Search Results (92)

This article examines the role of managed ecosystems, and particularly forests, in achieving carbon neutrality in Russia. The range of estimates of Russia’s forests’ net carbon balance in different studies varies by up to 7 times. The. A comparison of Russia’s National GHG inventory data for 2023 and 2024 (with the latter showing 37% higher forest sequestration) is presented and explained. The possible changes in the Long-Term Low-Emission Development Strategy of Russia (LT LEDS) carbon neutrality scenario due to new land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) data in National GHG Inventory Document (NID) 2024 are discussed. It is demonstrated that the refined net carbon balance should not impact the mitigation ambition in the Russian forestry sector. An assessment of changes in the drafts of the Operational plan of the LT LEDS is presented and it is concluded that its structure and content have significantly improved; however, a delay in operationalization nullifies efforts. The article highlights the problem of GHG emissions increases in forest fires and compares the gap between official “ground-based” and Remote Sensing approaches in calculations of such emissions. Considering the intention to increase net absorption by implementing forest carbon projects, the latest changes in the regulations of such projects are discussed. The limitations of reforestation carbon projects in Russia are provided. Proposals are presented for the development of the national forest policy towards increasing the net forest carbon absorption, including considering the projected decrease in annual net absorption by Russian forests by 2050. The role of government and private investment in improving the forest management of structural measures to adapt forestry to modern climate change and the place of forest climate projects need to be clearly defined in the LT LEDS. Full article

The advantages of torrefaction preheating, including the production of a hydrophobic solid product, improved particle size distribution, enhanced fuel properties with fewer environmental issues, decreased moisture content, and reduced volatile content. In order to meet the technical requirements of biomass oriented value-added and energy saving and emission reduction, pine sawdust (PS) was taken as the research object, and the physicochemical properties of the PS samples preheated at a low temperature were analyzed by synchronous thermal analysis (TG-DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and organic element analyzer (EA). The effect of preheating at a lower temperature on the physicochemical properties of PS was discussed. The results showed that, under the preheating condition of 200 °C, compared with PS, the water content of PS-200 decreased by 3.23%, the volatile content decreased by 3.69%, the fixed carbon increased by 6.81%, the calorific value increased by 6.90%, the equilibrium water content decreases from 7.06% to 4.46%, and the hydrophobicity increases. This research, based on the improvement of the quality of agricultural and forestry waste and the promotion of the strategy of converting waste into energy, has contributed to the advancement of sustainable energy production. Full article

Low-carbon liquid fuels are needed for decarbonization of hard-to-decarbonize segments of the transportation sector. This decarbonization can be limited by the amount of renewable carbon. Thermochemical conversion of biomass/municipal solid waste (MSW) through gasification is a promising route for producing low-carbon fuels. There are two major opportunities for increasing the amount of low-carbon liquid fuel that can be produced from gasification in any region. One is to increase the amount of liquid fuel from a given amount of biomass/MSW, particularly by hydrogen-enhancement of gasification synthesis gas. Second is the potential for large expansion of use of biomass feedstocks from its present level. Such biomass feedstocks include agricultural waste, forestry waste, MSW, and specially grown biomass that does not interfere with food production. The use of MSW may provide advantages of an established network for pickup and transportation of feedstock to disposal sites and the avoidance of methane produced from landfilling of MSW. As a case study, we looked at potential expansion of US low-carbon fuel production, considering the recent projections of the 2024 USDOE report, which estimated potential production of a billion tons/yr of biomass/MSW feedstocks in the US. This report included an estimated potential for liquid biofuel production of 60 billion gallons/yr of diesel energy equivalent fuel without the use of hydrogen enhancement. By hydrogen-enhanced biomass/MSW gasification, this projection could be doubled to 120 billion gallons/yr of diesel energy equivalent fuel. Furthermore, the co-location potential of biomass/MSW resources with potential renewable energy generation sites is explored. This overlap of hydrogen production and biomass production in the US are located in regions such as the US Midwest, Texas, and California. This co-location strategy enhances logistical feasibility, reducing transport costs and optimizing energy system integration; and can be applied to other geographical locations. Hydrogen-enhanced biomass/MSW gasification offers a promising route to substantially increase low-carbon liquid fuel production (e.g., methanol) and support increased liquid fuel production and greenhouse gas reduction goals. Full article

