Article
Plant Sciences
Austin Arrington
Summary: The practice of collecting wild plants occurs in urban and peri-urban communities globally, providing various benefits. Invasive plants can contribute to community economies and cultures, while also supporting ecosystem services. Collaboration between foraging communities and greenspace managers can aid in invasive species management in urban ecosystems.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xichan Ren, Patricia R. Torquato, Stefan K. Arndt
Summary: Trees in urban centers provide ecosystem services and increasing tree canopy cover is a key strategy for many cities. However, urban trees face multiple stresses, and their growth can be affected by urban density and impervious surfaces. In the City of Merri-bek, differences in urban form did not significantly influence tree canopy growth and all species showed similar expansion rates. Smaller trees had a greater relative increase in canopy, while larger trees had a greater absolute growth. Protecting and maintaining older and larger trees is important for achieving canopy expansion.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Kathleen Coupland, Juliana Magalhaes, Verena C. Griess
Summary: Applied educational opportunities in forestry undergraduate curricula are critical for students to gain hands-on experience and real-world skills. Local urban forests provide an ideal setting for teaching, reducing time, costs, and logistics. Connecting forestry learning objectives with urban forest types helps identify key locations for effective forestry education.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Zhi-Yun Jiang, Qiu-Ying Zhi, John T. Van Stan, Si-Yi Zhang, Yi-Hua Xiao, Xiao-Ying Chen, Xiao Yang, Hou-Yun Zhou, Zhong-Min Hu, Hua-Wu Wu
Summary: Rainwater is altered as it passes through tree canopies, with different tree species showing variations in partitioning of rainfall and solute composition. The study found that rainwater enriched with solutes after passing through the canopy, and different tree species had different characteristics in terms of leaching and absorption of solutes. These findings have significant implications for urban forest design in similar subtropical regions worldwide.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Andrew K. Koeser, Richard J. Hauer, Erin E. Downey, Deborah R. Hilbert, Drew C. McLean, Michael G. Andreu, Robert J. Northrop
Summary: Many cities actively manage urban trees to maximize environmental and social benefits. A recent state statute in Florida limits local government oversight of trees on private residential properties, which could impact urban forest governance. Despite this, some cities are making changes to comply with the new law, while others are investing more in urban forest management activities.
Article
Plant Sciences
Camille C. Pawlak, Natalie L. R. Love, Jennifer M. Yost, G. Andrew Fricker, Jacqueline M. Doremus, Matt K. Ritter
Summary: California's urban forest is a mix of native and non-native species, with a limited number of native species. Protecting urban forests and increasing native tree diversity becomes more crucial as climate change intensifies.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Eden F. Clymire-Stern, Richard J. Hauer, Deborah R. Hilbert, Andrew K. Koeser, Dan Buckler, Laura Buntrock, Eric Larsen, Nilesh Timilsina, Les P. Werner
Summary: There are differences between human intelligence and artificial intelligence in estimating urban tree canopy, with human intelligence providing higher estimates. Artificial intelligence methods commonly rely on training data, and regional variations in training may result in differences in results. Urban tree canopy increased during the specified time period.
Article
Ecology
Julissa Rojas-Sandoval, James D. D. Ackerman, Humfredo Marcano-Vega, Michael R. R. Willig
Summary: Understanding the role of alien species in forest communities and their interaction with native species is crucial for invasion ecology and resource management. Alien species negatively affect the diversity and abundance of native species, and generally exhibit stronger competitiveness than natives.
Article
Forestry
Helena L. Mueller, J. Davis Goode, Justin L. Hart
Summary: Gap-scale disturbances play an important role in successional and structural development patterns in forest ecosystems. In this study, the biophysical characteristics of canopy gaps in a Pinus palustris woodland were quantified to analyze gap-scale disturbance patterns and processes. The majority of gaps were caused by the death of a single tree, with snag-formed gaps being the most common. Most gaps were projected to close through lateral crown expansion of surrounding trees.
Article
Horticulture
Marko Kebert, Sasa Kostic, Milena Raseta, Dejan V. Stojanovic, Srdan Stojnic, Sasa Orlovic
Summary: Urban heat islands (UHIs) and global warming can negatively affect human health, especially in urban areas. This study focuses on understanding the mechanisms of tree species' adaptation to UHIs by analyzing the variability of polyamines (PAs). The results show that different tree species have varying levels of polyamines, total phenolics, and antioxidant capacity in urban areas. This information can be used to select adaptable tree species for urban climate-smart forestry.
