The changes in soil organic carbon stock and quality across a subalpine forest successional series

Soil organic carbon(SOC)affects the function of terrestrial ecosystem and plays a vital role in global carbon cycle.Yet,large uncertainty still existed regarding the changes in SOC stock and quality with forest succession.Here,the stock and quality of SOC at 1-m soil profile were investigated across a subalpine forest series,including shrub,deciduous broad-leaved forest,broadleaf-conifer mixed forest,middle-age coniferous forest and mature coniferous forest,which located at southeast of Tibetan Plateau.The results showed that SOC stock ranged from 9.8 to29.9 kg·m^(-2),and exhibited a hump-shaped response pattern across the forest successional series.The highest and lowest SOC stock was observed in the mixed forest and shrub forest,respectively.The SOC stock had no significant relationships with soil temperature and litter stock,but was positively correlated with wood debris stock.Meanwhile,the average percentages of polysaccharides,lignins,aromatics and aliphatics based on FTIR spectroscopy were 79.89%,0.94%,18.87%and 0.29%,respectively.Furthermore,the percentage of polysaccharides exhibited an increasing pattern across the forest successional series except for the sudden decreasing in the mixed forest,while the proportions of lignins,aromatics and aliphatics exhibited a decreasing pattern across the forest successional series except for the sudden increasing in the mixed forest.Consequently,the humification indices(HIs)were highest in the mixed forest compared to the other four successional stages,which means that the SOC quality in mixed forest was worse than other successional stages.In addition,the SOC stock,recalcitrant fractions and HIs decreased with increasing soil depth,while the polysaccharides exhibited an increasing pattern.These findings demonstrate that the mixed forest had higher SOC stock and worse SOC quality than other successional stages.The high proportion of SOC stock(66%at depth of 20-100 cm)and better SOC quality(lower HIs)indicate that deep soil have tremendous potential to store SOC and needs more attention under global chan ge.

Inventory and Distribution of Benthic Macroinvertebrates, Indicators of Water Quality in Four Forested Watercourses in Centre Region of Cameroon

The inventory of benthic macroinvertebrate species was carried out in some streams of the Mefou catchment area, from August 2021 to August 2022, in order to determine the biological groups that make up the population and characterise these environments. The dataset acquired during this study made it possible to update the existing database and contribute to the knowledge of the biological groups associated in these environments, and to provide additional information on the existing ones in relation to bioindication. Overall 80 families were identified and, on the basis of frequencies of occurrence greater than 75%, 22 families were retained as potential biological indicators. The remarkable diversity of insects and the low abundance of Diptera reflect the low degradation of environments and the good quality of water. The high diversity indices obtained reflect the maintenance of the favourable ecological conditions that favours the development of a balanced and, integrated biological community capable of adapting to changes.

Comparison of water quality in two catchments with different forest types in the headwater region of the Hun River, Northeast China

In the headwater catchments of the Hun River,Northeast China, secondary forests(SF) have been replaced by plantations since the 1960 s. Concern has been growing over this loss and the decline in water quality caused by the plantations. To test the effects of plantations on water quality, we selected two separate catchments covered by SF and Pinus koraiensis plantations(KP) to monitor physical and chemical properties of various hydrological variables including throughfall, stemflow,through-litterfall and runoff(flowing out of outlets of the catchments). The physical properties of water declined after water flowed through the two catchments as compared with rainwater. The pH of runoff in both catchments also dramatically decreased. The concentrations of Cl^-, NO_3^- and NH_4^+ in the runoff from the two catchments were similar(concentrations of Cl-and NH_4^+ in both catchments were similar to those in rainwater). Total P concentration in runoff of the SF catchment was higher than that of the KP catchment(P concentrations in both catchments were also higher than in rainwater) because P concentrations in litter and soil of the SF catchment were higher than those in the KP catchment. In summary, the rainwater became acidic in both catchments, but the responses of most water quality variables were similar in the two catchments, suggesting that appropriate ratios of KP in SF are feasible for secondary forest recovery and for preserving water quality(KP did not cause a decline in quality) in the headstream regions in Northeast of China.