Forest carbon sinks have faced significant challenges with the accelerating warming trend in the 21st century. Net primary productivity (NPP) serves as a critical indicator of the carbon cycle in forest ecosystems and is intricately influenced by both human activities and climate change. This study focuses on the subtropical Southern Forests of China as the research object, using the Wuyi Mountains as a representative study area. The positive and negative contributions of ecologically oriented human activities driven by China’s forestry construction over the past few decades were investigated along with potential extreme climate factors affecting the forest NPP from an altitude gradient perspective and regional-scale forest NPP changes from a novel viewpoint. MODIS NPP, climate, and land use data, along with a vegetation type transfer matrix and statistical methods, were utilized for this purpose. The results are summarized as follows. (1) From 2000 to 2022, NPP in the Wuyi Mountains exhibited a high distribution pattern in the northeastern and southern areas and a low distribution pattern in the central region, with a weak overall increase and an average annual growth increment of only 0.11 gC·m⁻²·year⁻¹. NPP increased with altitude, with a mean growth rate of 5.0 gC·m⁻²·hm⁻¹. Notably, the growth rate of NPP was most pronounced in the altitude range below 298 m in both temporal and vertical dimensions. (2) In the context of China’s long-term Forestry Ecological Engineering Projects and Natural Forest Protection Projects, as well as climate warming, the transformation of vegetation types from relatively low NPP types to high NPP types in the Wuyi Mountains has resulted in a total NPP increase of 211.58 GgC over the past 23 years. Specifically, only the altitude range below 298 m showed negative vegetation type transformation, leading to an NPP decrease of 119.44 GgC. The expansion of urban and built-up lands below 500 m over the 23-year period reduced NPP by 147.92 GgC. (3) The climatic factors inhibiting NPP in the Wuyi Mountains were extreme nighttime high temperatures from June to September, which significantly weakened the NPP of evergreen broadleaf forests above 500 m in elevation. This inhibitory effect still resulted in a reduction of 127.36 GgC in the NPP of evergreen broadleaf forests within this altitude range, despite a cumulative increment in the area of evergreen broadleaf forests above 500 m over the past 23 years. In conclusion, the growth in NPP in the southern inland subtropical regions of China slowed after 2000, primarily due to the significant rise in nighttime extreme high temperatures and the expansion of human-built areas in the region. This study provides valuable data support for the adaptation of subtropical forests to climate change. Full article

The abundant availability of crop waste and forestry residues in Texas provides great potential for producing renewable diesel in the local towns of Texas. This study aims to evaluate the environmental impacts of renewable diesel use in Texas transportation and the potential of renewable diesel production in Texas. The GREET model was used to customize the life cycle pathway of renewable diesel and evaluate its environmental impacts. The models of renewable diesel produced from forestry residue and corn stover were built to calculate life cycle gas emissions of combination short-haul heavy-duty trucks fueled with renewable diesel. Life cycle GHG emissions of renewable diesel are much lower than those of low-sulfur diesel. However, with respect to renewable diesel derived from corn stover, life cycle PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 emissions were almost double those of low-sulfur diesel in 2024, and both emissions will be reduced by 37–38% in 2035. The life cycle emission trends of SO_x, black carbon, and primary organic carbon are very similar to those of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5. The total cost of ownership (TCO) of heavy-duty trucks using renewable diesel produced from forestry residues or corn stover would be 10.3–14.8% higher than those consuming regular low-sulfur diesel in Texas. Full article

Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) waste presents a major environmental concern due to its high and widespread use. This study explores the potential of fungal mycelium as a bioremediation solution for LLDPE degradation, by evaluating on mycelial growth efficiency, ligninolytic enzyme activity, weight loss, surface morphology changes, and economic feasibility. Among the tested fungal species, Schizophyllum commune WE032, Lentinus sajor-caju TBRC6266, and Trametes flavida AM011, S. commune demonstrated the most vigorous mycelial expansion (20.53 mm/day) and highest biomass accumulation (276.87 mg). Screening for ligninolytic enzymes revealed significant laccase (Lac) and manganese peroxidase (MnP) activity in all three species indicating their potential in polymer degradation. Weight loss analysis showed that S. commune achieved the greatest LLDPE degradation (1.182% after 30 days), highlighting its enzymatic and metabolic efficiency in breaking down synthetic polymers. Surface morphology studies supported these findings, revealing substantial erosion was observed in LLDPE sheets treated with S. commune and L. sajor-caju, confirming their effectiveness in polymer disruption. FTIR analysis indicated the formation of new functional groups and alterations in the carbon backbone, suggesting active depolymerization processes. Economic evaluation demonstrated that fungal biodegradation is a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable strategy, aligning with circular economy principles by enabling the generation of value-added products from plastic waste. Additionally, fungal-based waste treatment aligns with circular economy principles, generating value-added products while mitigating plastic pollution. These findings highlight fungal mycelium’s potential for plastic waste management, advocating for further research on optimizing growth conditions, enhancing enzyme expression, and scaling industrial applications. Future research will focus on integrating fungal bioremediation with biomass residues from agricultural and forestry sectors, offering a comprehensive solution for waste management and environmental sustainability. Full article

Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) holds agricultural economic value and forestry carbon sequestration potential, with Taiwan’s annual tea production exceeding TWD 7 billion. However, climate change-induced stressors threaten tea plant growth, photosynthesis, yield, and quality, necessitating an accurate real-time monitoring system to enhance plantation management and production stability. This study surveys tea plantations at low, mid-, and high elevations in Nantou County, central Taiwan, collecting data from 21 fields using conventional farming methods (CFMs), which emphasize intensive management, and agroecological farming methods (AFMs), which prioritize environmental sustainability. This study integrates leaf area index (LAI), photochemical reflectance index (PRI), and quantum yield of photosystem II (ΦPSII) data with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)-derived visible-light and multispectral imagery to compute color indices (CIs) and multispectral indices (MIs). Using feature ranking methods, an optimized dataset was developed, and the predictive performance of eight regression algorithms was assessed for estimating tea plant physiological parameters. The results indicate that LAI was generally lower in AFMs, suggesting reduced leaf growth density and potential yield differences. However, PRI and ΦPSII values revealed greater environmental adaptability and potential long-term ecological benefits in AFMs compared to CFMs. Among regression models, MIs provided greater stability for tea plant physiological parameters, whereas feature ranking methods had minimal impact on accuracy. XGBoost outperformed all models in predicting parameters, achieving optimal results for (1) LAI: R² = 0.716, RMSE = 1.01, MAE = 0.683, (2) PRI: R² = 0.643, RMSE = 0.013, MAE = 0.009, and (3) ΦPSII: R² = 0.920, RMSE = 0.048, MAE = 0.013. Overall, we highlight the effectiveness of integrating gradient boosting models with multispectral data to capture tea plant physiological characteristics. This study develops generalizable predictive models for tea plant physiological parameter estimation and advances non-contact crop physiological monitoring for tea plantation management, providing a scientific foundation for precision agriculture applications. Full article

This study investigates the seasonal dynamics and stoichiometric characteristics of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in four representative tree species—Juglans mandshurica Maxim., Phellodendron amurense Rupr. Quercus mongolica Fischer ex Ledebour and Fraxinus mandschurica Rupr.—at the Harbin Urban Forestry Demonstration Base, over the period 2022–2024. We monitored the nutrient content in tree leaves, trunks, branches, shrubs, herbaceous plants, and soil. Specifically, leaf N content in J. mandshurica decreased from 2.5% in May to 1.2% in November, while leaf P content in P. amurense dropped from 0.15% in June to 0.08% by the end of the growing season. Nutrient content in tree trunks and branches increased in the later growth stages, with trunk C content in Q. mongolica rising from 45% in May to 52% in November. Soil nutrients generally decreased over the growing season, with soil P content in F. mandshurica plantations declining from 0.12% in May to 0.06% in September. Moreover, the C:N and C:P ratios in tree and herb leaves, as well as in soil, increased during the growing period, while the N:P ratio in shrubs increased towards the end of the growth cycle. The study found significant correlations between specific nutrients in the leaves of trees and their surrounding soils. For instance, leaf C in J. mandshurica was positively correlated with soil C, while herbaceous plant P was positively correlated with soil N and leaf N with soil P. These relationships suggest that leaf N absorption is limited by soil P and herbaceous P by soil N. The analysis of nutrient correlations between shrubs, herbs, and trees showed a partial positive correlation between understory plants and tree leaf nutrients, indicating relatively weak competition among different plant groups. Furthermore, in P. amurense plantations, the P content in understory herbs was significantly positively correlated with soil P, suggesting that low soil phosphorus limits tree growth in this area. No significant correlation between soil and leaf nutrients was found in Q. mongolica plantations. In contrast, in F. mandshurica plantations, soil C and N were significantly positively correlated with tree leaf C, and understory shrub P and herb P were positively correlated with soil P, suggesting that leaf C absorption is constrained by soil C and N. Overall, this study highlights the nutrient competition between understory vegetation and tree layers, with all species showing a negative correlation between understory vegetation and tree nutrients, indicating nutrient competition. These findings provide valuable insights into the ecological dynamics of urban forests and offer guidance for optimizing urban forest management strategies. Full article

