Review:effects of wind on trees

Wind not only causes extensive damages to trees in many parts of the world, it also has more subtle effects on the growth and morphology of trees and forest ecology as well. Wind damage to trees has historically been the field of silviculture, but increasing recognition of the importance and complexity of the subject has recently got people involved from many other disciplines. Due to the global climate changes, it is believed that the risk of further and stronger storms is increasing. In order to better understand the effects of wind on individual trees, forest stand and forest ecosystem, and further to practice the management of forests, it is necessary to summarize the research results related to this subject. This review was mostly based on the references from recent researches in the field, especially from the symposium volumes of some international conferences on this subject. The results indicated that there have been significant progresses in the following aspects: 1) the aerodynamic interaction between wind and trees, 2) the mechanics of trees under wind loading and adaptive growth, 3) the tree's physiological responses to wind, and 4) the risk assessment of wind damage to forest. However, there are some aspects which may need further studies: 1) wind damage to natural forests, 2) wind-driven gap formation and forest dynamics, 3) the effects of changes resulted from wind disturbances on ecological processes of forest ecosystem, and 4) management for the wind-damaged forests. Key words Wind - Wind effect - Trees/forest - Forest ecology - Disturbance CLC number S718 Document code B Foundation item: This research was supported by “the 100-Young-Researcher Project” of Chinese Academy of Sciences (BR0301) and National Natural Science Foundation (30371149).Biography: ZHU Jiao-jun (1965-), male, Ph. Doctor, Professor of Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor of Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences. China. Scholar researcher of Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University, JapanResponsible editor: Song Funan

Function and structure of the farmland shelterbelts in northern area of Shanxi Province

From the 1950s to 1960s, large area of Populus simonii shelterbelts system was established in northern area of Shanxi Province. For reconstructing the old shelterbelts, more attentions should be paid to selecting suitable tree species and design of logical shelterbelts structure. In order to provide a profound basis for the efficient establishment of shelterbelts, the study on function and structure of the farmland shelterbelts was conducted in Shuozhou and Datong areas, both are semi-arid areas in Northern Shanxi Province during 1996-2001. The wind-control effects of shelterbelts with different structures (close-spaced, wider-spaced, and widest-spaced) were investigated by portable wind vane and anemometer, wet and dry bulb thermometer, ground thermometer, glass service instrument. The results showed that the wind-control capacity of the shelterbelts during the leafing period should be thought as the criteria index in shelterbelts established. The wider-spaced shelterbelt that was made of 4-6 rows of trees, with a spacing of 2.0 m×3.0 m, had the best wind-control result.

宋诗东传与异域阐释——四种宋人诗集日本古注本考论

宋诗是随着朱子学东传到日本的,在日本中世时期就产生了不少关于东坡诗、山谷诗、宋代禅僧诗的“抄物”,即对诗歌的注释、讲解之作。江户时期中期,以市河宽斋、大窪诗佛、山本北山、柏木如亭为代表的“江湖诗社”诗人开始提倡学习“清新”的宋诗,反对“古文辞学派”倡导的唐诗、明诗,他们特别推崇陆游、杨万里、范成大等南宋中兴“三大家”的诗,编纂了很多“三大家”诗歌的选本与注本。本文从日本汉文学史的脉络出发,对日本中世、近世时期四部宋集注本《冠注祖英集》《宋三大家绝句笺解》《感兴诗考注》《中兴禅林风月集注》进行了考证,考察其学术背景与阐释特色。

Survey of damaging pests and preliminary assessment of forest health risks to the long term success of Pinus radiata introduction in Sichuan, southwest China

