Forest management after the economic transition—at the crossroads between German and Scandinavian traditions

Germany and Scandinavia represent two paradigmatic forest management traditions, based on management for volume and management for profit, respectively. This study examines the prevailing silvicultural regimes and resulting economic outcomes in Germany and Sweden as benchmarks, and then corresponding analyses are performed for post-transition EU countries, represented by Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The analyses reveal a regional gradient where Poland stands closest to the German tradition, Latvia goes through a “scandinavisation”, and Lithuania takes an intermediate position. Poland adheres to longer rotations and follows the principle of self-sufficiency, while economic efficiency has gained increased importance in Latvia. The observed gradient is likely to be sustained in the coming decades as the survey of key forest sector stakeholders reveals ideological patterns that correlate with the pace of reform of State forestry in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.     

When nature takes over from man: Dead wood accumulation in previously managed oak and beech woodlands in North-western and Central Europe

The accumulation of dead wood and its characteristics are analysed in forests that have been withdrawn from regular silvicultural management and left unmanaged between 10 and 150 years ago. These forests are dominated by beech (Fagus sylvatica) and oak (Quercus robur and Quercus petraea) and located in the lowlands of North-western and Central Europe.     

The effect of the function type for describing the soil buffer power on calculated ion transport to roots and nutrient uptake from the soil

The relationship between amount of a nutrient in soil and its concentration in solution, the buffer curve, is usually non‐linear. However, most models that calculate nutrient transport in the soil and nutrient uptake by the plant often assume a linear buffer curve because of simpler programming. In this paper a model is presented that uses the Freundlich function to describe the non‐linear buffer curve in the soil. It has been shown that calculated uptake and depletion curves were not influenced by the shape of the buffer curve. In a sensitivity analysis the buffer capacity, soil solution concentration, soil water content, soil impedance factor, maximum influx and the curvature of the Freundlich function were varied and the influence on calculated uptake was studied. The buffer capacity in general had a minor influence and the linearity or non‐linearity of the buffer capacity had under no circumstances an influence on calculated uptake. Thus, the use of a linear buffer curve in transport models does not lead to a significant error in the results.     

全球高山林线研究现状与发展方向

当山体达到一定高度时出现的森林分布上限——高山林线,归根结底是一条低温界限。逾百年高山林线的观测与研究,旨在阐明高山林线成因以恢复气候高山林线。迄今出现的各种（可归为5类）高山林线成因假说,虽然每一种都可以解释一定地域的高山林线现象,但在全球尺度上,仍然缺乏一种可以普遍解释全球高山林线现象的假说和理论。另外,由于高山区域较少的人类干扰及短（海拔）距离内显著的环境因子梯度、结合高山林线特殊的结构、功能及对气候变化的高度敏感性,林线研究已经成为全球气候变化研究的热点区域之一。本文综述了全球高山林线知识现状,并对将来高山林线研究提出了一些建议。     

Influence of soil pH and contents of organic carbon and clay on the volatilization of [14C]fenpropimorph after application to bare soil

The behaviour of the morpholine fungicide fenpropimorph applied to soil was investigated in a laboratory chamber. The volatility and metabolism of a ¹⁴C-labelled fenpropimorph formulation (Corbel^®) was studied after application to three soils (sandy loam, loamy clay and loamy sand), simulating a four-day weather scenario in the volatilization chamber. Additional experiments were conducted under standard climatic conditions over a period of 24 h using sandy soils with different pH values. The results of the first experiments showed that most of the radioactivity applied remained in the soils as unchanged fenpropimorph four days after application. In the experiments with the sandy loam and loamy clay, less than 5% of the applied radioactivity was removed by volatilization whereas 11·4% volatilized from the surface of the loamy sand. The comparatively higher volatilization of the fungicide from the loamy sand was confirmed by the later experiments indicating that higher soil pH favoured volatilization of [¹⁴C]fenpropimorph from sandy soils. Thus 5·6% (pH 5·0), 18·9% (pH 5·8) and 28·3% (pH 6·6) of the radioactivity applied volatilized within one day after application. The overall recoveries were between 93·8% and 111·3% in these experiments. © 1998 SCI     

Impact of climate and related weathering processes on the authigenesis of clay minerals: Examples from circum-Baikal region,Siberia