Mountain ecosystems play a crucial role in providing ecosystem services, with some of the most important being carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, land protection, and water source preservation. Additionally, timber harvesting in these regions presents significant environmental, economic, and social challenges. This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric and systematic analysis of publications on timber harvesting in mountainous areas, examining the current state, global trends, key contributors, and the impact of forestry operations. A total of 357 publications on timber harvesting in mountainous areas have been identified, spanning from 1983 to 2024. These publications predominantly originate from the USA, Canada, Australia, and China, with additional contributions from European institutions. The research is published in leading forestry, ecology, and environmental science journals, highlighting its global impact. This study provides an in-depth bibliometric and systematic analysis, assessing research trends, key contributors, and their influence on scientific advancements in sustainable forestry and ecological conservation. These articles belong to the scientific fields of Environmental Science and Ecology, Forestry, Zoology, and Biodiversity Conservation, among others. They have been published in numerous journals, with the most frequently cited ones being Forest Ecology and Management, Journal of Wildlife Management, and Forests. The most frequently used keywords include dynamics, management, and timber harvest. The analysis of publications on timber harvesting in mountainous areas highlights the widespread use of primary harvesting methods, the negative effects of logging activities on soil, forest regeneration processes, and wildlife populations, as well as the role of advanced technologies in improving harvesting efficiency. While sustainable management practices, such as selective cutting and low-impact harvesting techniques, can mitigate some negative effects, concerns remain regarding soil erosion, habitat alteration, and carbon emissions. This analysis underscores the need for flexible forest management strategies that balance economic efficiency with ecological sustainability. Future research should focus on innovative harvesting techniques, adaptation measures to terrain and climate conditions, and the long-term impact of forestry activities on mountain ecosystems. Full article

The climate emergency calls for carbon drawdown to be applied at scale to offset the ‘hard to abate’ emission reductions that threaten Net Zero. The use of biogenic materials in construction promises benefits in terms of low embodied carbon (EC), but timber harvested today only sequestered atmospheric carbon (AC) in the past. A reduction in future AC concentration is only possible from today, and harvesting timber harms a forest’s ability to sequester carbon in the future, unless a level of afforestation can be guaranteed. Current Whole Life Carbon (WLC) assessment methodologies confuse the perceived value of past sequestration, making it seem equivalent to EC, or implying a guarantee of future AC. This study seeks to connect these two opposing elements by finding a forest management ‘success’ value (F_S) at which harvesting losses are outweighed by future sequestration, and a net benefit (in future AC terms) can be justifiably claimed. The research proposes a measure of forestry success (a standard established in terms of net sequestration per hectare) and cumulatively offsets losses through harvest against additional drawdown achieved in a well-managed forest. The results show that current boreal forest management regimes do not guarantee a net benefit, but that only modest improvements from a contemporary baseline would be required to see a net benefit by 2050. Recommendations are made to establish a carbon-focused standard for forestry management to replace current binary sustainability accreditations. Full article

