Large cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb.) plantation — An age old agroforestry system in Eastern Himalayas

Large cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb.) is a shade loving plant grown in the Indian hill states of Sikkim and Dargeeling district of West Bengal. About 30 important tree species are used to provide shade to the cardamom plants. Alnus nepalensis, a deciduous, nitrogen fixing and fast growing tree, is the species most commonly underplanted with cardamom. In addition to providing shade, it is also used for fuelwood. The old trees are cut and young plants coming up are allowed to grow in cyclic order. The quick decomposing leaf litter of A. nepalensis also fertilises the cardamom plants. The nitrogen added to the soil in this way has been found to be as high as 249 kg/ha. Large cardamom thrives well in a moist soil, which is maintained by water diverted from seasonal springs on the upper slopes. The system is well suited to conserving soil, water and tree cover of the characteristically steep slopes of the region. Moreover, the management inputs required for growing cardamom are low but the crop gives a higher financial return than rice or maize. The shade trees used in the system are also a major source of fuel, fodder and timber, especially as access to state owned forests is restricted by legislation. However, increasing incidence of viral chirkey and foorkey disease, panicle rot and capsule borer are reducing the cardamom productivity. It has been observed that integrating dairying and apiculture will further augment profitability from large cardamom agroforestry system.     

合肥市观赏竹种资源调查及园林应用

通过时合肥市主要公园、景点现有栽培竹林的竹种调查,以竹的生长形态、大小、观赏特性等为指标,初步摸清了合肥市竹类种类,共有21种,其中大型竹2种,中型竹10种,小型竹4种,地被竹5种。调查还发现合肥市的观赏竹种类不多,而且应用到园林中造景中的只占现有分布总种数的40％,并对其在合肥园林中应用方法和方式进行阐述。     

Rehabilitating Abandoned Pastures in Panama: Control of the Invasive Exotic Grass,Saccharum spontaneum L., Using Artificial Shade Treatments

ABSTRACT

The exotic grass, Saccharum spontaneum L., has invaded abandoned agricultural lands in the Panama Canal Watershed for decades. The grass aggressively competes with regenerating tree seedlings preventing natural forest regeneration. To estimate effectual light level for controlling the grass, the growth of S. spontaneum was measured under a range of artificial shading conditions. Five shade treatment subplots–light intensities of 100% (full sunlight), 50, 25, 15, and 5%–were established at each of eight plots in land adjacent to the Panama Canal Watershed. Each site was cleared of S. spontaneum and then the regrowth was harvested. The regrowth of the grass was harvested and measured four times every one and half months for six months. The biomass of S. spontaneum was significantly less in lower light conditions than in full sunlight. The results showed that comparing growth of the grass at each harvest date, except for the first harvest date, there were significant differences between full sunlight and light intensities of 5, 15 and 25%. When compared by different harvest dates for each light level, only full sunlight showed a significant difference in biomass of the grass. The study demonstrates that shading is an effective method for controlling S. spontaneum. The results can be applied to developing reforestation strategies for abandoned lands occupied by S. spontaneum.     

The Impact of Hardwood Line-Planting on Tree and Amphibian Diversity in a Secondary Subtropical Wet Forest of Southeast Puerto Rico

The impact on tree and amphibian diversity of line-planting of tropical hardwoods—mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla × S. mahagoni) and mahoe (Hibiscus elatus)—was studied in a secondary subtropical wet forest of Puerto Rico. Common coqui (Eleutherodactylus coqui) and melodious coqui (E. wightmanae) are the most frequent frog species; forest coqui (E. portoricensis) is less abundant. Although relative abundance means were slightly greater in the undisturbed forest and during the wet season, differences were not statistically significant suggesting that line-planting did not significantly affect amphibian diversity. The line-planted areas had a slightly higher, but not statistically significant diversity, richness, and evenness of tree species than the unplanted forest. Multi-response permutation procedure (MRPP) showed statistically significant community composition differences between line-planting and control plot trees (T = ?5.89, A = .86; p < .001). But mean similarity among plots in both the line-planted and control plots was relatively low at less than 50% of shared species, indicating high diversity of vegetation in the overall forest area. Canopy cover by tree species greater than 3 cm in dbh was much higher in the undisturbed forest but this difference may be reduced as the young line-planted hardwoods mature. Forest enrichment through line-planting of valuable timber species in secondary subtropical wet forest does not significantly affect tree diversity.     

The Roles of Climate Variability and Habitat Heterogeneity in Structuring a Forested System: An Integrated Accumulation Function of Species Richness

As forested systems are impacted by both natural and anthropogenic factors such as climate change, the biodiversity supported by those forests is likely to change. Quantifying that change, however, remains a difficult task due to variations in the sizes and conditions of forested systems. Species accumulation curves are a commonly used tool to scale estimates of species richness and provide an avenue for comparing biodiversity among habitats through rarefaction. However, we found that the ranked biodiversity among forested systems depends on the sample unit used, and there is a need to integrate landscape heterogeneity in spatially scaleable estimates of biodiversity. Both of these biodiversity assessment issues can be addressed using a new approach we term the Integrated Accumulation Function (IAF), a method based on combining component species accumulation curves. Using this approach on communities of canopy arthropods found in pinyon pine forests in the southwestern United States, we found three major patterns. First, in small stands, trees growing under low environmental stress support the greatest species richness. Second, when stands are large, stands growing under higher environmental stress support greater species richness, and species richness is resilient to change over a broad range of the stress gradient. Third, there are threshold levels of stress at both ends of the stress spectrum beyond which species are rapidly lost. This analysis reveals unexpected patterns and suggests that conservation practices should consider the inclusion of forests growing under suboptimal conditions to maximize the preservation of biodiversity.     

