Article
Environmental Sciences
Hengkai Li, Beibei Zhou, Feng Xu, Zhian Wei
Summary: This study analyzes the spectral characteristics of reclaimed vegetation in the rare earth mining area and identifies spectral indices related to chlorophyll content. Sensitive spectral parameters are extracted and different algorithms are used to estimate chlorophyll content. The results provide a scientific basis for monitoring and managing the growth of reclaimed vegetation in rare earth mining areas and guiding ecological restoration efforts.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Eduardo Eiji Maeda, Matheus Henrique Nunes, Kim Calders, Yhasmin Mendes de Moura, Pasi Raumonen, Hanna Tuomisto, Philippe Verley, Gregoire Vincent, Gabriela Zuquim, Jose Luis Camargo
Summary: This study used high-resolution terrestrial laser scanning to assess the structural characteristics of Amazonian forest edges and found that edge effects led to decreased structural diversity and greater impact on vertical plant growth traits. These findings are important for assessing forest disturbances and understanding ecosystem changes.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Vladimir R. R. Wingate, Felicia O. O. Akinyemi, Chima J. J. Iheaturu, Chinwe Ifejika Speranza
Summary: Global tropical deforestation rates are rising, particularly in arable landscapes of West Africa where remaining forest fragments are highly fragmented. This study aims to inventory and characterize these forest patches using remote sensing, finding that while larger patches may experience more loss on average, smaller secondary forest patches persist in the landscape. Larger forest patches also harbor denser tree cover and higher trees, indicating potential resilience to human pressures.
Article
Forestry
Alison E. E. Ochs, Mike R. R. Saunders, Robert K. K. Swihart
Summary: Timber harvesting has strong effects on terrestrial salamanders, particularly clearcutting and patch cutting. Vegetation recovery and coarse woody debris protect salamanders, while declining levels of CWD and drought contribute to declines in salamander abundance. Shelterwood harvests do not lead to declines, suggesting canopy retention can prevent negative impacts.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Melissa Thomas-Van Gundy, Randall Morin
Summary: The study found changes in the relative frequencies of witness trees in historical deeds compared to the relative frequencies of tree species found in the present forests. Over time, there has been a decrease in fire-adapted species and an increase in species with high shade tolerance in the forests.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jonathan L. Batchelor, Todd M. Wilson, Michael J. Olsen, William J. Ripple
Summary: We have developed new measures of structural complexity using single point terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) point clouds. These metrics, which include depth, openness, and isovist, can accurately capture the structural complexity of forests without observer bias. They have the potential to quantify structural change in forest ecosystems, measure the effects of forest management activities, and describe habitat for organisms.
Article
Water Resources
Luis Andres Guillen, Mary Beth Adams, Emily Elliot, Jason Hubbart, Charlene Kelly, Brenden McNeil, William Peterjohn, Nicolas Zegre
Summary: Long-term experimental watershed studies, such as those conducted at the Fernow Experimental Forest (FEF), have greatly influenced our global understanding of hydrological processes. FEF, with its rich research history and abundance of long-term data, is positioned to continue advancing our understanding of forest ecosystems in a time of unprecedented change.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Mariana Batista Campos, Paula Litkey, Yunsheng Wang, Yuwei Chen, Heikki Hyyti, Juha Hyyppa, Eetu Puttonen
Summary: TLS technology is commonly used for vegetation dynamics monitoring, but its potential for monitoring long-term temporal phenomena in fully grown trees has not been fully explored. This study presents an automated and permanent TLS measurement station at a boreal forestry field station to monitor short- and long-term phenological changes.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Sarah J. Surber
Summary: The decline of the coal industry and bankruptcies of large coal companies may lead to surface coal mining states facing large-scale liabilities for unremediated coal mines. A conceptual model specific to central Appalachia and West Virginia has been developed to prioritize resources for the remediation of abandoned coal mines based on health concerns in these areas. This model, utilizing existing state data, could be cost-effective for state agencies and prospectively used for permitting new pollutant sources.
ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
C. T. Anderson, S. L. Dietz, S. M. Pokswinski, A. M. Jenkins, M. J. Kaeser, J. K. Hiers, B. D. Pelc
Summary: Terrestrial LiDAR is a promising tool for accurate and consistent forest structure measurement, showing potential to address drawbacks of traditional methods. Hybrid models combining LiDAR with traditional sampling accurately predict species richness in certain community types, indicating the technology's potential to improve forest structure-richness relationship studies.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Esther Ekua Amoakoid, James Gambiza
Summary: Understanding people’s practices, knowledge, and perceptions of fire and fire regimes can contribute to savanna conservation and sustainable management. A study in the Guinea savanna of Ghana investigated the frequency, control, and perceptions of fire use for various socio-cultural activities. The majority of respondents used fire for activities such as land preparation, pest control, and bush clearing, with the highest frequency of fire use for land preparation for cropping. Understanding traditional fire use practices and people’s knowledge of fire regimes is important for mitigating bushfires in West African savannas.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuhao Feng, Haojie Su, Zhiyao Tang, Shaopeng Wang, Xia Zhao, Heng Zhang, Chengjun Ji, Jiangling Zhu, Ping Xie, Jingyun Fang
Summary: Climate change has complex effects on terrestrial ecosystem resilience, reducing it at a local scale but increasing spatial asynchrony at a global scale. Temperature has a greater impact on vegetation resilience than precipitation, and climate mean state has a greater influence than climate variability. Climate warming has led to increased spatial asynchrony of vegetation, buffering the global-scale impacts on ecosystem resilience.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Sunni Kanta Prasad Kushwaha, Arunima Singh, Kamal Jain, Jozef Vybostok, Martin Mokros
Summary: In forestry research, Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) is an efficient tool for accurately estimating the 3D vegetation structure. This research conducted an extensive qualitative analysis to evaluate the capability and efficiency of TLS in generating canopy top points in six different scanning combinations.
ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Hannah O'Sullivan, Pasi Raumonen, Pekka Kaitaniemi, Jari Perttunen, Risto Sievanen
Summary: The combination of TLS and FSPMs provides new opportunities for studying forest ecology and evolution, and allows for scaling up from individual trees to entire forests. The ability to scan multiple trees with TLS provides detailed structural information needed for parameterizing FSPMs, while traditional techniques have limitations.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Manan Bhan, Patrick Meyfroidt, Sarah Matej, Karl-Heinz Erb, Simone Gingrich
Summary: This study estimates the global biomass carbon stocks (BCS) for the year 1950 by integrating different data sources. The results show a reduction of 8-29% in BCS in tropical subcontinents, offset partially by gains in northern subcontinents. The significance of this study lies in extending the research of global BCS accounts to the early twentieth century.
JOURNAL OF LAND USE SCIENCE
(2022)