Soil quality assessment across different stands in tropical moist deciduous forests of Nagaland,India

To analyze the relationship between the management of three forest stand plantations and soil quality in the Dimapur district of the Northeastern Himalayan region,India,three forest soil profiles,covered by different species stands,at three depths were tested for 13 physical and chemical variables.Only four of these variables(electric conductivity,bulk density exchangeable Mg and available P)were included in a minimum data set,after using a varimax rotation algorithm in a principal component analysis,and subsequently used to calculate a soil quality index(SQI).Results showed higher SQIs in the surface layers(0–20 cm depth)than in the deeper ones.Average weighed SQI varied significantly(P<0.05)through the three considered forest sites,with the lowest value at site FS3.These findings reveal that the approach used here is suitable for preliminary screening of the impact of a forestry species on soil,to aid in species selection and improve soil health for afforestation and reforestation projects.

Quality Evaluation on Forest Resources in National Forest Park of Qingliang Mountain in China

Based on the deep survey, the paper had concluded basic conditions of National Forest Park of Qingliang Mountain including geological location, physiographic condition, climate and hydrologic condition. It had introduced forest resources from the aspects of biological landscape, physiographic landscape, hydrologic landscape and cultural landscape. At the same time, it had made a comprehensive evaluation on external transportation, tourism period, and tourist location condition of the Forest Park. On this basis, it has evaluated forest resources' quality, regional environment's quality and development condition in National Forest Park of Qingliang Mountain, beneficial to the identification of protection standards, utilization forms, development scale and service function of forest resources, providing effective guidance for development and construction of forest park.

Site Quality Evaluation for Mixed, Uneven-aged, Natural Forest Dominatedby Korean Pine in Northeast China

Six site types of Korean pine(Pinus koraiensis) forest, Mongolian oak type, Yezo spruce type, Korean spruce type, Amur linden type, Ribbed birch type and Manchurian ash type, are easily found on the south slope of Xiaoxing’an Mountains. The analysis results of H-A and H-Dbh relationships by site type showed that height growth of Korean pine dominant or codominant stems in natural stands is not directly related to its age but is directly related to its diameter, which closely accords with the Chapman-Richards equation(Relativity coefficients more than 0:8668). A method for evaluating site quality using height and diameter of dominant or codominant tree independent of tree age is examined. There are signifi-cantly differences in site quality of Korcan pine among six site types above. The site index was highest on Manchurian ash type, and lowest on Mongolian oak type. Differences of site index with a reference dbh of 40 cm between highest and lowest sites can reach 11 m in maximum., 7 m in average, respectively. Other rationales of the H-D method were discussed.

Impact of tree litter identity, litter diversity and habitat quality on litter decomposition rates in tropical moist evergreen forest

Background:Attempts to restore degraded highlands by tree planting are common in East Africa.However,up till now,little attention has been given to effects of tree species choice on litter decomposition and nutrient recycling.Method:In this study,three indigenous and two exotic tree species were selected for a litter decomposition study.The objective was to identify optimal tree species combinations and tree diversity levels for the restoration of degraded land via enhanced litter turnover.Litterbags were installed in June 2019 into potential restoration sites(disturbed natural forest and forest plantation)and compared to intact natural forest.The tested tree leaf litters included five monospecific litters,ten mixtures of three species and one mixture of five species.Standard green and rooibos tea were used for comparison.A total of 1,033 litters were retrieved for weight loss analysis after one,three,six,and twelve months of incubation.Results:The finding indicates a significant effect of both litter quality and litter diversity on litter decomposition.The nitrogen-fixing native tree Millettia ferruginea showed a comparable decomposition rate as the fast decom-posing green tea.The exotic conifer Cupressus lusitanica and the native recalcitrant Syzygium guineense have even a lower decomposition rate than the slowly decomposing rooibos tea.A significant correlation was observed be-tween litter mass loss and initial leaf litter chemical composition.Moreover,we found positive non-additive ef-fects for litter mixtures including nutrient-rich and negative non-additive effects for litter mixtures including poor leaf litters respectively.Conclusion:These findings suggest that both litter quality and litter diversity play an important role in decom-position processes and therefore in the restoration of degraded tropical moist evergreen forest.

