Article
Forestry
Wade A. Wall, Matthew G. Hohmann, Michael G. Just, William A. Hoffmann
Summary: The study developed a model using Landsat satellite imagery and a Random Forest (RF) machine learning algorithm to identify burned areas and estimate fire history for Fort Bragg, NC from 1991 to 2019. Results showed that the model, compared to a continental U.S. dataset, was able to capture the reduced fire frequency in wetlands, providing a novel approach for estimating local fire frequency for plant species in the area.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Savannah L. Bartel, John L. Orrock
Summary: This study found that past agricultural land use and present fire regime can modify the effects of mammalian herbivory on plant communities. Land-use history significantly affected the composition of deer-preferred species, while large-mammal herbivory only impacted plant species richness in woodlands with low fire frequencies.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
L. Mike Conner, Angela Holland, Gail Morris
Summary: Longleaf pine forests, as one of the most fire-dependent forest types, have received conservation and restoration emphasis due to the loss and fragmentation. Prescribed fires are important for maintaining habitat for small mammals, but the return intervals of fires have species-specific effects on small mammal abundances. Manipulating fire return intervals can be a promising tool for managing the relative abundance of small mammals and other wildlife.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Devin A. Edmonds, Elizabeth M. Bach, Andrea L. Colton, Izabelle S. Jaquet, Ethan J. Kessler, Michael J. Dreslik
Summary: Fire is an important tool for maintaining prairie ecosystems, but it can also cause wildlife mortality. Turtles are particularly at risk. A study found that turtle activity can be predicted based on air temperature, and prescribed burns should be conducted at specific temperature thresholds to reduce turtle mortality risk.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Haley M. W. Ritger, Steven T. Brantley, Kier D. Klepzig, Kamal J. K. Gandhi
Summary: This study assessed the effects of various fire regimes on bark and root-feeding beetles in a longleaf pine ecosystem. The results showed that interactions between soil properties, stand conditions, and fire regimes can have differential impacts on the catches of these beetles.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Sam Fox, Melanie K. Taylor, Mac Callaham Jr, Ari Jumpponen
Summary: This study investigated the impact of different fire frequencies on soil systems and found that only the A horizon was significantly affected by the prescribed fire interval manipulation. The richness and composition of microbial communities in the A horizon differed between the burned treatments and the unburned control. Soil chemistry changes were also observed in the A horizon, with higher levels of certain nutrients in the burned treatments compared to the fire exclusion treatment. The results indicate that long-term changes in fire frequencies can induce shifts in the soil microbial community.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Lukas Magee, Karun Pandit, Stephen Luke Flory, Raelene M. Crandall, Eben N. Broadbent, Gabriel A. Prata, Whalen Dillon, Stephanie Bohlman, Daniel J. Johnson
Summary: This study investigates the mechanisms of plant establishment in disturbance-dominated ecosystems using longleaf pine as an example. The research findings suggest that fire temperature is influenced by the basal area of surrounding longleaf pine and oak density. The survival of longleaf pine varies across different life stages and is affected by the density of neighboring plants.
Article
Forestry
Daniel K. Brethauer, Ajay Sharma, Jason G. Vogel, Deborah L. Miller, Edzard van Santen
Summary: Restoration of longleaf pine forests is a key land management goal in the southern United States, and fire is an important ecological factor for these forests. Longleaf pine seedlings exhibit high resistance and resilience to fire intensity in different seasons, with some vulnerability to high-intensity summer fires.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Natalie R. Harris, William D. Gulsby, Robert A. Gitzen, Christopher A. Lepczyk
Summary: Longleaf pine forests in the southeastern United States have been the focus of restoration efforts for the past two decades, with limited success measurement. A program designed to assist private landowners with longleaf pine planting has shown inadequate conditions for species like the Bachman's Sparrow. While the stands are providing suitable habitat for some declining species, more stringent requirements and assistance may be needed to ensure success in providing habitat for all grassland birds.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Steven Cabrera, Heather D. Alexander, John L. Willis, Christopher J. Anderson
Summary: Anthropogenic fire exclusion has led to shifts in forest composition and structure, resulting in the encroachment of shade-tolerant species and fire-sensitive species in forest ecosystems. To restore fire-dependent mixed pine and oak forests, additional management techniques such as chemical and mechanical treatments are often combined with prescribed fire. In degraded pine-oak mixtures, thinning the midstory reduces fuel loads and canopy cover but has no statistical impact on fire behavior.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
J. L. Willis, H. J. Renninger, D. K. Schnake, H. D. Alexander
