Article
Ecology
Elle J. Bowd, David P. Blair, David B. Lindenmayer
Summary: This passage discusses the impact of large-scale, high-intensity wildfires on the recovery of plant communities in Mountain Ash and Alpine Ash forests in southeastern Australia, highlighting how prior disturbances and stand age can influence the successional dynamics of forest vegetation.
Review
Ecology
D. C. Romualdi, S. L. Wilkinson, P. M. A. James
Summary: This meta-analysis aims to summarize available evidence regarding mountain pine beetle (MPB) and wildfire interactions, and identify environmental and methodological indicators associated with various wildfire responses. The study found that spatial scale, forest fuels, and weather are the main drivers of variation in wildfire response post-outbreak. These findings are crucial for wildfire and forest management agencies, especially in forests newly exposed to this disturbance interaction.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fabrina Bolzan Martins, Rafael Bitencourt Benassi, Roger Rodrigues Torres, Francisco Agustinho de Brito Neto
Summary: This study analyzed the impact of global warming on water availability in South America, finding that most regions will face water deficits, particularly impacting Eucalyptus plantations. Only a few regions in South America will not suffer from water shortages and will have less impact on Eucalyptus plantations. Urgent and effective adaptation measures are needed for the forestry industry.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Elle Bowd, Wade Blanchard, Lachlan McBurney, David Lindenmayer
Summary: This study found that multiple stand-replacing disturbances in Australian montane-ash forests resulted in reduced species richness and functional dispersion of avifauna, as well as negative impacts on the number of hollow-bearing trees. However, it also identified ecological interactions, such as declines in hollow-bearing trees negatively impacting arboreal marsupial richness. Additionally, disturbance-induced increases in understory plant richness had positive impacts on avian richness, mitigating some of the direct disturbance impacts.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yue Cheng, Peng Luo, Hao Yang, Honglin Li, Chuan Luo, Honghong Jia, Yu Huang
Summary: This study analyzed 232 studies and 1702 observations to investigate the effects of fire on forest soil carbon pools. The results showed that fires significantly increased the mean effect sizes of several key soil carbon cycling components. However, the effects of fire varied widely between environmental factors and duration, and were mediated by factors such as tree species and soil layer. The study emphasized the importance of region-specific fire management plans and provided insights into soil carbon cycling responses to fire in forest ecosystems.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Victor Resco de Dios, Javier Hedo, Angel Cunill Camprubi, Prakash Thapa, Edurne Martinez del Castillo, Juan Martinez de Aragon, Jose Antonio Bonet, Rodrigo Balaguer-Romano, Ruben Diaz-Sierra, Marta Yebra, Matthias M. Boer
Summary: Fuel moisture plays a crucial role in wildfire occurrence in forest areas worldwide, with climate change potentially impacting moisture constraints. Research conducted in pine stands in Catalonia, NE Spain, revealed significant spatial variations in fuel moisture, influenced by vapor pressure deficit and the Aridity Index. Summer burned area in the Mediterranean forests of Northeast Spain and Southern France was found to be strongly dependent on vapor pressure deficit, indicating a potential increase in burned area with projected climate aridity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
James M. Furlaud, Lynda D. Prior, Grant J. Williamson, David M. J. S. Bowman
Summary: The study found that fire activity in Australian TWEF is limited by climatic constraints, with high-severity fire more likely in warmer, drier regions. This vulnerability to climate change raises concern for TWEF's ability to recover from disturbance in a warmer world. The occurrence of both low- and high-severity fire means the fire regimes of TWEF are best described as mixed severity.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
James B. Innes, Jeffrey J. Blackford
Summary: Forest succession can be monitored in the present, modelled for the future, and reconstructed in the past using palaeo-ecological techniques. Pollen data from longer-term records can show changes over centennial and millennial timescales, while knowledge of post-disturbance seral stages of woodland regeneration can provide insights into short-term decadal timescales.
