Forests, Volume 10, Issue 12

We applied a method combining field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) to visualize the deposition and localization of the submicron-sized ammonium sulfate (AS) particles. The AS particles e...

Research Highlights: We demonstrate that ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi improve plant aluminum (Al)-tolerance in the field and Laccaria bicolor S238A is a promising ECM isolate. Furthermore, we interpret the underlying nutritional mechanism that ECM ino...

Sapling-wood products from different wood species such as willow (Salix spp. L.) and Common hazel (Corylus avellana L.) are frequently used for gardening and outdoor decoration purposes. Remaining bark is suggested to provide additional biological du...

Birch trees are abundant in central and northern Europe and are dominant trees in broadleaved forests. Birches are pioneer trees that produce large quantities of allergenic pollen efficiently dispersed by wind. The pollen load level depends on the si...

Understanding the dominant soil nitrogen (N) cycling processes in southern Appalachian forests is crucial for predicting ecosystem responses to changing N deposition and climate. The role of anaerobic nitrogen cycling processes in well-aerated soils...

The phosphorus nutrition status of European forests has decreased significantly in recent decades. For a deeper understanding of complementarity and competition in terms of P acquisition in temperate forests, we have analyzed α-diversity, organ...

Heat-shock transcription factors (Hsfs) play a pivotal role in the response of plants to various stresses. The present study aimed to characterize the Hsf genes in the rubber tree, a primary global source of natural rubber. In this study, 30 Hsf gene...

Fusarium circinatum (Nirenberg and O’ Donnell) is the causal agent of pine pitch canker (PPC) disease, one of the most devastating forest diseases worldwide. Long-distance spread occurs mainly through the movement of infected seeds whereas at r...

Phylogenetic and functional diversities and their relationship are important for understanding community assembly, which relates to forest sustainability. Thus, both diversities have been used in ecological studies evaluating community responses to e...

For Central European herbs, ants are one common dispersal vector acting at relatively small spatial scales. Though extensively studied concerning the different benefits to plants, specific dispersal patterns mediated by ants have been reportedly very...

As global climate change has a large effect on the carbon cycle of forests, it is very important to understand how forests in climate transition regions respond to climate change. Specifically, the LPJ-GUESS (Lund-Potsdam-Jena General Ecosystem Simul...

Distance is one of the important factors in determining transportation cost and travel time, and it can be easily estimated by measuring the circuity of road networks. This study calculated the circuity factors to estimate the network distance for 27...

Research Highlights: Chestnut trees’ (Castanea sativa Mill.) growth and their responses to climate are influenced by stand-characteristics and managements. This study highlighted that chestnut tree-ring growth is not particularly influenced by climat...

The objective of this study is to investigate the inhibitory effects of Lysobacter antibioticus HS124 on fungal phytopathogens causing gray mold rot, stem rot, and anthracnose. Another objective of this study is to promote the yield of fruit in jujub...

Plant growth reduction (GR) is the most widely accepted damage parameter to assess the sensitivity of trees to tropospheric ozone (O₃) pollution since it integrates different physiological processes leading to loss of photosynthetic activity and dist...

Research highlights: We present evidence indicating that covariation of functional traits among populations of a forest tree is not due to genetic constraints, but rather selective covariance arising from local adaptation to different facets of the c...

The objective of this paper is the computational and experimental study of the fracture behavior of spruce wood under quasi-static loading conditions during a three-point bending test. The experimental tests were performed on the electronic testing m...

Research Highlights: The critical period of sex differentiation in Xanthoceras sorbifolium was investigated. Multiple microRNAs (miRNAs) were identified to influence female and male flower development, with some complementary functions. Background an...

More and more urban residents in China have suffered from food insecurity and failed to meet the national recommendation of daily fruit and vegetable consumption due to rapid urbanization in recent years. Introducing edible landscapes to urban greeni...

Determining plant–water relationships in response to drought events can provide important information about the adaptation of trees to climate change. The Mongolian Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv), as one of the major tree spe...

Aggregating diverse plant species into a few functional groups based on functional traits provides new insights for promoting landscape planning and conserving biodiversity in species-diverse regions. Ecophysiological traits are the basis of the func...

Roots can help to stabilise slopes against landslides and anchor trees against wind loading, but their mechanical contribution to the strength of soil is difficult to rapidly quantify under field conditions. A new field measurement method, quantifyin...

Since the mid-19th century, Pinus nigra plantations have played a key role in the restoration of degraded European landscapes. Nowadays, these plantations are aging and prone to natural disturbances, insect infestations, and diseases. For their succe...

Spruce budworm is one of the most significant forest insects worldwide, in terms of outbreak extent, severity, and economic impacts. As a defoliator, spruce budworm larvae are susceptible to insecticide protection, and improvements in efficacy and re...

Background and aims: The “diminishing returns” hypothesis postulates that the scaling exponent governing the lamina area versus lamina mass scaling relationships has, on average, a numerical value less than one. Theoretically, a similar s...

