Canopy structure analysis for estimating forest regeneration dynamics and growth in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nothofagus pumilio</Emphasis> forests

•Introduction   

Silviculture systems applied in Nothofagus pumilio forests are based on opening the canopy to stimulate natural regeneration by modifying light and soil moisture. The objective is to evaluate regeneration dynamics of N. pumilio along different forest canopy and solar radiation gradients.     

Laboratory characterization of firebrands involved in spot fires

• Introduction  

Wildfires are considered the most important disturbance in the Mediterranean Basin, and some are propagated over long distances due to lift-off and ignition of firebrands.     

Climate/growth relationships in a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus cembra</Emphasis> high-elevation network in the Southern French Alps

•Introduction  

In the context of climate change, assessing climate–growth relationships is of high importance in order to understand how forest ecosystems evolve and to test climate models at regional scale.     

Carbon in heartwood,sapwood and bark along the stem profile in three Mediterranean <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus</Emphasis> species

• Context   

Understanding biological processes in forests is necessary to orientate ecosystem management towards potential C sequestration. To achieve this, information is required about changes in forest biomass C pools, including the stem components (bark, sapwood and heartwood).     

A case study of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus globulus</Emphasis> fingerprinting for breeding

• Introduction  

Tree genetic improvement programs usually lack, in general, pedigree information. Since molecular markers can be used to estimate the level of genetic similarity between individuals, we genotyped a sample of a Portuguese Eucalyptus globulus breeding population—a reference population of 125 individuals—with 16 microsatellites (SSR).     

Impacts of tree canopy structure on wind flows and fire propagation simulated with FIRETEC

Introduction   

Forest fuel management in the context of fire prevention generally induces heterogeneous spatial patterns of vegetation. However, the impact of the canopy structure on both wind flows and fire behavior is not well understood.     

Spatio-temporal heterogeneity effects on seedling growth and establishment in four <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus</Emphasis> species

Introduction   

The great spatial and temporal heterogeneity of Mediterranean ecosystems can influence establishment success in woody species, whose natural regeneration occurs to a very small extent. In this work, the effect of the spatial pattern of environmental variables (light availability, soil moisture and herbaceous production) on seedling emergence, growth, survival and establishment success was examined by using a spatially explicit approach.     

Ectomycorrhizal communities in a Mediterranean forest ecosystem dominated by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus ilex</Emphasis>: seasonal dynamics and response to drought in the surface organic horizon

• Introduction   

Millions of hectares of Quercus ilex forests dominate disturbed landscapes in the western part of the Mediterranean basin. Although these forests are very widespread, little is known about the composition and structure of their associated ectomycorrhizal fungal communities.     

Allocation of varietal testing efforts for implementing conifer multi-varietal forestry using white spruce as a model species

• Introduction   

Multi-varietal forestry (MVF) is the deployment of tested tree varieties in plantation forestry. Computer simulation using POPSIM Simulator identified optimal combination of numbers of families, varieties per family and ramets per variety (nf, nc and nr, respectively) yielding the largest genetic gain for a specific status number (NS) in a varietal test (VT) intended for MVF of conifers.