction maps for precision agriculture. The predictor data proved applicable for regional mapping of topsoil texture at 50 × 50 m² spatial resolution (root mean square error: clay = 6.5 %; sand = 13.2 %). A novel modelling strategy, ‘Farm Interactive’, in which soil analysis data for individual farms were added to the regional data, and given extra weight, improved the map locally. SOM models were less satisfactory. Variable-rate application files for liming created from derived digital soil maps and locally interpolated soil data were compared with ‘ground truth’ maps created by proximal sensors on one test farm. The Farm Interactive methodology generated the best predictions and was deemed suitable for adaptation of regional digital soil maps for precision agricultural purposes.