Evaluation of Ecological Environment Quality of Typical Forest Parks

Forest tourist areas have an excellent ecological environment,which is conducive to people's physical and mental health.In this study,Fuzhou National Forest Park and Wuying National Forest Park were selected as typical representatives of the southern and northern forest parks,respectively,which were compared by qualitative and quantitative research methods from such five aspects as air quality,climate quality,water environment quality,acoustic environment quality and biological population in some forest areas.The results showed that Fuzhou National Forest Park has a concentration of negative oxygen ions much higher than Wuying National Forest Park,and is thus more conducive to people's health;and it has the characteristics of warm and comfortable climate throughout the year and high biodiversity,but the noise is 4.35 db higher than Wuying National Forest Park,and the water quality is slightly poorer than that of Wuying National Forest Park.And its DO value is about 3.89 smaller in autumn than in summer.In Wuying National Forest Park,the concentration of negative oxygen ions is 53.6% lower than Fuzhou National Forest Park,but it is also above the national standard.The climate is only comfortable in June-August,and is colder or cooler in other months.The water quality is better than that of Fuzhou National Forest Park.In particular,the PH value is about 0.38 lower than that of Fuzhou National Forest Park.It has its own unique biological characteristics.The number of tourists in summer is higher,resulting in higher noise in summer than in autumn.The two forest parks in the north and the south are both good places for people to relax and enjoy.

Forest landscape and its ecological quality:A stepwise spatiotemporal evaluation through patch-matrix model in Jhargram District,West Bengal State,India

Landscape conversion becomes a continuous process in a natural landscape for any strategic development.In a forest landscape mosaic,the conversion from non-forest land to forest land implies a constructive approach.Various bio-geographic processes are enriched and developed when the land was converted to forest land in a given landscape matrix.The present study evaluated how the increased forest cover improves the ecological quality of forest in Jhargram District of West Bengal State,India,from 1985 to 2015.The quality of forests includes dominance,fragmentation and connectivity,which are the basis ecological indicators of habitat structure.To address this issue,we extracted forest cover maps of 1985 and 2015 from land use/land cover classification.A grid framework was overlaid on these forest cover maps for patch-matrix model analysis.Reliable landscape ecological indices were used for the measurements of forest landscape quality in 1985 and 2015.Then a simple linear regression model was used to compare the results.Temporally,forest cover increased in Jhargram District from 1985 to 2015.The comparison of measurement indices depicts that although only a small amount of land was changed into forest land in the study area,this small change has greatly improved the structural compositional quality of the forest land.Compared with 1985,the forest land area increased by about 6930.56 hm^(2) in 2015.This increased forest cover improved the basic landscape ecological characters,such as inter patch connectivity,forest core area,forest habitat dependence,forest habitat dominance and forest edge effect.As a result,the ecosystem function in Jhargram District has been improved,which again attracts wildlife and enriches biodiversity.

A HybridManufacturing ProcessMonitoringMethod Using Stacked Gated Recurrent Unit and Random Forest

This study proposed a new real-time manufacturing process monitoring method to monitor and detect process shifts in manufacturing operations.Since real-time production process monitoring is critical in today’s smart manufacturing.The more robust the monitoring model,the more reliable a process is to be under control.In the past,many researchers have developed real-time monitoring methods to detect process shifts early.However,thesemethods have limitations in detecting process shifts as quickly as possible and handling various data volumes and varieties.In this paper,a robust monitoring model combining Gated Recurrent Unit(GRU)and Random Forest(RF)with Real-Time Contrast(RTC)called GRU-RF-RTC was proposed to detect process shifts rapidly.The effectiveness of the proposed GRU-RF-RTC model is first evaluated using multivariate normal and nonnormal distribution datasets.Then,to prove the applicability of the proposed model in a realmanufacturing setting,the model was evaluated using real-world normal and non-normal problems.The results demonstrate that the proposed GRU-RF-RTC outperforms other methods in detecting process shifts quickly with the lowest average out-of-control run length(ARL1)in all synthesis and real-world problems under normal and non-normal cases.The experiment results on real-world problems highlight the significance of the proposed GRU-RF-RTC model in modern manufacturing process monitoring applications.The result reveals that the proposed method improves the shift detection capability by 42.14%in normal and 43.64%in gamma distribution problems.