Pinus radiata was introduced to the summer rainfall environments of Sichuan Province, China in the 1990s as a part of an afforestation pmgram for soil and water conservation in the arid and semi-arid river valley area of Aba Prefecture. Within this region a total area of 26 000 ha have been identified through climate matching as suitable and a further 63 000 ha potentially suitable for environmental plantings of P. radiata. The plantations are being established in widely separated small patches on steep and degraded slopes along the dry river valley The newly introduced P. radiata are exposed to two kinds of forest health risks： they may be attacked by （a） indigenous pathogens and pests against which they may not possess any resistance or （b） by inadvertently introduced foreign pests or pathogens. This paper presents a survey of the potential damaging pests and a preliminary assessment of forest health risks facing the P. radiata plantations over a much longer timeframe than the initial phase of introduction and early plantation establishment. An empirical appmach was adopted to evaluate forest health risks by a combination of literature review, examination of historical records of pest and disease outbreaks in the surrounding conifemus forests, field surveys and inspections, specimen collection and identification, and most importantly, expert analysis of the likelihood of attack by specific pests and pathogens and the subsequent impact of such attacks. The assessment identified some specific forest health risks to the long-term success of P. radiata introduction in this area. These risks are closely associated with the indigenous pests and pathogens of the two native pine species, P. tabulaeformis and P. armondii since these pests and pathogens are considered more likely to establish on P. radiata over time. Exotic pests and pathogens are of a quarantine concern at present. Based on the results of assessment, recommendations are pmvided to improve forest vigour and to reduce the forest health risks posed by indigenous as well as exotic pests and pathogens to the introduced P. radiata. Ways to increase the ability to manage the forest health risks once a particular pest infestation and disease eventuates are also recommended. Although detrimental to the survival and growth of the introduced P. radiata, the impact of identified forest health risks are not considered to be fatal to the long term success ofP. radiata in this area.

Study on Engineering Characteristics and Application of Sticky Rice

Sticky rice is not only a notoriously food, or a kind of important medicinal herb, but also serves as a kind of important engineering materials having rich re- sources. Sticky rice has excellent toughness, anti-seepage property, bonding proper- ty, reinforcing property, high strength and superior engineering performance with su- perior engineering value, ecolOgical value and landscape value on account of its starch composition mainly composed of amylopectin of which the granules are poly- hedron. The development and application of sticky rice has important strategic signif- icance to promotion of sustainable development of ecological landscape construction, alleviation of resource shortage, reduction of environmental pollution, acceleration of constructing environmental friendly society and realization of sustainable development of China.

Turbulence regime near the forest floor of a mixed broad leaved/Korean pine forest in Changbai Mountains

The measurement and observation for this study were carried out by using a three-dimensional (u, v, w) Sonic anemometer (IAP-SA 485), at Forest Ecosystem Opened Research Station of Changbai Mountains (12828扙 and 4224?N, Jilin Province, P. R. China) in August 2001. The basic characteristics of turbulence, such as turbulence intensity, atmospheric stability, time scales, and convection state, near the forest floor were analyzed. It is concluded that the airflow near forest floor is characterized by high intermittence and asymmetry, and the active and upward movement takes the leading position. Near forest floor, the vertical turbulence is retained and its time scale and length scale are much less than that of u, v components. The eddy near forest floor shows a flat structure and look like a ’Disk’. Buoyancy plays a leading role in the generation and maintenance of local turbulence

Study on Landscape Application of Glass Materials

Landscape architecture engineering materials change rapidly. Glass is a kind of isotropic amorphous homogeneous non-crystal materials which are of diverse types, complex composition, plasticity, mirror property, abrasion resistance, durability and texture. Therefore, more attention should be paid on the application of land- scape materials.

Effects of windbreak width in wind direction on wind velocity reduction

The variations of drag force acting on the windbreak and the bulk drag coefficients for different windbreak widths were studied experimentally in the Eiffel-type non-circulating wind tunnel at the Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory, Saitama University, Japan, to elucidate the effects of windbreak width in the wind direction on wind velocity reduction behind a windbreak. The variations of flow field for different windbreak widths were studied numerically by using the two-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes （RANS） equation with a k-c turbulence closure model. Results show that the total drag force to wind increased with increasing windbreak width, but the bulk drag coefficient decreased slightly. The relationship between the bulk drag coefficient Cd and the windbreak width W and height H can be presented by the equation of Ca= kd （W/H）^-b （kd, b： constants）. The result of the numerical simulation shows that the windbreak width greatly affects the location and the value of the minimum wind velocity. The wind velocity decreased by 15%-22% as the windbreak width increased.