Monitoring patterns of mating and pollen dispersal in forest tree populations subjected to nature conservation is essential to understanding the dynamics of their reproductive processes and might be helpful in making management decisions aimed at con...

The potential effects of salt on the growth, root anatomy, radial oxygen loss (ROL), and nitrogen (N) dynamics in mangroves were investigated using the seedlings of Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. The results showed that a moderate salinity (200 mM...

Stand-level competition and local climate influence tree responses to increased drought at the regional scale. To evaluate stand density and elevation effects on tree carbon and water balances, we monitored seasonal changes in sap-flow density (SFD),...

Dryland montane forests conserve water for people living in the fluvial plains. The fate of these forests under climate warming is strongly affected by local environmental factors. The question remains of how internal factors contribute to climate ch...

Agroforestry systems are important, globally affecting 1.2 billion people and covering 0.6 billion hectares. They are often cited for providing ecosystem services, such as augmenting soil fertility via N accumulation and increasing soil C stocks. Imp...

For spring plantings, conifer seedlings are usually packed in closed cardboard boxes and freezer stored over winter. Additionally, seedlings are increasingly being stored in cardboard boxes in spring, summer, and autumn plantings in Finland. The aim...

Research Highlights: In this longitudinal study, we explore the impacts of changing atmospheric composition and increasing aridity on the radial growth rates of western juniper (WJ; Juniperus occidentalis Hook). Since we sampled from study locations...

Knowledge of intra-annual stem growth dynamics across environmental gradients is important for advancing our ability to understand the adaptability and vulnerability of subtropical tree species to future climate change. To assess the effects of seaso...

The windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei (Hook.) H. Wendl.) is widely distributed and is an important potential source of lignocellulosic materials. The lack of knowledge on the anatomy of the windmill palm has led to its inefficient use. In this pap...

The stem height–diameter allometric relationship is fundamental in determining forest and ecosystem structures as well as in estimating tree volume, biomass, and carbon stocks. Understanding the effects of silvicultural practices on tree height...

Oaks (Quercus) are a dominant forest species throughout much of the eastern United States. However, oak regeneration failure due to a myriad of issues (e.g., suppression of natural fire, excess nitrogen deposition, pressure from herbivore activity) i...

Ecosystem services, as public goods, are often undersupplied because private markets do not fully take into account the social cost of production. To alleviate the concern about this imbalance situation, payments for ecosystem services (PES) have eme...

Identifying patterns in roots spatial distribution and dynamics, and quantifying the root stocks, annual production and turnover rates at species level is essential for understanding plant ecological responses to local environmental factors and clima...

Soil carbon (C) sequestration and stabilization are determined by not only the C input to the soil but also the decomposition rate of soil organic matter (SOM), which is mainly mediated by soil microbes. Afforestation, an effective practice to restor...

Deciduous dipterocarp forest (DDF) is the most extensive forest type in continental Southeast Asia, but across much of its range is functionally more similar to tropical savannas than tropical forests. We investigated water relations and drought resp...

Since climate change significantly affects global biodiversity, a reasonable assessment of the vulnerability of species in response to climate change is crucial for conservation. Most existing methods estimate the impact of climate change on the vuln...

Acetylation has been shown to delay fungal decay, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Brown-rot fungi, such as Rhodonia placenta (Fr.) Niemelä, K.H. Larss. & Schigel, degrade wood in two steps, i.e., oxidative depolymerizati...

Sustainable aspen ecosystems hold great promise for global biodiversity conservation. These forests harbor relatively high species diversity, yet are threatened by fire suppression, land development, timber-focused management, extended droughts, and...

The long-term influence of climate change on spatio-temporal dynamics of the Polar mycobiota was analyzed on the eastern macro slope of the Polar Urals (Sob River valley and Mountain Slantsevaya) over a period of 60 years. The anthropogenic impact is...

Research Highlights: Using a long-term dataset on temperate forests in South Korea, we established the interrelationships between tree species and structural diversity and forest productivity and stability, and identified a strong, positive effect of...

Dry Afromontane forests form the largest part of the existing natural vegetation in Ethiopia. Nevertheless, models for quantifying aboveground tree biomass (AGB) of these forests are rare. The objective of this study was, therefore, to develop local...

The diversity and function of surface soil bacterial community in farmland shelterbelts of five forest types and one abandoned wilderness area were analyzed by collecting 36 soil samples at depths of 0–10 cm (the upper soil layer) and 10–...

The effects of soil and topography on the responses of soil respiration (R_s) to climatic variables must be investigated in the southeastern mountainous areas of China due to the rapid land-use change from forest to agriculture. In this study, we inve...

Wood of black pine and poplar species were subjected to thermal modification under variant conditions, while subsequently, a number of the thermally-modified black pine specimens were subjected to surface modification with organosilane solutions, and...

Soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization is closely related to carbon source or sink of terrestrial ecosystem. Understanding SOC mineralization under plum plantation is essential for improving our understanding of SOC responses to land-use change in...