The widely outcropping igneous and metamorphic rocks of the circum-Baikal region all contain illite and chlorite resulting from early alteration of primary minerals. These rocks were deeply weathered and leached, mainly to kaolinite, under the warm and mostly wet Upper-Cretaceous and Palaeogene climates. During the following severely dry and cold Pleistocene episodes, the glacier cover was restricted, allowing the formation of permafrost, which is still several hundred metres thick in the northern Baikal region, while the lowlands of the central and southern regions belong to the so-called “sporadic permafrost area”. The lack of glacial abrasion during the cryo-arid climate preserved somehow the weathering products of the previous warm periods that presently crop out next to the relics of the periglacial Pleistocene weathering. These relict deposits derived from the same substrate rocks as those weathered during the warm and wet climate, but they differ in the clay composition with the occurrence of a montmorillonite-type smectite that is dominant in some sites.     

Manganese efficiency and maganese‐uptake kinetics of raya (Brassica juncea), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and oat (Avena sativa) grown in nutrient solution and soil

Manganese (Mn) deficiency is reported worldwide and often decreases crop yield. However, plant species differ in their susceptibility to Mn deficiency. Poaceae are often inefficient, whereas Brassicaceae seem to be efficient in Mn uptake. The objective of this paper was to determine the relevance of Mn‐uptake kinetics, root‐system size, and Mn mobilization for differences in Mn efficiency of wheat, oat, and raya. To determine Mn‐uptake kinetics, wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. PBW 343), raya (Brassica juncea L. cv. RLM 619), and oat (Avena sativa L. cv. Aragon) were grown in a growth chamber together in complete nutrient solution having an average Mn concentration of 90, 180, 360, 910, and 2270 nmol L^–1. For determining Mn efficiency of the three species in soil, the plants were grown for 22 d in pots filled with 3 kg of a loamy soil low in Mn availability (pH (CaCl₂) 7.4; DTPA‐extractable Mn: 3.5 mg (kg soil)^–1). The soil was fertilized with 0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 mmol Mn (kg soil)^–1 resulting in Mn soil‐solution concentrations ranging from 40 to 90 nmol L^–1, hence lower than in the solution experiment. In order to determine Mn soil‐solution concentration close to the root surface, the root length density was increased by growing two plants of raya and four plants of wheat in only 250 mL soil columns for 25 d. In solution culture at high concentrations, raya showed a higher Mn uptake compared to wheat and oat. However, at low Mn supply, all three species were comparably Mn‐efficient, i.e., plant growth was similar, and also the uptake was similar. In soil, the highest yield was achieved for raya in the unfertilized treatment whereas the Poaceae needed at least a fertilization of 1 mmol Mn (kg soil)^–1. The Poaceae showed a yield reduction of about 40% in the unfertilized treatment. Manganese concentration in the shoot dry weight was always higher in raya than in wheat or oat. This was due to a higher Mn uptake whereas relative shoot‐growth rate and root‐to‐shoot ratio were similar among the species. The higher Mn uptake of raya in soil was in contradiction to the comparable Mn‐uptake kinetics of the three crops at low Mn concentration in solution. This points to plant differences in their ability to affect Mn availability in the rhizosphere. In the bulk soil, all the crops decreased Mn solution concentration, but this effect was somewhat less for raya. But in the rhizosphere, raya increased Mn soil‐solution concentration significantly to 58 nmol L^–1, as compared to 37 nmol L^–1 of the unplanted control soil. In contrast, wheat showed a Mn solution concentration of 25 nmol L^–1 which was not significantly different from the control. The results indicate that differences in Mn efficiency among the crops studied are related to their ability to affect the solubility of Mn in the rhizosphere.     

Would you be happier if you were richer? A focusing illusion

The belief that high income is associated with good mood is widespread but mostly illusory. People with above-average income are relatively satisfied with their lives but are barely happier than others in moment-to-moment experience, tend to be more tense, and do not spend more time in particularly enjoyable activities. Moreover, the effect of income on life satisfaction seems to be transient. We argue that people exaggerate the contribution of income to happiness because they focus, in part, on conventional achievements when evaluating their life or the lives of others.     

Characterization of European wine glycerol: stable carbon isotope approach

Glycerol of about 170 European wines was analyzed using gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry technique. (13)C/(12)C isotopic ratio measurements were performed to characterize glycerol's delta(13)C values of genuine wine samples from European Union wine-producing countries. Glycerol was also successfully dosed using an internal reference, 1,5-pentanediol.