Article
Environmental Sciences
M. Torre Jorgenson, Dana R. N. Brown, Chris A. Hiemstra, Helene Genet, Bruce G. Marcot, Richard J. Murphy, Thomas A. Douglas
Summary: By analyzing historical data and photo interpretation, we assessed the changes in ecotypes in central Alaska. Fire was found to be the primary driver, affecting 46.5% of the region. The increasing area of thermokarst is projected to have significant impacts on future ecotype distributions.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qiwen Hu, Tingting Li, Xi Deng, Tongwen Wu, Panmao Zhai, Danqing Huang, Xingwang Fan, Yakun Zhu, Yongcheng Lin, Xiucheng Xiao, Xianyan Chen, Xiaosong Zhao, Lili Wang, Zhangcai Qin
Summary: Earth system models have been widely used to simulate global terrestrial carbon fluxes, including gross primary production (GPP) and net primary production (NPP). This study evaluated the model performance of 22 ESMs participating in the CMIP5 and CMIP6 projects, finding that the multi-model ensembles (MME) outperformed individual models in simulating GPP and NPP. Despite improvements in CMIP6 compared to CMIP5, there is still much work needed to enhance the performance of individual ESMs and the overall CMIP. Future work should focus on more comprehensive model mechanisms and higher resolution coupling of land surface and atmospheric/oceanic schemes.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yingtong Zhang, Curtis E. Woodcock, Shijuan Chen, Jonathan A. Wang, Damien Sulla-Menashe, Zhenpeng Zuo, Pontus Olofsson, Yetianjian Wang, Mark A. Friedl
Summary: The arctic and boreal biomes are undergoing changes in disturbance events due to increasing temperatures. The study used the CCDC algorithm to analyze Landsat observations and map causes of disturbance such as fire, logging, and pest damage. Disturbance rates due to logging remained constant while fires were more episodic, and insect damage was highest between 2005 and 2010.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Ashley M. Matheny
Summary: Vegetation dynamically responds to local microclimates, influencing carbon, water, and energy cycles. Differences in microclimate can induce structural and functional acclimations within ecosystems, highlighting the importance of comprehensive analyses of vegetation in its environment.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
David Lindenmayer, Elle Bowd, Lachlan McBurney
Summary: Birds are high profile elements in terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Studies have shown declines in bird biodiversity, with different temporal patterns of change among ecosystems. Long-term studies are crucial for identifying drivers of change in bird biodiversity.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Juli G. Pausas, Jon E. Keeley
Summary: Wildfires occur when fire thresholds are crossed, and anomalous weather events may enhance the likelihood and spread of wildfires. Climate change increases the frequency with which some thresholds are crossed, but other factors like altered ignition patterns and fuel structures also play a significant role in global fire-regime changes. The size of a fire ultimately depends on the duration of fire weather and the availability of continuous fuels in the landscape.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zhangwen Su, Lujia Zheng, Sisheng Luo, Mulualem Tigabu, Futao Guo
Summary: Wildfires in the tropics are mainly driven by meteorological factors and human activities. Inland Xishuangbanna wildfires are primarily influenced by meteorological factors, while wildfires in the coastal Leizhou Peninsula are more affected by human activities.
Article
Forestry
Christopher J. Weston, Julian Di Stefano, Samuel Hislop, Liubov Volkova
Summary: Climate change is expanding the wildfire-burnt areas in seasonally dry forests worldwide, prompting a need for revising management strategies. Prescribed burning and mechanical thinning are effective in reducing wildfire risk, with the latter being less commonly used in Australia. The study shows that managing fuel load through thinning and prescribed burning can significantly decrease wildfire severity and risk.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
James S. Gould, Andrew L. Sullivan
Summary: The research focused on the initial growth of wildfires in dry eucalypt forests and analyzed the impact of different ignition patterns, wind speeds, and fuel moisture content on fire spread rates. By fitting the results to theoretical models, the study aims to improve operational response to wildfire outbreaks and planning of ignition patterns for prescribed burning.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WILDLAND FIRE
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Miguel G. Cruz, N. Phillip Cheney, James S. Gould, W. Lachlan McCaw, Musa Kilinc, Andrew L. Sullivan
Summary: Developing a reliable and accurate model for the speed of wildfire propagation is crucial for timely prediction and devising suppression strategies. The empirical model derived in this study for eucalypt forests incorporates various environmental variables and shows mean absolute percentage errors between 35 and 46% against the data used for its development.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WILDLAND FIRE
(2022)
Correction
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mohsen Malehmir, Dominik Pfister, Suchira Gallage, Marta Szydlowska, Donato Inverso, Elena Kotsiliti, Valentina Leone, Moritz Peiseler, Bas G. J. Surewaard, Dominik Rath, Adnan Ali, Monika Julia Wolf, Hannah Drescher, Marc E. Healy, Daniel Dauch, Daniela Kroy, Oliver Krenkel, Marlene Kohlhepp, Thomas Engleitner, Alexander Olkus, Tjeerd Sijmonsma, Julia Volz, Carsten Deppermann, David Stegner, Patrick Helbling, Cesar Nombela-Arrieta, Anahita Rafiei, Martina Hinterleitner, Marcel Rall, Florian Baku, Oliver Borst, Caroline L. Wilson, Jack Leslie, Tracy O'Connor, Christopher J. Weston, Abhishek Chauhan, David H. Adams, Lozan Sheriff, Ana Teijeiro, Marco Prinz, Ruzhica Bogeska, Natasha Anstee, Malte N. Bongers, Mike Notohamiprodjo, Tobias Geisler, Dominic J. Withers, Jerry Ware, Derek A. Mann, Hellmut G. Augustin, Alexandros Vegiopoulos, Michael D. Milsom, Adam J. Rose, Patricia F. Lalor, Josep M. Llovet, Roser Pinyol, Frank Tacke, Roland Rad, Matthias Matter, Nabil Djouder, Paul Kubes, Percy A. Knolle, Kristian Unger, Lars Zender, Bernhard Nieswandt, Meinrad Gawaz, Achim Weber, Mathias Heikenwalder
Article
Environmental Sciences
Inggit Lolita Sari, Christopher J. Weston, Glenn J. Newnham, Liubov Volkova
Summary: Indonesia has been facing significant deforestation in recent years, mainly due to the expansion of oil palm and rubber plantations. Accurate land cover maps are crucial for policymakers to track and manage land change effectively. This study developed discrimination indices using a combination of optical and radar images, resulting in improved accuracy in distinguishing between native forest and oil palm and rubber plantations. The new mapping method achieved an overall accuracy of 92% and will support Indonesia's forest monitoring system.