Article
Plant Sciences
M. Howard, J. M. Hathaway, R. A. Tirpak, W. A. Lisenbee, S. Sims
Summary: Urban stormwater is a significant factor in the degradation of surface water in the United States. To address this issue, cities are investing in green infrastructure to capture, store, and release runoff naturally. This study focuses on the often-ignored urban tree canopy as an integral part of green infrastructure, specifically in terms of rainfall interception. The research was conducted in three parks in Knoxville, TN, USA, using nine trees from three native species commonly found in urban areas. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of different tree species in intercepting rainfall, with white pines performing consistently well throughout the seasons.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Thomas A. Ruggles, John A. Gerrath, Catherine T. Ruhm, Anne J. Jefferson, Chris A. Davis, Christopher B. Blackwood
Summary: Passive restoration techniques rely on natural plant community succession, but the establishment of native plants in highly degraded soil and competition with invasive species can affect restoration outcomes. Evaluation of three former surface mines showed that native woody plants struggle to establish while invasive species thrive, raising doubts about achieving the desired outcome of a native species forest in significantly degraded habitats through passive management succession.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Joe R. McBride
Summary: This commentary reviews the significant contributions made by China in the development of urban forests and research on urban forests. It highlights the importance of China's Forest Law (adopted in 1984) in establishing urban forests in the country. Unique Chinese concepts such as Sponge Cities and Forest Cities are discussed, along with examples of the contributions made by Chinese scholars to our understanding of urban forestry.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Shikha Uniyal Gairola, Rajesh Bahuguna, Siddharth Shankar Bhatt
Summary: The COVID-19 epidemic, food and water insecurity, and the climate emergency have had a significant impact globally. Protecting and sustainably managing ecosystems is crucial, but restoring devastated ecosystems is also necessary. The restoration of degraded mined areas through native plant species plantation is an effective tool for achieving ecological balance.
JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Eleonora Franceschi, Astrid Moser-Reischl, Martin Honold, Mohammad Asrafur Rahman, Hans Pretzsch, Stephan Pauleit, Thomas Roetzer
Summary: The study revealed that urban trees are affected by urbanization with varying degrees of drought tolerance. Among them, Robinia pseudoacacia and Platanus x acerifolia are less affected by urbanization and show the highest drought tolerance in urban environments.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Motomu Toda, Kazuki Doi, Masae I. Ishihara, Wakana A. Azuma, Masayuki Yokozawa
ECOLOGICAL MODELLING
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Linying Zhang, Yui Oyake, Yukihiro Morimoto, Hideyuki Niwa, Shozo Shibata
LANDSCAPE AND ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ikuyo Saeki, Shigeru Niwa, Noriyuki Osada, Wakana Azuma, Tsutom Hiura
Article
Ecology
Chikae Tatsumi, Wakana A. Azuma, Yuya Ogawa, Natsuki Komada
Summary: Canopy soils on large trees are crucial for supporting canopy plants and increasing biodiversity. Despite differences in soil properties and microbial communities between canopy and ground soils, canopy soils can still provide available nitrogen for plants through functional redundancy within microbial communities.
Article
Ecology
Mai Kamakura, Kenji Tsuruta, Wakan A. Azuma, Yoshiko Kosugi
Summary: The study on a 60-year-old Japanese cypress tree showed that water stored in the stem and foliage is withdrawn in the morning before water uptake from the soil, and recharged in the evening. There was a distinct time lag in both sap flow rates and water potential between the basal and upper portions of the stem in the morning and evening. Although stem water storage contributed only about 5% of daily transpiration, the hydraulic architecture of C. obtusa may maintain water transport efficiency on the outermost layer of the canopy with high transpiration demand.
