Article
Forestry
Brice B. Hanberry, Jonathan M. Stober, Don C. Bragg
Summary: Longleaf pine used to dominate the coastal plains of the southeastern United States, but due to overcutting, land clearing, and other silvicultural influences, its population has significantly declined and been replaced by other pine and oak species.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Oliver Floerl, Javier Atalah, Ana B. Bugnot, Mitchell Chandler, Katherine A. Dafforn, Lisa Floerl, Anastasija Zaiko, Robert Major
Summary: The study reveals that over half of the coastlines associated with 30 global urban centres have been replaced by coastal infrastructure, with a projected 50-76% expansion over the next 25 years. The extent of coastal hardening is influenced by various predictor variables related to shipping, boating, regional economies, populations, and coastline length.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hiroyuki Torita, Yoshiya Igarashi, Norio Tanaka
Summary: Coastal forests have both positive and negative effects on tsunamis and people. The effectiveness of fluid force reduction and tree damage in various forest management types depends on the estimated tsunami height. Sparse and middle management types are more suitable for preventing trunk breakage. Therefore, forest management should consider the estimated tsunami height for each region.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Reid Heaton, Bo Song, Thomas Williams, William Conner, Zachary Baucom, Brian Williams
Summary: The purpose of this study was to monitor species compositional shifts and structural changes in several forest types following Hurricane Hugo's destruction. Forty-two forested plots were monitored within four study areas that received varying degrees of hurricane damage. The objectives were to compare the recovery speed of different forest types, understand the effect of hurricane damage on forest recovery, and compare individual species response across different forest types and levels of initial damage.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Burak Guneralp, Xunwei Xu, Weiying Lin
Summary: The study analyzed the impact of a new airport and highway system on forest habitats in the northern Istanbul metropolitan region. The new transportation infrastructure significantly altered forest habitats, leading to a loss of forest cover and decrease in core forest habitats. Changes in spatial patterns were observed, highlighting the importance of integrating ecological conservation into planning and reforming governance structures to address degradation trends.
REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michelle Nordkvist, Stephanie Jonsson, Mats Jonsell, Maartje Johanna Klapwijk
Summary: This study explored the impact of dead wood removal and addition on arthropod diversity, abundance, and predation rates in managed pine forest stands in Sweden. The results showed that the addition of dead wood did not have any effect on arthropod abundance, diversity, or predation rates. However, the study suggests that dead wood may still play an important role in promoting biodiversity and pest control for generalist arthropods.
Article
Ecology
Ethan J. Royal, Daniel U. Greene, Darren A. Miller, John D. Willson
Summary: Degradation of longleaf pine savanna has led to a decline in endemic reptiles and amphibians. Private managed pine forests have replaced much of the historical longleaf pine savanna. Our study in northwestern Louisiana found that these managed pine forests can support diverse herpetofaunal assemblages, especially open-pine-associated species. Maintaining open-canopy conditions on sandy, upland soils is crucial for supporting biodiversity in working pine landscapes in the western Gulf Coastal Plain.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Craig D. Marshall, John C. Maerz, Angela L. Larsen-Gray, Michael J. Chamberlain, James A. Martin
Summary: Private working forest landscapes play a vital role in providing habitat for the gopher tortoise. This study found that proximity to permanently open areas and areas with suitable soils were the main factors influencing resource selection by adult tortoises. However, more research is needed to understand tortoise recruitment in private working pine forest landscapes.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
X. W. Lou, Y. H. Weng, L. M. Fang, H. L. Gao, J. Grogan, I. K. Hung, B. P. Oswald
Summary: The study utilized gradient boosting and random forests to predict loblolly pine plantations, with gradient boosting models showing higher accuracy than random forest models, effectively predicting future stand attributes.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Federico Riva, Caroline J. Martin, Koreen Millard, Lenore Fahrig
Summary: Research shows that small forest patches are more valuable for biodiversity conservation compared to large forest patches, but current policies prioritize the protection of large forest patches. The study also reveals a global trend of higher deforestation rates in small forest patches than in large ones, indicating a disproportionate impact on biodiversity relative to the total forest area removed. Addressing this issue and achieving the goals of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework will require policy revision and increased societal awareness of the importance of small habitat patches.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Pawel Przybylski, Vasyl Mohytych, Pawel Rutkowski, Anna Tereba, Lukasz Tyburski, Kateryna Fyalkowska
Summary: This study was conducted in two national parks in Poland to gather empirical data on ecosystem response to external stresses. The results indicate that differences in stand health are mainly related to factors such as stand age and environmental conditions. Genetic diversity and the number of alleles forming the genetic pool play a crucial role in determining the health status of different tree populations.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joseph D. DiBattista, Ashley M. Fowler, Indiana J. Riley, Sally Reader, Amanda Hay, Kerryn Parkinson, Jean-Paul A. Hobbs
Summary: This study used environmental DNA metabarcoding to examine temporal and spatial changes in the aquatic community of Manly Lagoon in eastern Australia. The results showed seasonal differences in fish and macroinvertebrate community composition, as well as species richness, which were correlated with environmental parameters. The study also identified migratory fish species of management importance that contributed significantly to the overall patterns observed.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Chuchen Wu, Chengyi Tu, Zhengyu Wang, Jingjing Fan, Zhenglin Lv, Ying Fan
Summary: Clearing diseased wood has various effects on soil, including changing soil characteristics, promoting the recovery of acidic soil, altering soil texture, reducing soil temperature and moisture, as well as modifying soil nutrient and salt content.
Article
Forestry
LeeAnn Haaf, Salli F. Dymond, Danielle A. Kreeger
Summary: The rise in sea level is causing increased flood frequencies in coastal forests, leading to retreat, ghost forest formation, and migration of coastal marshes. Variability in tree growth responses to tidal water levels relative to other environmental factors was observed, with significant correlations found at each site. Spatially-dependent coastal flooding exposure affects low and high elevation trees differently, with some sites showing slower growth in low elevation trees during high water levels, while others show faster growth, indicating potential temporary influences on tree growth in low-lying areas.
Article
Forestry
Anna Jankowiak, Bartlomiej Goldyn, Mateusz Rawlik, Rafal Bernard
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the impact of introducing Scots Pine on the mesofauna of the forest floor in Central European oak-hornbeam forests, particularly focusing on terrestrial gastropods. The presence of pine trees was found to significantly reduce the abundance and diversity of gastropods, leading to an overall negative effect on the gastropod assemblage in the long term. A multifactorial combination of habitat factors, including herb layer cover, moisture, fertility, calcium content in the soil, and insolation, was identified as significant in shaping the gastropod community structure. This highlights the importance of considering both macro- and micro-level environmental factors for biodiversity management in forests.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)