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Climate-Smart Forestry: Problems, Priorities and Prospects

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A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 July 2023) | Viewed by 17331

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Konstantin V. Krutovsky

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Guest Editor

Department of Forest Genetics and Forest Tree Breeding, Georg-August University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
Interests: forest genetics; tree breeding; embryology; environmental stress and adaptive genes; comparative and population genomics; genome breeding; plant molecular systematics and phylogeny
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Prof. Dr. Natalia V. Yakovenko

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Guest Editor

Department of Ecology, Forest Protection and Forest Hunting, Voronezh State University of Forestry and Technologies Named after G.F. Morozov, 8, Timiryazev Street, 394087 Voronezh, Russia
Interests: ecology; climate; nature management; carbon neutrality; forests; demography; urban ecology

Dr. Alexander Gusev

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Functional Nanosystems and High-Temperature Materials, National University of Science and Technology “MISIS”, 119991 Moscow, Russia
2. Institute “Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials”, G.R. Derzhavin Tambov State University, 392000 Tambov, Russia
Interests: nanotoxicology; plant nanobiotechnology; antibacterial nanomaterials; carbon nanomaterials; bioaccumulation of nanoparticles
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world economy requires economic transformation targeted towards decarbonization, in accordance with the goals of global environmental policy for sustainable development. The role of the forest sector in climate change, adaptation and mitigation, as well as new opportunities provided by emerging forest bio-economy, emphasize the integration of domestic policies in global climate policy. Improved forest management can sustain or increase carbon absorption and stock in forests, while the reduction of deforestation and forest degradation decrease greenhouse gas emissions. There is a need for new, more efficient approaches to forest management, governance, and planning. Climate-smart forestry (CSF) methodologies could be a useful approach for combining climate change mitigation actions with adaptation activities and through increasing forest resilience and providing ecosystem services, which respond to the needs of growing populations and improving human wellbeing. This Special Issue plans to provide an overview of the most recent achievements in studies devoted to climate change, its effects on forest ecosystems, and the challenges of carbon balance assessment. It aims to provide selected materials on achievements in the reduction or prevention forest disturbances, which can help to convert the carbon balance of forests from being sources of greenhouse gas emissions to net carbon absorbers. We invite papers based on studies in forest ecology and management, advanced silviculture, tree improvement and breeding, carbon polygons, forest conservation biology, dendrochronology, etc. Interdisciplinary studies are especially appreciated.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

Adaptation to climate change in forestry: key challenges and opportunities.
Actual issues in the use, restoration, and protection of forests.
Methods and approaches to the assessment of greenhouse gas uptake by forests.
Forest climate projects: barriers, markets, methodologies, participants.
Climate-smart forestry as a way to adapt to and mitigate climate change.
Activities in scientific and technical policy, environmental management, climate change, and maintenance of carbon farming.

Prof. Dr. Konstantin V. Krutovsky
Prof. Dr. Natalia V. Yakovenko
Dr. Alexander Gusev
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

climate
forest ecology and management
silviculture
tree improvement and breeding
carbon polygons
forest conservation biology
dendrochronology

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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32 pages, 12701 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Forest Management with Clear-Cutting Affects the Regeneration, Diversity and Structure of a Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest in Brazil

by José Frédson Bezerra Lopes, Fernando Bezerra Lopes, Isabel Cristina da Silva Araújo, Erich Celestino Braga Pereira, Maria Letícia Stefany Monteiro Brandão, Erialdo de Oliveira Feitosa, Nayara Rochelli de Sousa Luna, Geocleber Gomes de Sousa, Aiala Vieira Amorim, Bruna de Freitas Iwata and Eunice Maia de Andrade

Forests 2023, 14(9), 1870; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14091870 - 13 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1673

