Forests, Volume 10, Issue 7

In recent decades, Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) forests of the High Tatra Mountains have suffered unprecedented tree mortality caused by European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.). Analysis of the spatiotemporal pattern of bark beetle...

The objective of this study was to specify, parameterize, and evaluate an acoustic-based inferential framework for estimating commercially-relevant wood attributes within standing jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb) trees. The analytical framework consi...

Land use change (LUC), disturbances, and their interactions play an important role in regional forest carbon (C) dynamics. Here we quantified how these activities and events may influence future aboveground biomass (AGB) dynamics in forests using nat...

Small-scale wood pellet producers often use a trial-and-error approach for determining adequate blending of available wood processing residues and pelletizing parameters. Developing general guidelines for optimizing wood pellet quality and meeting ma...

To estimate the responses of forest ecosystems, most relationships in biological systems are described by allometric relationships, the parameters of which are determined based on field measurements. The use of existing observed data errors may occur...

Extreme drought events and increasing aridity are leading to forest decline and tree mortality, particularly in populations near the limits of the species distribution. Therefore, a better understanding of the growth response to drought and climate c...

Pinus densiflora (Korean red pine) is widely distributed in East Asia and considered one of the most important species in Korea. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of P. densiflora was sequenced by combining the advantages of Oxford Nanop...

Understanding ecological stoichiometric characteristics of soil nutrient elements is crucial to guide ecological restoration and agricultural cultivation in karst rocky desertification region, but the information about the effect of the geological ba...

Ecosystem water use efficiency (WUE describes carbon-water flux coupling in terrestrial ecosystems. Understanding response and resilience of WUE to drought are essential for sustainable water resource and ecosystem management under increasing drought...

Research Highlights: Reclaimed minesites provide an opportunity to establish plantings of tree species of special concern, such as the American chestnut (Castanea dentata (Marshall) Borkh.), white oak (Quercus alba L.) and shortleaf pine (Pinus echin...

Terrestrial laser scanners provide accurate and detailed point clouds of forest plots, which can be used as an alternative to destructive measurements during forest inventories. Various specialized algorithms have been developed to provide automatic...

Mortality, diameter at 30 cm over ground level, height, biomass production, and carbon capture (CC) for different tree components (trunk, bark, branches, and leaves) in two locations in Costa Rica, during their first three years and with three planta...

Research Highlights: Biochar is the carbonaceous product of pyrolysis or the gasification of biomass that is used as soil amendment to improve soil fertility and increase soil carbon stock. Biochar has been shown to increase, decrease, or have no eff...

Streamside native forests are known for their key role in water provision, commonly referred to as buffers that control the input or output of nutrients from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems (i.e., nitrogen or carbon cycle). In order to assess the f...

Pine-oak mixed forests in the Qinling Mountains are an essential part of the ecosystem in Northwestern China. Diameter distribution models for four species groups of pine-oak mixed forests were developed using the Weibull function. Both moment and hy...

We examined phenotypic relationships among radial growth-related, physical (i.e., related to wood density), and anatomical (i.e., related to tracheid dimensions) wood properties in white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), in order to determine the...

The bioeconomy focuses on the production of renewable biological resources and the utilisation of these resources and waste streams into value added products. One of the most important aims of the forest industry is the sustainable production of wood...

Baiting is one of the main methods to control subterranean termites. Many previous studies showed that subterranean termites avoid making tunnels within dry soil and feeding on dry wood, which may decrease bait infestation and consumption in drought...

Exploring the effects of drought on trees of different sizes is an important research topic because the size-dependent mortality pattern of the major dominant species significantly affects the structure and function of plant communities. Here we stud...

Quercus bawanglingensis Huang, Li et Xing, an endemic evergreen oak of the genus Quercus (Fagaceae) in China, is currently listed in the Red List of Chinese Plants as a vulnerable (VU) plant. No chloroplast (cp) genome information is currently availa...

Reliable estimates of tree growth and wood yield are fundamental to support the management of restored forests and better reconcile the objectives of recovering biodiversity with the provision of ecosystem services. In this study, wood standing volum...

The European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is a widely distributed tree species across Europe, highly sensitive to climate change and global warming. This study illustrates results of a 5-year monitoring time period from eight sites of the ICP-Forests L...

In South Korea, logs for low-value products, such as pulpwood and fuelwood, are primarily extracted from harvest sites and transported to roadside or landing areas using small shovels. Previous studies on log extraction, however, have focused on cabl...

In Taiwan, it is important to maintain sustainable development of the forestry industry in order to raise the self-sufficiency of domestic timber. Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria D. Don and Formosa acacia (Acacia confusa Merr.(Leguminosae)) have abundant...

The joint “International Forests and Water Conference 2018” highlighted among its main conclusions the need to involve the viewpoint and participation of local communities in the management and monitoring of forest watersheds. This topic...