Assessing Post-Storm Forest Dynamics in the Pyrenees Using High-Resolution LIDAR Data and Aerial Photographs

We evaluated how historical storm events have shaped the current forest landscape in three Pyrenean subalpine forests(NE Spain).For this purpose we related forest damage estimations obtained from multi-temporal aerial photographic comparisons to the current forest typology generated from airborne Li DAR data, and we examined the role of past natural disturbance on the current spatial distribution of forest structural types.We found six forest structural types in the landscape: early regeneration(T1 and T2), young even-aged stands(T3), uneven-aged stands(T4) and adult stands(T5and T6).All of the types were related to the timing and severity of past storms, with early-regeneration structures being found in areas markedly affected in recent times, and adult stands predominating in those areas that had suffered lowest damage levels within the study period.In general, landscapes where high or medium levels of damage were recurrent also presented higher levels of spatial heterogeneity,whereas the opposite pattern was found in the less markedly affected landscape, characterized by thepresence of large regular patches.Our results show the critical role that storm regimes in terms of timing and severity of past storms can play in shaping current forest structure and future dynamics in subalpine forests.The knowledge gained could be used to help define alternative forest management strategies oriented toward the enhancement of landscape heterogeneity as a measure to face future environmental uncertainty.

Numerical simulation of the structure and variation of upwelling off the east coast of Hainan Island using QuikSCAT winds

The spatial structure and variation of the upwelling in the waters east and northeast of Hainan Island, China during 2000-2007 were investigated using a nested high-resolution Princeton Ocean Model (POM) forced by QuikSCAT winds. The model produced good simulations of the summer upwelling and the seasonal and annual variability. Strong upwelling occurs from mid-July to mid-August with a peak east of Hainan Island associated with the southwesterly monsoon in the South China Sea. Sensitivity experiments indicated that when the local wind stress controls the variability of the upwelling, the large-scale circulation significantly enhances the upwelling northeast of Hainan Island by inducing a local upwelling and transporting cold water northeast-ward along the island's east coast. The joint effects of the local wind stress and large-scale circulation result in stronger upwelling northeast of Hainan Island. This implies that the annual variation of the upwelling northeast of Hainan Island is controlled not only by the local alongshore wind stress but also by the large-scale circulation. This result will help us investigate the decadal variation of the upwelling in this region in the future.

Investigation on the Degradation of Natural Heritage of Singing Sand Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring at Dunhuang City, China

The main purpose of this study is to put forward a reasonable idea of the general protection for Singing Sand Moun- tain and Crescent Moon Spring, a rare and unique desert wonder, and of sustainable tourism development based on the research on the ecological environment around. Methods of documentation, case study and comparison were employed. Finally, aiming at solving the problems of natural environment and those existing after the exploitation of Singing Sand Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring the author puts forward three measures: the com- prehensive treatment for Crescent Moon Spring (broadening re- sources of water and reducing expenditures, checking the de- creasing depth of Crescent Moon Spring, and improving the geo- graphical environment), the general protection envisions for Singing Sand Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring and establish- ing a dynamic monitoring and early-warning system of regional ecosystem.

A Forest Fire Risk Assessment Using ASTER Images in Peninsular Malaysia

Based on the physical concept of heat energy of pre-ignition,a new fire susceptibility index (FSI) is used to estimate forest fire risk. This physical basis allows calculation of ignition probabilities and comparisons of fire risk across eco-regions. The computation of the index requires inputs of fuel temperature and fuel moisture content (FMC),both of which can be estimated using remote sensing data. While ASTER data for land surface temperatures (LST) was used as proxys for fuel temperatures,fuel moisture content is estimated by regression technique utilizing the ratio NDVI/LST of ASTER data. FSIs are computed in peninsular Malaysia for nine days before the fires of 2004 and 2005 and validated with fire occurrence data. Results show that the FSI increases as the day approaches the fire day. This trend can be observed clearly about four days before the day of fire. It suggests that FSI can be a good estimator of fire risk. The physical basis provides a more meaningful FSI,allows calculation of ignition probabilities and facilitates the development of a future class of fire risk models. FSI can be used to compare fire risk across different eco-regions and time periods. FSI retains the flexibility to be localized to a vegetation type or eco-regions for improved performance.