Abstract

In Brazil, logging in the Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest (SDTF) under management plans that include clear-cutting has increased in recent decades, and the structure, composition, diversity and functioning of the forest likely must have been affected. The aim of this study was to understand the growth dynamics of shrub–tree biomass (STB), species richness and vegetation structure as a function of regeneration time after clear-cutting (treatments), taking the Legal Reserve (40 years of regeneration) as reference. The study was carried out in 2018 at the Ramalhete Settlement, General Sampaio, in the state of Ceará. All plants with a circumference at breast height (CBH) ≥ 6 cm were identified and the CBH was measured across 42 sample plots (20.0 m × 20.0 m), using seven plots per treatment (3, 5, 8, 11 and 15 years after clear-cutting, and the Legal Reserve, 40 years of regeneration). The following were determined: STB (total and by species), density and basal area (by ecological group and diameter class), basal area (species of higher added value), diversity (Hill numbers), and the importance value index (IVI). It was found that during the early years (up to at least 11 years), many important forest characteristics related to the composition of the ecological groups and vegetation structure were strongly affected, and major impacts can be seen, the effects of which, however, decreased over time of regeneration, having almost no effect after 15 years. After 15 years following clear-cutting, the SDTF presented accumulated STB, species richness and structure similar to the area undergoing regeneration for 40 years. However, the small number of indicator species of more-preserved areas (even at T15 and T40) points out that management needs to be improved. However, promoting species of greater added value and determining whether the forest recovers its structure and diversity after successive cutting cycles also still need to be addressed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Forestry: Problems, Priorities and Prospects)

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15 pages, 1079 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Opportunities and Prospects for the Implementation of Reforestation Climate Projects in the Forest Steppe: An Economic Assessment

by Svetlana Morkovina, Sergey Sheshnitsan, Ekaterina Panyavina, Anna Ivanova and Denis Kuznetsov

Forests 2023, 14(8), 1611; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14081611 - 10 Aug 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1360

Abstract

New methodologies, rules, modalities, and procedures for the mechanism established under Article 6(4) of the Paris Agreement have led to the need to change the national conditions for the implementation of climate projects, including climate projects in forests. However, the issue of evaluating the effectiveness of such projects and their attractiveness to investors remains controversial, as their place and role in the modern economy remain uncertain. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the investment attractiveness and silvicultural feasibility of implementing reforestation climate projects in the central forest steppe of Russia. Thanks to mathematical models (including the developed coefficient of carbon intensity of investment costs) and the calculations carried out, it will be possible to develop a differentiated approach to assessing the investment attractiveness of climate projects’ implementation in forests. Reforestation projects including the planting of fast-growing tree species were considered. Maximum carbon sequestration for these projects is expected to occur over a period of 10–30 years. It was found that the coefficient of carbon intensity of investment costs, discounted by the duration of such projects, may become the basis for decision-making on investments in afforestation and reforestation in the central forest steppe. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Forestry: Problems, Priorities and Prospects)

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14 pages, 5579 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Diurnal Monitoring of Moisture Content of Scots Pine and Small-Leaved Lime Trunks Using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Increment Cores

by Maria Sudakova, Eugenia Terentieva, Alexey Kalashnikov, Ivan Seregin and Alexey Yaroslavtsev

Forests 2023, 14(2), 406; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020406 - 16 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1357

Abstract

Ground penetrating radar is non-invasive technology suitable for mapping moisture content variations since it shows high sensitivity to changes in water saturation. In this work we used a GPR tomography approach to estimate moisture content within two small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata) and two Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) trunks. Additional information was derived using the method of GPR zero-offset. GPR data was collected in Moscow (diurnal monitoring in September 2021) using a shielded GPR antenna working at 1500 MHz. Moisture values derived from GPR data were compared with the values obtained directly by measuring sampled wood cores gravimetrically. A good agreement was observed between GPR-derived moisture content and core sample-derived values. Notwithstanding GPR-derived moisture content is about two times higher than core sample-derived values, a strong linear relation with a determination coefficient more than 0.8 is observed. Diurnal monitoring did not reveal any significant changes in moisture content inside the trunks. It can be concluded that the period of early autumn in the Moscow region is characterized by a constant moisture content of the small-leaved lime trunk during the day. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Forestry: Problems, Priorities and Prospects)

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18 pages, 6938 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on the Growth and Expression of Stress Resistance Genes in Birch

by Konstantin V. Zhuzhukin, Peter M. Evlakov, Tatiana A. Grodetskaya, Alexander A. Gusev, Olga V. Zakharova, Aleksey V. Shuklinov and Elena V. Tomina

Forests 2023, 14(1), 163; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14010163 - 16 Jan 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2615