Article
Forestry
Kureha F. Suzuki, Yuta Kobayashi, Rupert Seidl, Cornelius Senf, Shinichi Tatsumi, Dai Koide, Wakana A. Azuma, Motoki Higa, Tomoyo F. Koyanagi, Shenhua Qian, Yuji Kusano, Ryota Matsubayashi, Akira S. Mori
Summary: The study in Shiretoko National Park, Japan found that the presence of the alien tree species Larix kaempferi can protect native species from wind disturbance and promote the abundance of native saplings and seedlings under excessive browsing pressure. Although no invasive characteristics were observed, the positive impact of Larix kaempferi on the regeneration of native tree species suggests that existing alien species have the potential to act as nurse plants and contribute to natural forest restoration in the short-term.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Wakana A. Azuma, Natsuki Komada, Yuya Ogawa, Hiroaki Ishii, Akira Nakanishi, Yuiko Noguchi, Mamoru Kanzaki
Summary: The study investigated canopy vascular plants hosted on a large Cercidiphyllum japonicum tree in a temperate old-growth forest in Japan. It found that the canopy plant community was diverse, including accidental and obligate epiphytes, and that some species could escape deer over-browsing by establishing in the canopy. Canopy plants had higher nitrogen concentration and water-use efficiency compared to ground plants.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ayaka Sakabe, Kenshi Takahashi, Wakana Azuma, Masayuki Itoh, Makiko Tateishi, Yoshiko Kosugi
Summary: Tree-mediated methane emissions are influenced by seasonal variations, with dissolved CH4 concentration in groundwater being the major controlling factor. Soil environmental conditions and tree physiological processes also play a role in determining stem CH4 fluxes.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Ayumi Mizutani, Wakana A. Azuma, Mikoto Kaneko, Shuhei Matsuyama
Summary: This study compared the canopy shoot growth, understory aboveground plant biomass, and soil nutrient and moisture between protected and exposed areas to investigate the effects of modification of the understory and soil environments on canopy tree growth. The results showed that canopy shoot growth in the exposed area was reduced compared to the protected area. Soil water content was significantly correlated with canopy shoot growth, but further research is needed to confirm the effect of soil moisture on canopy shoot growth.
JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Wakana A. Azuma, Kiyosada Kawai, Tomoko Tanabe, Ryo Nakahata, Tsutom Hiura
Summary: The study examines the variation in leaf and whole-tree traits of Japanese cedar trees with different geographical variations, demonstrating that whole-tree properties play a key role in regulating the growth characteristics of adult trees, rather than leaf properties. The research also finds that organ-level resource use strategies are coupled with each other, and the hydraulic architecture at the whole-tree level is linked to leaf distribution and water transport capacity, leading to differences in growth characteristics among different geographic origins.
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kenshi Takahashi, Ayaka Sakabe, Wakana A. Azuma, Masayuki Itoh, Tomoya Imai, Yasuki Matsumura, Makiko Tateishi, Yoshiko Kosugi
Summary: This study explored the mechanism of methane emission from the stem surfaces of Alnus japonica in a riparian wetland. The researchers found that stem methane emission included a component dependent on sap flux for diurnal changes and a component independent of sap flux for background continuous emissions, with the contribution ratios of the two processes varying with the season. Root anatomy analysis indicated that the intercellular space of the cortex and empty xylem cells in fine roots played important roles in methane transport.
Article
Forestry
Naoto Kawata, Takahiko Yoshioka, Kana Hotta, Wakana Aoi Azuma, H. Roaki Ishii
Summary: The risk of arrested or diverted succession in unmanaged, secondary forests in Japan is influenced by human activities and the proximity to climax forests. Over the past 15 years, species composition and stand structure of the abandoned secondary forest have changed in accordance with the normal course of succession, but it may take several more decades to reach late-successional composition and structure due to legacy effects of past management.
JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Shinichi Tatsumi, Takayuki Ohgue, Wakana A. Azuma, Keita Nishizawa
Summary: Bark traits of trees play a crucial role in determining the community structure of epiphytes. The roughness and acidity of bark affect the species richness and phylogenetic diversity of moss communities, while the assembly process of liverwort communities is closely related to bark traits. The nitrogen content of bark is positively associated with the species richness of both mosses and liverworts.
Article
Forestry
Wakana A. Azuma, Mai Kamakura, Hikari Yahara, Koichi Takahashi, Naoki Makita
Summary: This study analyzed the water relations differences between deciduous and evergreen trees in alpine treelines, finding that different tree species rely on specific physiological characteristics to adapt to the alpine treeline environment.
JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2023)
Proceedings Paper
Plant Sciences
W. A. Azuma, Y. Kosugi, K. Tsuruta, M. Lion
XI INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON SAP FLOW
(2020)