Summary: Recent reports challenge the traditional belief that hardwood trees inhibit the regeneration of longleaf pine seedlings. An experiment was conducted in North Carolina, USA to examine the effects of hardwood retention duration, overstory basal area, and understory vegetation cover on longleaf pine seedlings. The results showed that hardwood retention did not facilitate longleaf pine survival and development, and the competition from the overstory had a stronger negative effect compared to the midstory hardwoods.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Dean K. Jue, Andrew C. Merwin, Sally Short Jue, Dave McElveen, Brian D. Inouye
Summary: Maintaining fire-dependent habitat for species of conservation concern requires balancing the short-term costs of direct mortality caused by fires and the long-term benefits of high-quality habitat. To reduce risk to threatened populations, land managers may need to adjust burn frequency and avoid burning during sensitive life stages of species.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2022)
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
Forestry
Stephen K. Ruswick, Joseph J. O'Brien, Doug P. Aubrey
Summary: In the Southeastern United States, the function and stability of pine ecosystems are dependent on frequent low-intensity fires, primarily for inhibiting hardwood competition through top-kill. Results highlight the importance of top-killing stems regardless of burn season, and suggest that dormant season fires may be more lethal to young sweetgums due to susceptibility of tender new shoots to freezing damage.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Rosvel Bracho, Timothy A. Martin, Jason G. Vogel, Wendell P. Cropper Jr, Gerardo Celis, Kenneth Clark, Henry L. Gholz, Gregory Gorman, Henry W. Loescher, Thomas L. Powell, Scott Sager, Maryada Shrestha, Gregory Starr
Summary: This study evaluates the effects of management and climate variability on the carbon dynamics and long-term net ecosystem carbon balance in an actively-managed naturally regenerated pine ecosystem. The study finds that these forests are sensitive to water availability and that fire does not significantly affect carbon production. Over the course of the 21-year study, the ecosystem has absorbed a significant amount of carbon.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Sadadi Ojoatre, Jos Barlow, Suzanne R. Jacobs, Mariana C. Rufino
Summary: This study evaluates the changes in a forest complex in Kenya and finds that within 20 years of disturbance, there is rapid recovery of aboveground biomass and carbon accumulation, and the species diversity remains high in these previously disturbed fragments.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Astor Torano Caicoya, Peter Biber, Miren del Rio, Ricardo Ruiz-Peinado, Catia Arcangeli, Robert Matthews, Hans Pretzsch
Summary: This study analyzed the effects of site and climate on the self-thinning line in Scots pine forests in Europe. The results showed that species tolerance, temperature, and precipitation influenced the slope of the self-thinning line. In terms of the intercept, latitude and radiation had compensating effects. Time did not show significant trends in the self-thinning line. The study highlights the need to adapt management strategies and models based on self-thinning to different latitudes. Climate change has not yet significantly impacted the self-thinning trajectory, but a continuous rise in temperature and high precipitation may accelerate the self-thinning process and result in increased biomass accumulation.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Haonan Zhang, Jianing Xu, Weiqi Meng, Zhonglin Li, Yanyan Ni, Weijie Li, Hao Chen, Xingshuo Zhang, Huanhuan Yuan, Zhi Wang
Summary: Secondary forests play a crucial role in ecosystem dynamics and biodiversity recovery. This study investigated the mechanisms underlying secondary succession in a restored secondary forest and found that deciduous tree species transition from diversity accumulators to repellents as they progress through different life history stages, while evergreen tree species can act as accumulators or remain neutral. The study also revealed the effects of density dependence on the mortality and regeneration of different tree species, and highlighted the importance of early-arriving tree species in facilitating the establishment and diversity of late-arriving counterparts.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Yierxiati Abulaiti, Zijian Huang, Guojiao Xie, Xiaojuan Zou, Qin Luo, Minhuang Wang, Qiong Yang, Ping Hu, Shixiao Yu
Summary: In this study, the resistance to pest infestation of native and exotic mangrove species was compared based on their traits and spectral reflectance. The results showed that exotic species exhibited higher resistance to pest infestation compared to native species.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Thomas Feiss, Vincent Robin, Delphine Aran, Joseph Levillain, Thierry Paul, Jean-Luc Dupouey
Summary: Fagus sylvatica L. is a competitive tree in European temperate deciduous forests, but often sporadic or absent in present-day stands where Quercus spp. are dominant. Through soil charcoal analysis in the Lorraine Plateau in France, the presence of Fagus and Quercus in mature Quercus stands was confirmed. Radiocarbon dating results indicated that historical forest management caused the replacement of Fagus by Quercus, starting from the Bronze Age.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Paula Halbig, Anne-Sophie Stelzer, Peter Baier, Josef Pennerstorfer, Horst Delb, Axel Schopf