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that nanomaterials, including carbon nanotubes, are associated with a wide range of effects on living organisms, from stimulation to toxic effects. Plants are an important object of such research, which is associated with the potential use of carbon nanomaterials in agriculture and environmental protection. At the same time, the specific mechanisms of formation of plant resistance to the effects of carbon nanotubes remain not fully understood, especially in woody plants. Therefore, we studied the effect of aqueous colloids of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with an outer diameter of 10–30 nm and a length of about 2 μm at a concentration of 1, 10, 50, and 100 mg/L on morphometric parameters and the level of expression of stress resistance genes in Betula pubescens Ehrh. and B. pendula Roth. plants in greenhouse conditions. The results showed an increase in the length and diameter of the shoot in the studied plants. The dry biomass of the leaf increased by 30%, the stem by 42%, and the root by 49% when using MWCNTs at a concentration of 10 mg/L. The expression of the stress resistance genes DREB2 and PR-10 significantly increased under the influence of 1 mg/L MWCNTs on plants of both species. At the same time, the use of 100 mg/L nanoparticles led to a decrease in the studied parameters in Betula pendula, which may be associated with the negative effect of MWCNTs in high concentrations. The revealed positive effects of low concentrations of MWCNTs on morphometric parameters and stimulation of stress resistance genes by nanotubes open up prospects for their use in woody plant biotechnology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Forestry: Problems, Priorities and Prospects)

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9 pages, 1301 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Management of Birch Spruce Mixed Stands with Consideration of Carbon Stock in Biomass and Harvested Wood Products

by Jānis Vuguls, Stefānija Dubra, Anete Garanča, Daiga Zute and Āris Jansons

Forests 2023, 14(1), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14010057 - 28 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1649

Abstract

Forests play an important role in climate change mitigation. Usage of harvested wood products (HWP) can extend the carbon cycle by retaining carbon as well as preventing new fossil emission via substitution. We compared carbon balance of different management strategies of birch spruce mixed stands over an eight-year period: unmanaged, representing a decision of prolonged rotation, and managed, representing a decision of final harvest of birch and retention of spruce for continuous forest cover and regeneration harvest. Management resulted in a higher contribution of mixed stands to climate change mitigation, if the carbon stock (CS) in biomass as well carbon balance (CB) of wood product is jointly considered in comparison to no management (prolonged rotation). Assortment structure plays an important role in CB of HWP, therefore a practice ensuring higher outcome of longer-lasting wood products are beneficial to climate change mitigation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Forestry: Problems, Priorities and Prospects)

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17 pages, 3829 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Type of Forest Growth Conditions and Climate Elements on the Dynamics of Radial Growth in English Oak (Quercus robur L.) of Early and Late Phenological Forms

by Andrey I. Milenin, Anna A. Popova and Konstantin A. Shestibratov

Forests 2023, 14(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14010011 - 21 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1657

Abstract

The pattern of annual radial growth is influenced by various factors: the local growth conditions, the age structure, and the ecotypes or provenances of trees. A more in-depth approach to the study of specific growth patterns of tree forms is needed to predict the further genesis of forests. This research was carried out on healthy English oak trees of early (EF) and late (LF) phenological forms in Shipov Forest, Voronezh Region. The dendroclimatic analysis was performed on permanent sample plots in wet, dry, and very dry oak stands grown on different soil types. The effect of precipitation on annual ring width was assessed using a one-way ANOVA. The LF showed higher radial growth rates on wet sites than the EF did on dry ones. Their annual radial growth was less stable and more variable compared with the LF. For both phenoforms, the most important radial growth factors are the composite indicators reflecting the ratio of temperature and moisture (Selyaninov’s hydrothermal coefficient and Lang’s rain factor). Generally, the radial growth minima coincided in time on dry and wet sites, and the periods of maximum growth were associated with high-water years. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Forestry: Problems, Priorities and Prospects)

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21 pages, 3996 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial-Coherent Dynamics and Climatic Signals in the Radial Growth of Siberian Stone Pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour) in Subalpine Stands along the Western Sayan Mountains

by Dina F. Zhirnova, Liliana V. Belokopytova, Konstantin V. Krutovsky, Yulia A. Kholdaenko, Elena A. Babushkina and Eugene A. Vaganov

Forests 2022, 13(12), 1994; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13121994 - 25 Nov 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1649