Quantifying the dynamic changes and relationships between ecosystem services (ESs) and land use change is critical for sustainable ecosystem management and land use optimization. However, comprehensive discussions on the spatiotemporal variations of ESs and their relationships with land use intensity (LUI) are lacking, particularly in the context of significant climate warming. Systematic analyses of the forestry management unit scale are limited, leading to considerable uncertainty in sustainable ecosystem management, especially in alpine ecosystems of the Northern Hemisphere, where ESs have significantly degraded. The study focuses on the Daxing’anling forest area, Inner Mongolia (DFIAM), a representative sensitive alpine ecosystem and crucial ecological security barrier in Northern China. Utilizing the InVEST model, we analyzed the spatiotemporal variations in land use and four essential ESs, water yield (WY), carbon storage (CS), soil conservation (SC), and habitat quality (HQ), from 2013 to 2018. We also assessed the dynamic relationships between LUI and these ESs using a four-quadrant model. Our findings indicate the following: (1) Land use types in DFIAM remained relatively stable between 2013 and 2018, with forest being the dominant type (approximately 93%). During this period, areas of forest, cropland, impervious surfaces, and bare land increased, while areas of grassland, water, and wetland decreased. Although the overall change of LUI was gentle, a spatial pattern of “high in the southeast and low in the northwest” emerged, with low LUI areas showing slight expansion. (2) WY, SC, and HQ decreased, while CS increased from 2013 to 2018. The spatial distributions of these ESs showed higher values in the center and lower values at the edges, with forests demonstrating a strong capacity to provide multiple ESs. (3) The relationship between LUI and the four ESs from 2013 to 2018 was predominantly negative, primarily situated in Quadrant II, indicating that increased LUI inhibited ES supply capacity. Within Quadrant II, the distribution range of LUI, WY, and HQ decreased, while CS remained stable and SC increased. Furthermore, Quadrant III (positive correlation) accounted for a large proportion (19.23%~42.31%), highlighting the important role of non-anthropogenic factors in ES changes. Overall, most ESs in the DFAIM showed a decline while LUI remained relatively stable, with predominantly negative correlations between LUI and ESs. The increased LUI driven by human activities, and other non-human factors, may have contributed significantly to ES degradation. To improve ESs, we proposed implementing differentiated land use planning and management, systematic ecological protection and restoration strategies, a multi-level ecological early-warning monitoring and evaluation network, ecological corridors and buffer zones, and a collaborative management system with multiple participation. These results provide scientific guidance for the sustainable management of alpine ecosystems, enhancement of ESs, and formulation of land resource protection policies. Full article

Masson pine is a crucial species for afforestation and timber production in China; it plays an important role in mitigating global climate warming and increasing carbon sinks. Previous studies have primarily focused on the carbon sequestration potential and carbon storage of mature Masson pine plantations, while studies on the carbon footprint have received little attention. China produces hundreds of millions of seedlings annually, and estimating the carbon footprint of seedling production is crucial for assessing the carbon sink of forestry. By surveying existing Masson pine nursery operations for primary data in Guangxi, southern China, a new process-based life cycle inventory (LCI) dataset per 4 × 8 cm seedling was created, covering all stages from seed collection to the transportation of seedlings to retailers. Incorporating the new LCI data into the life cycle assessment (LCA) method, the total global warming (GW) impact of Masson pine seedlings was estimated to be 0.0232 kg CO₂eq, equivalent to 0.873 kg CO₂eq per gallon seeding. In this case, the total environmental impact of the Masson pine seedling was dominated by energy consumption (25.76%), chemical fertilizer production and N₂O emissions generated from its application (34.84%), and woven bag use in seedling dispatch (10.77%). Our results indicated that optimizing energy structures and implementing efficient water and nutrient management strategies could significantly reduce carbon emissions during seedling cultivation. This study highlights the potential for optimizing Masson pine production as a model for low-carbon forestry practices globally. Full article