Review
Ecology
Miro Demol, Hans Verbeeck, Bert Gielen, John Armston, Andrew Burt, Mathias Disney, Laura Duncanson, Jan Hackenberg, Daniel Kukenbrink, Alvaro Lau, Pierre Ploton, Artie Sewdien, Atticus Stovall, Stephane Momo Takoudjou, Liubov Volkova, Christopher Weston, Verginia Wortel, Kim Calders
Summary: Improving global monitoring of above-ground biomass is crucial for effective forest management in mitigating climate change. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data has been developed to estimate above-ground biomass, addressing uncertainties in current methods. A global dataset of TLS scanned and destructively measured trees was assembled, showing close agreement between TLS-derived values and destructive measurements. However, smaller trees and conifers had below-average performances. TLS estimates of above-ground biomass were more accurate than allometric scaling models, especially for larger trees. Further efforts are needed to understand and constrain TLS error sources for better accuracy. TLS-calibrated models can be a powerful tool for scaling above-ground biomass with less effort compared to destructive harvesting.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Wahyu Catur Adinugroho, Lilik Budi Prasetyo, Cecep Kusmana, Haruni Krisnawati, Christopher J. Weston, Liubov Volkova
Summary: Understanding the recovery of forest carbon stocks and biodiversity after fire is crucial for effective climate change mitigation. This study found that 23 years after a fire, the forest had not fully recovered in terms of carbon stocks and species diversity compared to an unburned reference forest. The total carbon stock in the recovering forest was 90% of the unburned forest, with the main contribution coming from coarse woody debris and an increase in soil organic carbon. The live biomass carbon in the recovering forest was just over half of the reference forest's carbon. It would take about 46 years for the aboveground biomass to fully recover. The post-fire forest had fewer plant species compared to the unburned reference forest and was dominated by pioneer species.
Article
Forestry
Liubov Volkova, Haruni Krisnawati, Muhammad A. Qirom, Wahyu C. Adinugroho, Rinaldi Imanuddin, Freddy Jontara Hutapea, Michael A. McCarthy, Julian Di Stefano, Christopher J. Weston
Summary: Tropical peat swamp forests are home to diverse plant communities and endangered species. Disturbances such as drainage, logging, and fire threaten these forests. The recovery of tree species from these threats is still not well understood. A study in Central Borneo found that after two to three decades, the richness and diversity of tree species in regenerating peat swamp forests reached similar levels to relatively undisturbed reference forests. However, across landscapes, fires occurring every 50 or 100 years can significantly reduce tree species richness and diversity. The study also identified two groups of tree species, "decreasers" and "increasers," that drove the difference in richness and diversity between disturbed and reference forests.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Inggit Lolita Sari, Christopher J. Weston, Glenn J. Newnham, Liubov Volkova
Summary: A series of land cover maps distinguishing native forest from plantations were developed using multisource remote sensing in Kalimantan. The study found that nearly half of the native forests in the area were converted to non-forest or oil palm and rubber plantations over 18 years. The highest losses occurred between 2015 and 2016, and degraded or cleared forests were converted to oil palm plantations. However, significant forest regrowth was detected in degraded peatland.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DIGITAL EARTH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Liubov Volkova, Keryn Paul, Stephen H. Roxburgh, Christopher J. Weston
Summary: Climate change has led to increased fire severity and extent in Australia's temperate Eucalyptus forests. The wildfires in 2019-2020 resulted in tree mortality and carbon loss, impacting future carbon storage.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
N. C. Surawski, A. L. Sullivan, S. H. Roxburgh, C. P. Mick Meyer, P. J. Polglase
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Inggit Lolita Sari, Christopher J. Weston, Glenn J. Newnham, Liubov Volkova
Summary: This study used the weighted normalised likelihood-markov chain model (WNL-MC) to estimate the vulnerability of tropical forests in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Predictions were based on land cover maps for 2010 and 2014, showing that native forests are at risk of significant loss in the next 30 years, especially in areas without forest conservation measures. The findings highlight the importance of policies to preserve and conserve remaining native forest areas.
REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS-SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)