Abstract

Siberian stone pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour) is one of the keystone conifers in Siberian taiga, but its radial growth is complacent and thus rarely investigated. We studied its growth in subalpine stands near the upper timberline along the Western Sayan Mountains, Southern Siberia, because climatic responses of trees growing on the boundaries of species distribution help us better understand their performance and prospects under climate change. We performed dendroclimatic analysis for six tree-ring width chronologies with significant between-site correlations at distances up to 270 km (r = 0.57–0.84, p < 0.05). We used ERA-20C (European Reanalysis of the Twentieth Century) daily climatic series to reveal weak but spatially coherent responses of tree growth to temperature and precipitation. Temperature stably stimulated growth during the period from the previous July–August to current August, except for an adverse effect in April. Precipitation suppressed growth during periods from the previous July–September to December (with reaction gradually strengthening) and from the current April to August (weakening), while the snowfall impact in January–March was neutral or positive. Weather extremes probably caused formation of wide tree rings in 1968 and 2002, but narrow rings in 1938, 1947, 1967, 1988, and 1997. A subtle increase in the climatic sensitivity of mature trees was observed for all significant seasonal climatic variables except for the temperature in the previous October–January. The current winter warming trend is supposedly advantageous for young pine trees based on their climatic response and observed elevational advance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Forestry: Problems, Priorities and Prospects)

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9 pages, 1207 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Entropy Production Using Ecological and Physiological Models of Stand Growth Dynamics as an Example

by Victor Ivanovich Lisitsyn and Nikolai Nikolatvich Matveev

Forests 2022, 13(11), 1948; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13111948 - 18 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1242

Abstract

According to the Prigogine–Glansdorff principle, in a thermodynamic system where non-equilibrium processes occur, the change in entropy production is negative or equal to zero. Forest plantations are an example of such thermodynamic systems. Based on the ecological–physiological models of the forest stand growth dynamics developed by the authors of this work, the specific entropy production in the growth of stands was calculated, which is known to be proportional to the entropy production. It is shown that at the age when the minimum value of the specific entropy production is reached, the biomass of the stand has a maximum value. This conclusion is an important predictive factor for practical forestry, since determining the time of the minimum entropy production allows us to determine the time interval at which the biomass of the stand reaches its maximum value. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Forestry: Problems, Priorities and Prospects)

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10 pages, 2307 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Wood Quality along the Trunk Height of Birch and Aspen Growing in the Restoring Forests of Central Russia

by Aleksey D. Platonov, Svetlana N. Snegireva, Michael V. Drapalyuk, Arthur I. Novikov, Ekaterina V. Kantyeva and Tatyana P. Novikova

Forests 2022, 13(11), 1758; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13111758 - 25 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1258

Abstract

The structure of forests has changed with an increase in soft-wooded broadleaved species over the past decade. The demand for hard-wooded broadleaved species can be met by replacing them with compressed wood of soft-wooded broadleaved species. Existing compressed wood technologies do not fully take into account the density variations that exist along the height of a tree trunk. In this study, we examined the variability of birch and aspen microstructures along the height of the trunk, including vessels per square millimeter and the diameter (tangential and radial) of the vessel lumina. The research was carried out on aspen and birch species growing in Central Russia. The vessels per square millimeter in both species increased from the base to the top of the trunk and their diameters decreased from the base to the top of the trunk. Birch demonstrated greater changes in these values than aspen. There was a strong relationship between the diameter of the vessel lumina and the trunk height. A decrease in the density of the stemwood from the base to the top of the trunk was caused by an increase in the vessels per square millimeter. These results affected the density of the stemwood and determined the degree of compression as well as the initial size of the blanks required to obtain material with uniform quality indicators, regardless of the source location of the raw materials in the tree trunk. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Forestry: Problems, Priorities and Prospects)

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5 pages, 1210 KiB

Open AccessBrief Report

Cervid Bark-Stripping Is an Explicit Amplifier of Storm Legacy Effects in Norway Spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) Stands

by Guntars Šņepsts, Oskars Krišāns, Roberts Matisons, Andris Seipulis and Āris Jansons

Forests 2022, 13(11), 1947; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13111947 - 18 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1353

Abstract

The interactions between wind damage and biotic agents, such as root-rot and cervids (bark-stripping), amplify the effects of storms on forests in Europe and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stands, in the Eastern Baltic region in particular. Due to uneven manageability of the biotic agents, the information about their effects on susceptibility to wind damage can aid the prioritization of management for sustaining spruce stands. This study compared the effect of root-rot and bark-stripping on the mechanical stability of Norway spruce via mixed covariance analysis of basal bending moments, based on static tree-pulling test data of 87 trees from five stands in Latvia. Bark-stripping caused a significantly stronger reduction in resistance against the intrinsic wood damages (primary failure) compared to root-rot, while showing a similar effect on resistance to fatal (secondary) failure. This suggests that bark-stripping damage increases the susceptibility of spruce to storm legacy effects, and, hence, is a higher priority risk factor in Norway spruce stands under the climate-smart management approach. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate-Smart Forestry: Problems, Priorities and Prospects)

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