Benin Farmers Advance Through Chinese Agrotechnology

THE fluttering red,five-starred Chinese national flag guided us to the China-aided Agrotechnology Demonstration Center in Seme,20 or more km east of Cotonou,Benin＇s largest city.It stands within a gray-tiled,white-walled Chinese garden-style compound.＂Over the past several years,groups of Chinese agricultural experts and management staff have come to Benin to cooperate with locals in crop cultivation and breeding,animal husbandry and poultry, so speeding up Benin＇s agricultural development and contributing to the country＇s poverty reduction drive,＂ general manager of the center Huang Jianping said.

Effect of Simulated N Deposition on Soil Exchangeable Cations in Three Forest Types of Subtropical China

The effects of simulated nitrogen(N)deposition on soil exchangeable cations were studied in three forest types of subtropical China.Four N treatments with three replications were designed for the monsoon evergreen broadleaf forest (mature forest):control(0 kg N ha-1 year-1),low N(50 kg N ha-1 year-1),medium N(100 kg N ha-1 year-1)and high N(150 kg N ha-1 year-1),and only three treatments(i.e.,control,low N,medium N)were established for the pine and mixed forests.Nitrogen had been applied continuously for 26 months before the measurement.The mature forest responded more rapidly and intensively to N additions than the pine and mixed forests,and exhibited some significant negative symptoms,e.g.,soil acidification,Al mobilization and leaching of base cations from soil.The pine and mixed forests responded slowly to N additions and exhibited no significant response of soil cations.Response of soil exchangeable cations to N deposition varied in the forests of subtropical China,depending on soil N status and land-use history.

Tourism and Land Transformation:A Case Study of the Li River Basin,Guilin,China

Land-use change is intertwined with tourism because land is used as a resource for human activities.Land-use change also provides an opportunity to evaluate the status of the ecoenvironment.Understanding the relationship between tourism and land use change would help to predict the effect of tourism on land use and encourage sustainable tourism development.Using the Li River Basin as a case study,a hybrid approach using multilevel modeling and logistic regressions was employed to analyze the distribution of land-usechange between 1989 and 2010 to examine potential driving factors.Results reveal that rapid tourism development and construction expansion expose this area to risk of deforestation and forest degradation.Construction increased by 141% between 1989 and 2000 and by 195% between 2000 and 2010.The primary driving force for construction expansion shifted from population growth between 1989 and 2000 to investment growth after 2000.New construction primarily occurred on crop and woodlands areas,with shares of 81.25% and 6.38%,respectively,between 1989 and 2000,and with shares of 57.79% and 15.29%,respectively,between 2000 and 2010.Moreover,these drastic increases in construction also led to frequent transitions between croplands,woodlands,and grasslands.Traits including distances to urban areas and roads and scenic locations exerted significant effects on land-use change.Woodland regrowth in the areas thatsurround scenic locations consisted of fluctuating woodlands,whereas stable woodland regrowth was often absent in these areas.Likewise,permanent woodland clearing tended to be closed to near scenic locations.That is,construction at scenic locations negatively affected forest conservation in the Li River Basin.

A structural relationship between place attachment and intention to conserve landscapes–a case study of Harz National Park in Germany

Place attachment is an important motivation for people to spend more time outdoors and to protect landscapes.This study explores visitors' intention to conserve natural landscapes based on the relationship with their place attachment to National Park landscape. Structural equation modelling(SEM) was used to determine the relationship between landscape conservation and place attachment. A survey with a structured questionnaire was administered to visitors to the seven designated hiking courses of Harz National Park in Germany. The path coefficient of 0.77 revealed that place dependence positively and significantly affected place attachment, whereas place identity did not. Place attachment had a significant effect on both affective appraisals and visiting satisfaction. Higher place attachment led to higher emotional reaction to landscapes on site and higher satisfaction of visiting the park. Among the variables, visiting satisfaction, but not affective appraisals, played a statistically significant mediating role between place attachment and conservation intention. With a path coefficient of 0.86, conservation intention was highly affected by visiting satisfaction. These results suggest that the managers of National Parks should focus on increasing visiting satisfaction based on how visitors are emotionally bonded with their visiting places, in order to enhance the intentions to conserve the landscape of the visitors to National Parks.