Anthropogenic Influences on Wild Nutmeg Fruit Crop in the Western Ghats of India

Myristica dactyloides is characteristic of the mid- and high-elevation evergreen forests of the Western Ghats of India. Aril and seeds of the species are valuable nontimber forest products and are harvested extensively. We made visual estimates of fruit crop size in nine populations. We assessed disturbance using five variables: distance from road, method of harvesting fruits, nonforest matrix around the population, seedling regeneration, and protected area status. Unsustainable harvest and proximity to road impacted fruit crop, as did the nonforest matrix (F = 38.17 df = 5,102, p < .001). While high protection and measures against harvesting keep some populations safe, the harvest method plays a crucial role in determining total fruit production and seedling recruitment in the species.     

Decomposition Dynamics and Nutrient Release Pattern from Leaf Litters of Five Commonly Occurring Homegarden Tree Species in Mizoram,India

Leaf litter decomposition and nutrient release patterns from five common multipurpose tree species—viz., Artocarpus heterophyllus, Mangifera indica, Areca catechu, Citrus sp., and Tamarindus indica, found in homegardens of Mizoram—were evaluated using a litter bag technique. The result of the study indicates a varying pattern of decomposition and nutrient release (N&P) among the species. Citrus sp. and T. indica were found to be the most labile species with comparatively much higher decay constant and faster nutrient release. Initial nitrogen concentration, lignin content, and lignin/N ratio of foliage litter showed significantly higher (p < .01) correlation with the decay coefficient and were found to be the important determinants in the decay process. The initial slow release and immobilization of N in A. heterophyllus and M. indica leaf litter reflect their potential as a source of nitrogen storage and effective mulching material. While litter from T. indica and Citrus sp. can provide the short-term nutrient need, foliage for the other three species may supply the long-term nutrient requirement for the understory crops in such agroforestry systems.     

Species Interactions in the Dynamics of Even- and Uneven-Aged Boreal Forests

Many boreal tree stands are neither clearly even-aged nor clearly uneven-aged. The stands may undergo a series of stages, during which an even-aged stand is transformed into two-storied mixed stand, and finally to multistoried or uneven-aged stand structure. The species composition often changes during the succession of stand stages. This study developed models for stand dynamics that can be used in different stand structures and species compositions. The model set consists of species-specific individual-tree diameter increment and survival models, and models for ingrowth. Separate models were developed for Scots pine, Norway spruce, and hardwood species. The models were used in a growth simulator, to give illustrative examples on species influences and stand dynamics. Methods to simulate residual variation around diameter increment and ingrowth models are also presented. The results suggest that mixed stands are more productive than one-species stands. Spruce in particular benefits from an admixture of other species. Mixed species improve diameter increment, decrease mortality, and increase ingrowth. Pine is a more beneficial admixture than birch. Simulations showed that uneven-aged management of spruce forests is sustainable and productive, and even-aged conifer stands growing on medium sites can be converted into uneven-aged mixed stands by a series of strong high thinnings.     

An Assessment of Forest Policy Changes in Western Washington

Abstract

Changing forest policies in both riparian and upland areas to help protect threatened and endangered species have contributed to the reduction of timber harvests in western Washington. The economic, biodiversity, and environmental impacts of these policy actions have been substantial. Policy simulations across 9.4 million acres of timber-land show that relative to proactive management strategies, current habitat conservation and environmental programs (largely based on a reservation strategy) result in net present value reductions to forestland owners of $9.9 billion. Accompanying these asset value reductions are employment losses (sustained) of 30% and tax receipt losses of 26%. The policy simulations further demonstrate that proactive management will not decrease the long-term percentage of the upland landscape occupied by functionally old forests relative to the reservation strategy. In the riparian area, adoption of a reservation strategy actually decreases (by 29%) the percent of the landscape occupied by functionally old forests relative to a proactive management approach. These results illustrate the importance of proactively managing western Washington forests to provide maximum functionally old forest habitat for endangered upland animals (such as the northern spotted owl and the marbled murrelet) as well as riparian species.     

Tree species composition,structure and utilisation in Maruzi Hills Forest Reserve in Uganda

The study investigated the tree species composition, vegetation structure and harvesting pattern to guide management of the Maruzi Hills Forest Reserve. Stratified random sampling was used to site six (100 m × 100 m) permanent sample plots in the woodland, bushland and grassland vegetation types identified in the reserve. Rényi diversity profiles indicated that bushland vegetation had a lower Shannon diversity index (H = 2.054) than grassland (H = 2.38) and woodland vegetation (H = 2.319). Grassland and woodland vegetation also had lower proportions of the dominant species (α_∞ = 1.15 and 1.66, respectively) than bushland vegetation (α_∞ = 3.25). However, the mean stem density of the woodland, bushland and grassland vegetation was 214 stems ha^?1, 191 stems ha^?1 and 114 stems ha^?1, respectively. Bray-Curtis and Jaccard ecological distance matrices showed that, although the three vegetation types shared some common species, the ecological distances were relatively high suggesting significant species composition variation between the vegetation types, particularly between the bushland and the other vegetation types. The species with the highest proportional abundance in the survey were Combretum molle (23%), Acacia hockii (17.7%), Combretum collinum (16.1%), Grewia mollis (6.5%) and Lannea barteri (6.5%). Diameter size-class distribution of woody perennials and tree stumps indicated higher frequencies of the smaller-diameter size classes. The stump records were indicative of charcoal burning and firewood collection as major causes of tree/shrub harvesting. The Maruzi Hills woodland conservation strategy should consider the differences in species composition between vegetation types if the highest number of species is to be conserved.