Soil quality index as a tool for Scots pine(Pinus sylvestris) monoculture conversion planning on afforested,reclaimed mine land

In Central Europe, a large portion of post-mining sites were afforested with Scots pine, which is characterized by good adaptability and a tolerance for poor habitat at the beginning of forest ecosystem development. Conversion of monoculture on mine sites into more biodi- verse mixed hardwood forests, especially on more fertile deposits, can be an emerging need in this part of Europe in next decades. The ability to classify the forests at these post-mining sites will facilitate proper species selection as well as the management and formation of the developed ecosystem＇s stability. This work describes the guidelines that can be followed to assess reclaimed mine soil （RMS） quality, using the mine soil quality index （MSQI） and a classification of developed forest sites as a basis of tree-stand species selection and conversion of pine monocul- tures. The research was conducted on four post-mining facilities （lignite, hard coal, sulphur, and sand pit mining areas） on different RMS sub- strates dominant in Central Europe. Soil quality assessment takes into account the following features of the soil： texture soil nutrients （Ca, Mg, K, Na, P）; acidity （pH KC1）; and Corg-to-Nt ratio in the initial organic horizon. An analysis was conducted of classification systems using the MSQI validation correlation （at p =0.05） with vegetation features af- fected by succession： aboveground biomass of forest floor and ecological indicators of vascular plants （calculated on the basis of EUenberg＇s （2009） system）. Eventually, in the analysed data set, the MSQI ranged from 0.270 for soils on quaternary sands to 0.720 for a mix of quaternary loamy sands with neogene clays. Potential forest habitat types and the role of the pine in the next generation of tree stands on different RMS parent rock substrate were proposed.

Analysing the quality of Swiss National Forest Inventory measurements of woody species richness

Background: Under ongoing climate and land-use change, biodiversity is continuously decreasing and monitoring biodiversity is becoming increasingly important. National Forest Inventory(NFI) programmes provide valuable timeseries data on biodiversity and thus contribute to assessments of the state and trends in biodiversity, as well as ecosystem functioning. Data quality in this context is of paramount relevance, particularly for ensuring a meaningful interpretation of changes. The Swiss NFI revisits about 8%–10% of its sample plots regularly in repeat surveys to supervise the quality of fieldwork.Methods: We analysed the relevance of observer bias with equivalence tests, examined data quality objectives defined by the Swiss NFI instructors, and calculated the pseudo-turnover(PT) of species composition, that is, the percentage of species not observed by both teams. Three attributes of woody species richness from the latest Swiss NFI cycles(3 and 4) were analysed: occurrence of small tree and shrub species(1) on the sample plot and(2) at the forest edge, and(3) main shrub and trees species in the upper storey.Results: We found equivalent results between regular and repeat surveys for all attributes. Data quality, however,was significantly below expectations in all cases, that is, as much as 20%–30% below the expected data quality limit of 70%–80%(proportion of observations that should not deviate from a predefined threshold). PT values were about 10%–20%, and the PT of two out of three attributes decreased significantly in NFI4. This type of uncertainty –typically caused by a mixture of overlooking and misidentifying species – should be considered carefully when interpreting change figures on species richness estimates from NFI data.Conclusions: Our results provide important information on the data quality achieved in Swiss NFIs in terms of the reproducibility of the collected data. The three applied approaches proved to be effective for evaluating the quality of plot-level species richness and composition data in forest inventories and other biodiversity monitoring programmes. As such, they could also be recommended for assessing the quality of biodiversity indices derived from monitoring data.

Impact of Terminal Bud Quality on the Growth of Different Growth Forms of Seedlings in Tropical Secondary Forest

Health condition and replacement time of terminal bud were selected as quality indexes of regenerated seedlings in 3 different growth forms to analyze their impact on seedling height and ground diameter. The results showed that quality of terminal bud was related to the seedling growth, the regenerated seedlings with healthy terminal buds but no replacement experienced the largest growth amount and slight damage of terminal bud or one replacement stimulated growth of ground diameter. Multiple replacements of terminal bud would reduce seedling quality and influence its growth. Exploration of the quality characters of seedlings helped to know the dynamic features of early seedling growth, and provided theoretical support for the tending operation to improve quality of natural tropical forest.

