Perinatal piglets under sublethal concentrations of atmospheric carbon monoxide

Perinatal exposure to atmospheric carbon monoxide at sublethal concentrations affected neonatal piglets negatively. Low total hemoglobin concentration and oxyhemoglobin saturation ratio were present at birth in piglets farrowed by gilts that had been exposed to carbon monoxide at 250 ppm from gestation d 109 on, but stillbirth rate was only 4.8%. Carboxyhemoglobin saturation ratio increased from .0 to 19.8 and 22.4% as carbon monoxide concentration rose from background (less than 5 ppm) to 200 and 250 ppm. Carbon monoxide affected neonatal piglets' behavior. Piglets exposed to atmospheric carbon monoxide at 250 ppm perinatally took longer to nurse for the first time than did counterparts under background or 200-ppm concentrations. Those under carbon monoxide at 250 ppm had compromised performance in behavior tests that measured a piglet's ability to orient itself in, maneuver in and investigate its environment, respectively.     

The influence of regulatory forest policy tools on biodiversity measures for forests in Ukraine

The transition from a state-oriented forest economy to a market-oriented one requires a critical analysis of the set of tools designed to implement state forest policies. One of the important goals of Ukrainian forest policy is conservation of the biodiversity of forest ecosystems. This paper analyzes the influence of two of the regulatory forest policy instruments (zoning and prohibition of final harvesting) on the diversity of woody vegetation using Tobit regression. Data on the forest resources of the Sumy administrative province in Ukraine are used for the analysis. Additionally, we look at how diversity of woody vegetation is affected by the form of forest tenure.     

Cytotoxic pentacyclic triterpenes from Combretum nigricans

A new pentacyclic triterpene, 11alpha-acetoxy-20,24-epoxy-25-hydroxy-dammar-3-one (1), has been isolated from the African tree Combretum nigricans, together with the known corresponding diol, 20,24-epoxy-11alpha, 25-dihydroxy-dammar-3-one (2). They are responsible, at least in part, for the cytotoxic activity of the methanolic extract of the plant.     

Tracking leaf area index and coefficient of light extinction over the harvesting cycle of black wattle

The amount of photosynthetic radiation intercepted by a crop is a function of the incident solar radiation on the plants, the leaf area index (L _AI), and the light extinction coefficient (k). We quantified L _AI and k in stands of black wattle (Acacia mearnsii De Wild.) over a 7-year growth cycle at two locations in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Our study was conducted in commercial stands in agroecological regions with high densities of black wattle plantations. L _AI was calculated as the ratio between the leaf area of a tree and its planting space, and k was derived from Beer’s law. L _AI depends on the planting site and stand age. Between the two sites, the L _AI was similar over time, the amount of variation differed. Values of k depended only on stand age, with the highest average observed for stands up to 5 years old. The trend of k during the plantation cycle was inversely proportional to L _AI and was correlated with L _AI, leaf area, leaf dry mass, canopy volume, height, branches dry mass, total dry mass, and crown diameter.     

One-day rate measurements for estimating net nitrification potential in humid forest soils

Measurements of net nitrification rates in forest soils have usually been performed by extended sample incubation (2–8 weeks), either in the field or in the lab. Because of disturbance effects, these measurements are only estimates of nitrification potential and shorter incubations may suffice. In three separate studies of northeastern USA forest soil surface horizons, we found that laboratory nitrification rates measured over 1 day related well to those measured over 4 weeks. Soil samples of Oa or A horizons were mixed by hand and the initial extraction of subsamples, using 2 mol L⁻¹ KCl, occurred in the field as soon as feasible after sampling. Soils were kept near field temperature and subsampled again the following day in the laboratory. Rates measured by this method were about three times higher than the 4-week rates. Variability in measured rates was similar over either incubation period. Because NO₃⁻ concentrations were usually quite low in the field, average rates from 10 research watersheds could be estimated with only a single, 1-day extraction. Methodological studies showed that the concentration of NH₄⁺ increased slowly during contact time with the KCl extractant and, thus, this contact time should be kept similar during the procedure. This method allows a large number of samples to be rapidly assessed.     

Agroforestry practices of non-industrial private forest landowners in Washington State

A mail survey was conducted to gain understanding of the agroforestry practices of non-industrial private forest landowners (NIPF) in Washington State, located in the north-western USA. Although NIPF owners control 1.5 million hectares of the state's commercial forestland base, their diversity of forestland uses, land management practices and objectives as land managers are not well understood. Past NIPF surveys and anecdotal information suggest agroforestry is a major use of NIPF lands. We defined agroforestry as a potentially sustainable land use practice combining the deliberate growing of woody perennials with agricultural crops and/or animals. Objectives of this study were to:

1. determine the extent that agroforestry is used by Washington's NIPF owners,
2. develop insight into NIPF owners' motivations for practicing agroforestry,
3. describe the agroforestry practices within three distinct physiographic and agroecological zones in Washington, and
4. determine the agroforestry information needs of NIPF owners.

The target population consisted of NIPF owners in 4 counties within each of the three regions. Response to the August 1990 mail survey was 63.5%, yielding 296 useable questionnaires. Fifty-seven percent of all respondents practice agroforestry. Forestland grazing is the most common agroforestry practice (39% of all respondents), followed by windbreaks (34%), harvest of special forest products (12%), livestock enrichment plantings for forage or shelter (7%), orchard grazing (5%), orchard intercropping (2%), and Christmas tree grazing (0.34%). The most frequent motives for owning land were passing land on to children (80%), keeping it natural and income from timber (both 72%). Respondents saw aesthetics (77%), increasing land unit income (74%), and water conservation (70%) as possible advantages of practicing agroforestry. High establishment costs (66%) and livestock damage to trees or crops (64%) were the most frequently selected potential disadvantages to practicing agroforestry. Lack of technical and educational support (67%) and lack of access to livestock/livestock facilities (58%) were disincentives to practicing agroforestry. Landowners are interested in learning more about agroforestry and how agroforestry techniques might be incorporated in their land management tool kit. A significant number of non-industrial private forest land owners in Washington believe that management of forestland, balancing conservation and production goals, can be furthered by suitable agroforestry practices.