Effect of mangrove forest on coastal hazards reduction

In recent years,natural disasters in coastal areas have become more frequent due to sea level rise and other impact factors under the scenario of global warming,causing great losses to human society.Mangrove forest,an important shelterbelt in coastal areas,plays an extremely important role in reducing the coastal hazards risk.In this paper,the effects of mangrove ecosystem on coastal hazards reduction are reviewed from the aspects of wind prevention,wave attenuation,sedimentation acceleration,tsunamis mitigation,and provide theoretical support and technical guidance for the protection and cultivation of mangrove forests.

Management Guidelines for Calabrian Pine Reforestations Carried Out in Southern Italy in the 1950s-70s

After the Second World War of the past century in Italy extended plantations were carried out. In Southern Italy the Calabrian pine （Pinus laricio Poiret） has been the most used species, for its ability to take root in many difficult conditions. Currently the extension of this vegetation is about 36,000 hectares, in great part established in Calabria. They have reduced hydrogeological risks, they have carried out an important social role and have improved the landscape and the environment of huge hill and mountain territories. After the realization of these stands, no forest management has been made in order to define purposes and silvicultural operations. All stands are currently vulnerable in order to abiotic （fire, breakages） and biotic （Traumatocampa （--- Thaumetopoea） pityocampa （Denis ＆ Schiff.） and Heterobasidion annosum （Fr.） Bref.） agents. For the future, the silvicultural management of these stands will not be able to avoid planning choices, in order to improve the structural stability and the bioecological functionality and to consider the recent opportunities offered from the agroenergetic field.

Change of Soil Organic Carbon after Cropland Afforestation in ′Beijing-Tianjin Sandstorm Source Control′ Program Area in China

Land use change is one of the major factors that affect soil organic carbon （SOC） variation and global carbon balance. However, the effects of land use change on SOC are always variable. In this study, using a series of paired-field experiments, we estimated the effects of revegetation types and environmental conditions on SOC stock and vertical distribution after replacement of cropland with poplar （Populus tomentosa） and korshinsk peashrub （Caragana korshinskt＇i） in three climate regions （Chifeng City, Fengning City and Datong City of the ＇Beijing-Tianjin Sandstorm Source Control＇ （BTSSC） program area. The results show that SOC sequestration rate ranges from 0.15 Mg/（ha-yr） to 3.76 Mg/（ha-yr） in the soil layer of 0-100 cm in early stage after cropland afforestation in the BTSSC program area. The SOC accumulation rates are the highest in Fengning for both the two vegetation types. Compared to C. korshinskii, P tomentosa has greater effects on SOC accumulation in the three climate regions, but significantly greater effect only appears in Datong. The SOC density increases by 20%-111% and 15%-59% for P. tomentosa and 9%-63% and 0-73% for C. korshinskii in the 0-20 cm and 20-100 cm soil layers, respectively. Our results indicate that cropland afforestation not only affects SOC stock in the topsoil, but also has some effects on subsoil carbon. However, the effect of cropland afforestation on SOC accumulation varied with climate regions and revegetation types. Considering the large area of revegetation and relatively high SOC accumulation rate, SOC sequestration in the BTSSC program should contribute significantly to decrease the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere.

Turkish Muslim Immigrants in Britain： Religious Life and Religious Organizations

Turkish Muslim immigrants in Britain consist of Turks, Kurds and Turkish Cypriots migrating for different reasons at different times for immigration and asylum. This migrant community has a non-homogeneous structure owing to differences in their life styles, experiences, ideas, feelings, hopes and expectations. Therefore, Turkish Muslim immigrants have been observed living for a long time in the different ethnic, ideological, cultural and religious communities. In this paper, these immigrants＇ religious life and religious organizations in Britain will be focused on. The methodology of this research is based on the field research that the author did from July 9, 2012 to September 9, 2012 in London. According to the investigations, there are mainly four different Turkish Islamic tendencies in Britain. Also, there are about 10 Turkish religious organizations and 27 places of worship belonging to these Islamic discourses in Britain.