Indicator Selection for Quality Measurement in Maternal Neonatal and Child Health Services: Application of Random Forest Classifier

Quality of Maternal, Neonatal and Child (MNCH) care is an important aspect in ensuring healthy outcomes and survival of mothers and children. To maintain quality in health services provided, organizations and other stakeholders in maternal and child health recommend regular quality measurement. Quality indicators are the key components in the quality measurement process. However, the literature shows neither an indicator selection process nor a set of quality indicators for quality measurement that is universally accepted. The lack of a universally accepted quality indicator selection process and set of quality indicators results in the establishment of a variety of quality indicator selection processes and several sets of quality indicators whenever the need for quality measurement arises. This adds extra processes that render quality measurement process. This study, therefore, aims to establish a set of quality indicators from a broad set of quality indicators recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The study deployed a machine learning technique, specifically a random forest classifier to select important indicators for quality measurement. Twenty-nine indicators were identified as important features and among those, eight indicators namely maternal mortality ratio, still-birth rate, delivery at a health facility, deliveries assisted by skilled attendants, proportional breach delivery, normal delivery rate, born before arrival rate and antenatal care visit coverage were identified to be the most important indicators for quality measurement.

Comparison of Water Quality Status of Disturbed and Undisturbed Mangrove Forest at Awat-Awat Lawas Sarawak

Water quality testing was compulsory for management of safe and reliable water sources. Various sources of pollution and destruction of mangrove forest decrease the quality of river water. Thus a study was conducted to determine the water quality status of mangrove forest river water of Awat-Awat Lawas Sarawak and compare the water quality status of disturbed and undisturbed mangrove forest river in that area. Samples from twelve sampling stations were collected from both mangrove forest river from October 2013 to March 2014. In-situ data collected (pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, turbidity, total dissolved solid (TDS), conductivity) and laboratory analysis (biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammoniacal nitrogen (AN), total suspended solid (TSS)) were conducted according to the Standard method of Examination of Water and Wastewater AHPA 2005. Six water parameters: pH, DO, BOD, COD, AN and TSS value were used in calculating the Water Quality Index (WQI). Mean values for disturbed area were follows, pH (7.07), temperature (29.93°C), salinity (15.64 PSU), turbidity (55.13 NTU), DO (4.59 mg/L), BOD (0.73 mg/L), COD (10.16 mg/L), AN (0.14 mg/L), TSS (53.92 mg/L), TDS (23.14 mg/L) and conductivity (2.61 ms/m). Undisturbed area results were, pH (6.84), temperature (28.32°C), salinity (14.65 PSU), turbidity (35.41 NTU), DO (2.39 mg/L), BOD (0.55 mg/L), COD (15.82 mg/L), AN (0.13 mg/L), TSS (53.23 mg/L), TDS (22.82 mg/L) and conductivity (2.34 ms/m). There were no significant differences between two locations except for DO. Both water qualities of disturbed and undisturbed mangrove forest river were found under Class III, which describe that the water bodies are in moderate quality status.

Evaluation of Tourist Resources in Liuchong and Longtan Scenic Spots of Longtan National Forest Park

To further explore characteristics of tourist resources in Liuchong and Longtan Scenic spots in Longtan National Forest Park,Classification,Investigation and Evaluation of Tourist Resources(GB/T18972-2003) and Quality Grading of Scenic Resources in Forest Parks of China(GB/T18005-1999) were adopted to analyze composition and distribution features of tourist resources in Liuchong and Longtan Scenic Spots,qualitative evaluation of scenic resources in the 2 study scenic spots,quantitative evaluation of resource units and quality evaluation of tourist resources were respectively carried out.The results showed that the park has diversified tourist resources such as peaks,valleys,cliffs,brooks,waterfalls and forests,as well as rich animal and plant species and an excellent natural eco-environment;5 Grade-IV tourist landscapes,6 Grade-III tourist landscapes,14 Grade-II ones,4 Grade-I ones;quality of tourist resources was scored as 41.3,up to the scenic resource standards of Grade-I Forest Park.