Research Highlights: Forest conservation policies can drive land-use change to other land-use types. In multifunctional landscapes, forest conservation policies will therefore impact on other functions delivered by the landscape. Finding the best pat...

Global climate change has raised concerns about the relationship between ecosystems and forests, which is a core component of the carbon cycle and a critical factor in understanding and mitigating the effects of climate change. Forest models and suff...

Invasive species cause a severe impact on existing ecosystems. The citrus flatid planthopper (CFP; Metcalfa pruinosa (Say, 1830)) is an invasive species in many countries. Predicting potential occurrence areas of the species related to environmental...

Although several studies suggest that tree species in mixed stands resist drought events better than in pure stands, little is known about the impact on growth and the tree water deficit (TWD) in different tree heights at heavy drought. With dendrome...

Gravitational hazards, such as rockfall, constitute a major risk in mountainous areas, threatening dwellers, goods, and infrastructures, and ultimately posing a challenge to their development. Ecosystem-based solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction (Ec...

Forests play an important role in regulating the carbon (C) cycle. The main objective of this study was to quantify the effects of South Korean national reforestation programs on carbon budgets. We estimated the changes in C stocks and annual C seque...

The European chestnut population is enduring multiple compounding exotic pest and disease outbreaks across Turkey. The deeply held value of the chestnut species for the Turkish public is reflected in substantial government conservation programming. C...

The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry (the Institute) celebrates its 75th Anniversary with the publication of this Special Issue of Forests. This Issue is based on presentations delive...

Research Highlights: We found promising success for black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) planted on a legacy surface mine. Our results indicate that direct seeding can be an effective restoration method, and that shelters may not be needed. Background and...

Investigations on primary and secondary growth in co-occurring species will aid in assessment of the physiological adaptation of species and the prediction of forest stand structure dynamics. To explore the correlation and coordination between primar...

Climate change is gaining attention as a major threat to biodiversity. It is expected to further expand the risk of plant invasion through ecosystem disturbance. Particularly, island ecosystems are under pressure, and climate change may threaten fore...

Non-native plant species have become serious pests in Hawaii’s delicate island ecosystems. It is necessary to control invasive plants. The herbicides hexazinone and tebuthiuron were evaluated for defoliation efficacy to control several major in...

The Chinese honey locust tree Gleditsia sinensis Lam. (Fabaceae) is a precious ecological and economic tree species that has wide-ranging usage. However, knowledge regarding seedling cultivation (especially the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM...

Load safety is a critical component of successful logistic operations. Different influencing factors can affect the necessity of intensive load securing methods. The most dominant factor is the friction characteristics of the intended cargo. A cargo...

Currently, ultrasonic measurement is a widely used nondestructive approach to determine wood elastic properties, including the dynamic modulus of elasticity (DMOE). DMOE is determined based on wood density and ultrasonic wave velocity measurement. Th...

The growth effects of mixtures are generally assumed to be a result of canopy structure and crown plasticity. Thus, the distribution of leaf area at tree and stand level helps to explain these mixing effects. Therefore, we investigated the leaf area...

Globally, planted forests are rapidly replacing naturally regenerated stands but the implications for canopy structure, carbon (C) storage, and the linkages between the two are unclear. We investigated the successional dynamics, interlinkages and mec...

Research Highlights: The European Union’s last large intact forest landscapes along the Scandinavian Mountain range in Sweden offer unique opportunities for conservation of biodiversity, ecological integrity and resilience. However, these fores...

Liriodendron chinense (Hemsl.), a Tertiary relic tree, is mainly distributed in subtropical China. The causes of the geographical distribution pattern of this species are poorly understood. In this study, we inferred historical dispersal routes and g...

Tree shape can affect microclimate, which may directly influence fruit growth and development. Open center and round head are two tree canopy shapes that are generally used in Camellia oleifera Abel. cultivation. To study the effects of the two canop...

Spectral, spatial, and temporal features play important roles in land cover classification. However, limitations still exist in the integrated application of spectral-spatial-temporal (SST) features for forest type discrimination. This paper proposes...

In recent decades, Serbia has been undergoing a period of post-socialist transition that has significantly altered the value system underlying spatial development due to alteration of ownership frameworks and land use rights. In consequence, issues h...

Vegetation indices derived from remote sensing measurements are commonly used to describe and monitor vegetation. However, the same plant community can have a different NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) depending on weather conditions, an...

Foliar water uptake (FWU) has been investigated in an increasing number of species from a variety of areas but has remained largely understudied in deciduous, temperate tree species from non-foggy regions. As leaf wetting events frequently occur in t...

The natural abundance of stable nitrogen (N) isotope (δ¹⁵N) in plants and soils can reflect N cycling processes in ecosystems. However, we still do not fully understand patterns of plant and soil δ¹⁵N at alpine treelines and shrublines in...