Guangxi is a typical ecological resource-rich and economically underdeveloped region in China, facing the issues of uncoordinated ecological and economic development. In order to achieve a synergistic enhancement of ecological background protection and ecological value transformation, as well as to promote sustainable economic and social development, it is particularly important to clarify the spatiotemporal evolution and intrinsic influencing mechanisms of the forest ecological product value (FEPV) in Guangxi, as well as to understand their characteristics and developmental advantages. For this study, the FEPV in Guangxi was calculated based on multi-source data, its spatiotemporal evolution characteristics were analyzed, the main influencing factors of FEPV were identified using geographic detectors, and the spatial heterogeneity of the influencing factors was explored using the Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model. The results showed the following: (1) From 2010 to 2020, the total amount of FEPV in Guangxi exhibited an upward trend, with an average annual growth rate of 9.45%. Regarding the composition of the total FEPV, regulating service value contributed the most, while the supply and cultural service value had great growth potential. The spatial pattern of FEPV was “high in the north and low in the south”, with Guilin being the extreme area and Hechi and Baise being high-value areas. (2) From the single-factor detection results, the dominant factors affecting the spatial evolution of FEPV were the elevation, forestry primary output value, and annual average temperature, while the explanatory power of social factors was relatively weak. From the bivariate factor interaction detection results, the dominant combination factors were annual precipitation ∩ forest coverage, annual precipitation ∩ forestry primary output value, elevation ∩ forestry primary output value, and annual precipitation ∩ forestry primary output value, with explanatory degrees (qs) of 0.89, 0.90, 0.87, and 0.89, respectively. (3) Annual precipitation and forest coverage were positively correlated with FEPV, and the influence intensity generally increased from south to north. Population density was negatively correlated with FEPV in general, and the influence intensity showed a negative trend from the periphery to the center. The research results provide a reference for the realization of ecological product value and the green and low-carbon transformation of related industries in similar regions. Full article

Resource-exhausted cities are cities where the ratio of exploited reserves to recoverable reserves exceeds 70%. Long-term energy extraction and consumption lead to weak economic growth, idle industrial land, and ecological imbalances. It is imperative to explore sustainable development paths that are green and low-carbon. The spatial characteristics of cities and the structure of energy networks are crucial foundations for low-carbon development and energy security in cities. The main research content includes three aspects: (1) The first involves the identification of the distribution characteristics of typical resource- exhausted cities worldwide. This mainly includes coal, oil, metallurgy, forestry, and non-metallic minerals. Among them, coal resource-exhausted cities are the most numerous, mainly distributed in China, Australia, the United States, etc. (2) The second includes an analysis of the spatial characteristics of resource-exhausted cities in China. This involves taking 24 resource-exhausted prefecture-level cities in China as the research objects, integrating geographic data such as Points of Interest (POIs), and using machine learning for accurate quantitative identification and spatial delineation of urban functions. The production space and ecological space of cities show an aggregated distribution pattern, while the living space is randomly distributed. (3) The third is based on urban energy consumption data, utilizing the modified gravity model and social network analysis (SNA), and analyzing the centrality/relevance, relationship density and frequency, and accessibility. The average degree of centrality of the 17 coal-related industries is 5.529, demonstrating the energy network structure of resource-exhausted cities. This paper provides data foundations and technical methods for achieving urban energy renewal, ecosystem stability, and optimized spatial structures. Full article

The increasing challenges posed by climate change demand efficient strategies to mitigate soil degradation. Valorization of low-grade residual forestry biomass (acacia) into biochar could be used as a soil amendment strategy. A short-term incubation assay was conducted in forest soil, where the effects of biochar produced at two pyrolysis temperatures (450 °C and 550 °C) with varying particle sizes (S < 0.5 mm, M = [0.5; 3.15], L > 3.15 mm) and application rates (0, 3, 6 and 10% (w/w)) were assessed. Organic matter was analyzed through the water-soluble carbon, hot-water-extractable carbon, and microbial biomass. Microbial activity was evaluated by measuring the soil respiration and metabolic quotient. Biochar application increased the water-soluble carbon by 21 to 143% and the hot-water-extractable carbon by 27 to 137%, while decreasing the microbial biomass to 86%. The soil respiration and metabolic quotient increased in all the conditions, indicating an increase in microbial activity but low efficiency in carbon mineralization. This suggests the inefficient acclimatization of the microorganisms to biochar, lowering their ability to co-metabolize the recalcitrant carbon. Additionally, the potential adsorption of beneficial nutrients onto the biochar could have inhibited their release into the soil, hindering microbial growth. Increased biochar application rates resulted in adverse effects on microbial communities, indicating possible inhibitory effects on the soil biota. Full article