Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Winslow D. Hansen, Meg A. Krawchuk, Anna T. Trugman, A. Park Williams
Summary: Fire is a dominant disturbance in temperate and boreal biomes, and its increasing area with climate change may have a significant impact on forests. To better understand the feedback between fire-induced changes to forests and subsequent burning, a dynamic simulator called DYNAFFOREST was developed.
ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING & SOFTWARE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Phillip J. van Mantgem, Elizabeth R. Milano, Joan Dudney, Jonathan C. B. Nesmith, Amy G. Vandergast, Harold S. J. Zald
Summary: Whitebark pine in the Sierra Nevada of California is facing threats from an introduced pathogen, native bark beetles, and a rapidly warming climate. However, during a recent period of drought, stem growth of whitebark pine remained mostly positive to neutral, possibly due to reduced snowpack. The growth response of whitebark pine may be influenced by genotypic variation in climate-associated genes.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Krysta Giles-Hansen, Xiaohua Wei
Summary: Vegetation change can significantly impact evapotranspiration, with varying sensitivity based on climate conditions. The study in British Columbia's snow-dominated interior showed that moderate climates are most sensitive to forest disturbance, while wetter climates are less affected by changes in vegetation.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Sara A. Goeking, Marcella A. Windmuller-Campione
Summary: This study analyzed the demographic patterns of six species of five-needle pine in the western U.S., revealing increased mortality rates in whitebark and limber pines, and relatively stable populations in Great Basin bristlecone and foxtail pines. It suggests implementing various management strategies to promote recruitment and growth of five-needle white pine species.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tomas Hlasny, Andrey L. D. Augustynczik, Laura Dobor
Summary: European forest landscapes are currently undergoing transformations, with the vulnerability and resilience of emerging forest generations being determined by the legacies of present-day disturbances. The study demonstrates that factors such as vegetation feedbacks, interactions between disturbances, and climate variability play crucial roles in influencing the resistance and recovery of aboveground forest biomass to disturbances. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for implementing resilience-oriented stewardship practices.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Juncal Espinosa, Dario Martin-Benito, Oscar Rodriguez de Rivera, Carmen Hernando, Mercedes Guijarro, Javier Madrigal
Summary: The study in the Cuenca Mountains in Spain investigated the short-term post-burn tree growth of Pinus nigra and Pinus pinaster, revealing that prescribed burning had minimal impact on tree growth. Stand type and individual tree characteristics were significant factors affecting tree growth. The inclusion of fire severity variables in tree growth models showed that maximum scorch height played a key role in variability of tree growth.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Christopher Mulverhill, Nicholas C. Coops, Alexis Achim
Summary: Spatially and temporally precise monitoring of forest resources is essential in the face of environmental and economic changes. This study demonstrated the efficacy of using moderate resolution satellite imagery and continuous monitoring algorithms for change detection and monitoring in high-latitude forests with data gaps over winter. The results showed successful change detection, with high overall accuracies, and the ability to detect changes in near-real time. The study also highlighted the potential for using the technique as an early warning signal for fine-scale changes.
ISPRS JOURNAL OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Juan Miguel Moya-Perez, Maria Francisca Carreno, Miguel Angel Esteve-Selma
Summary: This study focuses on the impact of extreme drought events induced by climate change on the populations of Tetraclinis articulata and Pinus halepensis in the southeast Iberian Peninsula. By removing surrounding pine trees and increasing light availability, the reproductive activity of Tetraclinis populations was enhanced, resulting in an increase in population, cones produced per specimen, and recruitment. These findings show promise for habitat management in continental Europe and enhancing resilience to extreme drought events and climate change within forest ecosystems.
Article
Forestry
Charles C. Rhoades, Timothy S. Fegel, Robert M. Hubbard, Marin E. Chambers
Summary: Serotinous cones play an important role in the resilience of lodgepole pine forests. Despite the high mortality caused by crown fires and bark beetle outbreaks, serotinous cones can provide viable seeds for regeneration in burned areas, although the germination rate decreases with cone age.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Shawn J. Leroux, Louis Charron, Luise Hermanutz, Janet Feltham
Summary: This study examined the combined effects of ungulate herbivory and spruce budworm disturbance on balsam fir forest regeneration, finding a strong negative impact of budworm disturbance on adult tree density and indirect effects on seedling and sapling density through adult tree density. The results suggest cumulative and interactive effects of both disturbances negatively affecting the regeneration of balsam fir forests.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Simon W. Bockstette, Raul de la Mata, Barb R. Thomas
Summary: Studies show that naturally occurring lodgepole pine x jack pine hybrids may be more drought-resistant than pure lodgepole pine. In a greenhouse experiment in northwest Alberta, hybrid pines grew significantly faster than lodgepole pine under well-watered conditions while retaining high tolerance to prolonged drought. This suggests that the deployment of hybrid lodgepole pine could be a strategy for promoting adaptation to hotter and drier future climates.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wanda De Keersmaecker, Pablo Rodriguez-Sanchez, Milutin Milencovic, Martin Herold, Johannes Reiche, Jan Verbesselt
Summary: An increase in disturbances in the Amazon tropical forest is affecting its ability to recover and maintain a functioning ecosystem. This study proposes an open source simulation framework to compare the reliability and sensitivity of recovery metrics and evaluate the effect of pre-processing techniques on their reliability. The framework can be used to test other datasets and ecosystems.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Constantin Nechita, Andreea Maria Iordache, Diana Costinel, Oana Romina Botoran, Gabriel Danila, Roxana Elena Ionete, Mihai Varlam
Summary: This study assessed the causes of declining Pinus sylvestris and Pinus nigra using various indicators. The results showed that there has been a significant increase in temperature and a decrease in precipitation since 1980. The basal area increment was the most accurate indicator of climate-growth relationship, and the delta C-13(TR) was negatively correlated with high temperatures. The species-specific response to drought indicated that P. sylvestris is more sensitive to drought compared to P. nigra.
Article
Forestry
Xiaohua Wei, Krysta Giles-Hansen, Sheena A. Spencer, Xiaowen Ge, Alexander Onuchin, Qiang Li, Tamara Burenina, Aleksey Ilintsev, Yiping Hou
Summary: This review focuses on the impacts of forest harvesting on hydrological processes in boreal forests. At stand level, forest harvesting affects snow processes, evapotranspiration, and soil dynamics. In small watersheds, spring freshets are consistently increased following harvesting. However, the responses vary in larger watersheds and regions due to the interactions between cumulative forest disturbance and climate.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jordi Margalef-Marrase, Roberto Molowny-Horas, Luciana Jaime, Francisco Lloret
Summary: In recent decades, die-off events in Pinus sylvestris populations have increased, usually due to local and regional extreme hot droughts. The causes of these phenomena have been extensively investigated from a physiological viewpoint, but the consequences in terms of population demography and vegetation dynamics have not been thoroughly addressed.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)