Impact of land-use management on nitrogen transformation in a mountain forest ecosystem in the north of Iran

Soil inorganic N is one of the most important soil quality indexes, which may be influenced by land-use change. The historical conversion of land-use from native vegetation to agriculture resulted in sharp declines in soil N dynamics. This study was conducted to determine the soil inorganic N concentrations and net N mineralization rate in four common types of land-uses in the mountain forest area in the north of Iran, namely arable land, pine plantation, ash plantation, and beech stand. The soil samples were taken from top mineral soil layer （5 cm） in each site randomly （n=6） during August- September 2010. Beech stand and ash plantation showed significantly higher total nitrogen compared with arable land and pine plantation, while extractable NH4 ＋-N concentration was significantly greater in Beech stand compare to arable soils （p〈0.05）. No significantly difference was found in Net N mineralization, net nitrification and net ammonification rates among different land-uses. Results showed that net N mineralization and ammonification were occurred just in the soil of Ash plantation during the incubation time. Our findings suggested that conversion of Hyrcanian forests areas to pine plantation and agricultural land can disrupt soil natural activities and affect extremely soil quality.

Effects of fire disturbance on forest hydrology

Fire is quite a common natural phenomenon closely related to forest hydrology in forest ecosystem. The influence of fire on water is indirectly manifested in that the post fire changes of vegetation, ground cover, soil and environment affect water cycle, water quality and aquatic lives. The effect varies depending upon fire severity and frequency. Light wildland fires or prescribed burnings do not affect hydrology regime significantly but frequent burnings or intense fires can cause changes in hydrology regime similar to that caused clear cutting.

Contrasting effects of nitrogen addition on litter decomposition in forests and grasslands in China

Nitrogen(N)addition has profound impacts on litter-mediated nutrient cycling.Numerous studies have reported different effects of N addition on litter decomposition,exhibiting positive,negative,or neutral effects.Previous meta-analysis of litter decomposition under N addition was mainly based on a small number of samples to allow comparisons among ecosystem types.This study presents the results of a meta-analysis incorporating data from 53 published studies(including 617 observations)across forests,grasslands,wetlands,and croplands in China,to investigate how environmental and experimental factors impact the effects of N addition on litter decomposition.Averaged across all of the studies,N addition significantly slows litter decomposition by 7.02%.Considering ecosystem types,N addition significantly accelerates litter decomposition by 3.70%and 11.22%in grasslands and wetlands,respectively,clearly inhibits litter decomposition by 14.53%in forests,and has no significant effects on litter decomposition in croplands.Regarding the accelerated litter decomposition rate in grasslands due to N addition,litter decomposition rate increases slightly with increasing rates of N addition.However,N addition slows litter decomposition in forests,but litter decomposition is at a significantly increasing rate with increasing amounts of N addition.The responses of litter decomposition to N addition are also influenced by the forms of N addition,experiential duration of N addition,humidity index,litter quality,and soil pH.In summary,N addition alters litter decomposition rate,but the direction and magnitude of the response are affected by the forms of N addition,the rate of N addition,ambient N deposition,experimental duration,and climate factors.Our study highlights the contrasting effects of N addition on litter decomposition in forests and grasslands.This finding could be used in biogeochemical models to better evaluate ecosystem carbon cycling under increasing N deposition due to the differential responses of litter decomposition to N addition rates and ecosystem types.

Impacts of Forest Harvest on Active Carbon and Microbial Properties of a Volcanic Ash Cap Soil in Northern Idaho

Soil quality assessments are essential for determining impacts on belowground microbial community structure and function. We evaluated the suitability of active carbon (C), a rapid field test, as an indicator of soil biological quality in five paired forest stands (clear cut harvested 40 years prior and unharvested) growing on volcanic ash-cap soils in northern Idaho. Active C was compared with several traditional measures of soil microbial properties (microbial biomass, respiration, fungal hyphal biomass, bacterial number and biomass and PLFA community structure). Despite the significant differences in forest vegetation between paired stands, no differences in active C and only a few significant differences in microbial properties were detected. Total bacteria (microscope counts) and PLFA signatures (gram positive bacteria, gram negative bacteria, actinomycetes) were significantly higher in the managed stands. Our results indicate that either mineral soil biological properties in managed stands were relatively unaffected at the time of harvest or some biological recovery occurred 40 years later. Additionally, volcanic ash-cap soils in moist ecosystems could be highly resilient to the impacts of harvest operations and therefore few significant biological changes could be detected.