Summary: The incidence of oak processionary moth in Central Europe has been increasing, posing severe threats to oak trees, humans, and animals. To address this issue, researchers have developed an online early warning system that provides phenological forecasts and decision support for the protection of oak trees and human health.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Jean-Baptiste Ndamiyehe Ncutirakiza, Sylvie Gourlet-Fleury, Philippe Lejeune, Xavier Bry, Catherine Trottier, Frederic Mortier, Adeline Fayolle, Francois Muhashy Habiyaremye, Leopold Ndjele Mianda-Bungi, Gauthier Ligot
Summary: This study examines the influence of canopy structure on tropical tree growth using data collected through unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and field measurements. The results show that combining UAV and field data can improve the prediction of tree diameter increment. Diameter at breast height and crown area are complementary predictors, and crown-based competition indices significantly enhance prediction models. The calibrated model at one site can accurately predict growth at another site.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Abebe Damtew, Emiru Birhane, Christian Messier, Alain Paquette, Bart Muys
Summary: Restoring degraded dryland requires a diverse mixture of trees and shrubs. Shading and species diversity can improve seedling survival and vitality. Shaded conditions led to higher seedling survival, vitality, and chlorophyll content, while increasing species richness improved seedling vitality in non-shaded conditions.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Francois Hebert, Isabelle Delisle, Marc Tremblay, Pascal Tremblay, Jean- Francois Boucher, Yan Boucher, Daniel Lord
Summary: Regeneration failures in the closed-crown boreal forest, resulting in the creation of open lichen woodlands, can be restored through clear-cutting, scarification, and natural seeding. Clear-cutting combined with scarification promotes seedling establishment, and scarification creates suitable microsites for germination. Seedling growth in lichen woodlands is higher when logging and scarification are combined, but lower compared to feather moss stands. Afforestation through natural seeding following scarification could be a cost-effective option for restoring lichen woodlands.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Bianca Wulansari Kassun, A. Maarit I. Kallio, Erik Tr Omborg, Meley Mekonen Rannestad
Summary: Mapping and analyzing forest ecosystem services in dry and mountain forests can provide valuable knowledge for sustainable forest management strategies.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Michael Premer, Eric Turnblom, Aaron Weiskittel
Summary: Managed forests serve as a natural climate change solution by sequestering carbon and storing it in harvested wood products, while also providing ecosystem services and wildlife habitat. This study focused on the stem sinuosity of juvenile coastal Douglas-fir and found that genetic improvement, silviculture practices, and local growing conditions can impact stem sinuosity. Factors such as tree spacing, vegetation control, and climate variables also affect the severity of stem sinuosity.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Bronwyn Lira Dyson, Rhea Herpel, Peter Karasch, Jorg Mueller, Dominik Thom, Claus Baessler
Summary: The study aimed to assess the effects of different forest management strategies, dead wood types, and microclimates on Fomes fomentarius. The results showed that the occupancy of Fomes fomentarius was lower in control stands, while the percent cover occupied on snags under a closed canopy was higher. Increasing the number of snags and maintaining dense forest canopies could enhance the presence of Fomes fomentarius as well as provide important microhabitats for various arthropods.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Di Liu, Chaofan Zhou, Xiao He, Xiangdong Lei, Huiru Zhang, Xianzhao Liu
Summary: Canopy structure plays a significant role in the distribution and growth of saplings. Traditional canopy metrics are inadequate in irregular stands. The innovative framework of canopy triangular units provides a comprehensive understanding of the canopy's three-dimensional attributes. Through this framework, we can analyze the differences in various triangular unit types and the spatial dispersion of saplings.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Amalia Valeria Ibanez Moro, Fabian Borghetti, Leonardo Galetto, Juan M. Cellini, Sandra J. Bravo
Summary: This study evaluated the size and persistence of soil seed banks (SSB) of six native woody species in dry subtropical forests of the western Argentine Chaco region. The results showed that SSB size was influenced by different sites and sampling years, and forest disturbances had varying effects on SSB.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Forestry
Stephanie Landry, Marc-Andre Villard, Gaetan Pelletier, Martin-Hugues St-Laurent
Summary: In many regions of the world, excessive browsing by ungulates has reached unsustainable levels, threatening biodiversity and forest regeneration. Moose, as ecological engineers, have severe impacts on forest structure and composition through overbrowsing. The distribution of forage and cover patches affects moose browsing pressure, and this relationship has been explored in conifer-dominated stands but not in hardwood-dominated landscapes.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)