Characterization of Woody Vegetation in Different Land Uses in the Commune of Coubalan (Bignona Department, Senegal)

Woody vegetation provides a number of ecosystem services, including soil protection, carbon sequestration and oxygen production. Despite its important role in maintaining ecological balance, woody vegetation is currently undergoing continuous degradation due to climatic hazards and anthropogenic actions. As a result, it is essential to gather information for the sustainable and rational management of woody formations. It is with this in mind that this study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the state of woody vegetation in the different land-use types in Basse Casamance. To this end, stratified random sampling of woody vegetation was carried out in the different land-use types (fields, fallow land and forests) of the Coubalan commune. The sampling unit for fields and fallows was a 2500 m2 plot, and for forests was a 900 m2 plot. A total of 53 species, divided into 48 genera belonging to 22 families, were inventoried in the commune. Structural parameters were higher in the forest, with 1321.3 ± 635.8 individuals/ha, 13.09 ± 0.1 m2 and 79.25% ± 21.08% respectively for observed density, basal area and cover rate. As for dendrometric parameters, they are higher in the fields, with 20.4 ± 13.6 cm and 7.4 ± 3.8 m respectively for trunk diameter and woody height. Fallow land is characterized by species with low dendrometric parameters. These results provide a useful database for rational management of the various land-use types in the commune of Coubalan.

Characteristics of the Flora and Woody Vegetation of Agroforestry Parks in the District of Kataba 1 (Bignona, Lower Casamance)

Like several Sahelian countries, Senegal is facing a strong degradation of woody and arable resources. This is due to the development of certain inappropriate agricultural practices. To mitigate this situation, the populations tend to preserve and maintain certain woody species of interest in the fields, thus constituting agroforestry parks. Thus, the objective of this study was to contribute to a better understanding of the characteristics of woody vegetation in agroforestry parks in the department of Bignona. To this end, a plot of 2500 m2 (50 m × 50 m) was installed in the fields of each farmer selected in a sample of 99 farm managers distributed in the three communes (Djinaky, Kataba1 and Kafountine) of the Kataba1 district, for a total of 99 plots installed. A total of seventy-three (73) species divided into fifty-five (55) genera and twenty-eight (27) botanical families were inventoried. In the agroforestry parks of the Kataba 1 district, the density of woody vegetation is 56.12 individuals/ha, the cover rate is 27.9% and the basal area is 5.9 m2/ha. The vertical structure of the woody vegetation is characterized by a predominance of individuals between 2 and 4 m in height (48.07%). As for the horizontal structure, it is characterized by a predominance of individuals of diameter between 5 and 20 cm (39.19%). These results obtained will serve as a source of information for better management of these agroforestry parks by the populations.

Classification System for Monitoring Historic Changes in Forest and Non-Forest Woody Vegetation—A Basis for Management

Forest and non-forest vegetation fulfils many non-productive and productive functions. A good understanding of the trajectories and drivers of the woody vegetation change is necessary for the relevant management. Recently, the number of studies devoted to monitoring forest cover changes has increased. However, these works do not fully distinguish between different categories of forest and non-forest woody vegetation. The main aim of the study was to propose a classification system for monitoring historic changes of woody vegetation in the landscape. The period of the last 150 years was mapped through three time-lines (1842, 1953 and 2011). Data were obtained by interpreting historic maps (Stable Cadastral map of 1842) and historical (1953) and current orthophoto (2011) using ArcGIS tools. The classification was applied on the example of Sokolov region (57 km2) located in western Bohemia. The result of the research is a proposal for classifying woody vegetation stands into four categories based on the structural and localisation criteria: (1) Line adjacent woodlands, (2) Landscape woodlands, (3) Settlement woodlands, and (4) Compact woodlands. Information on the woody vegetation development using the proposed classification system is important for understanding the patterns, pressures, and driving forces that led to the formation of the present-day forest and non-forest woody vegetation in the landscape. The results can also be applied as a basis for future forest management practice as they can be used in other different fields, e.g. history, archaeology etc.

Estimation of drag forces caused by natural woody vegetation of different scales

To reliably estimate water levels and velocities in vegetated rivers and floodplains, flow resistance models based on physical plant properties are advantageous. The purpose of this study is （1） to assess the suitable parameterization of woody riparian vegetation in estimating the drag forces, （2） to address the effect of plant scale on the drag estimates and reconfiguration, and （3） to evaluate the applicability of three recently developed flow resistance models. Experiments on four tree species in a towing tank together with detailed characterization of tree properties were carried out to establish a novel dataset. Despite the variability in the tree height （0.9 m-3.4 m）, the stem, leaf and total areas proved to be suitable characteristic dimensions for estimating the flow resistance at different scales. Evaluations with independent data revealed that the tested models produced reasonable results. The performance of the models was controlled by the parameter values used rather than the model structure or the plant scale.

Effects of artificial vegetation arrangement and structure on the colonization and development of biological soil crusts

The colonization and development of biological soil crusts （BSCs） are rarely discussed when investigating vegetation restoration with difference arrangement and structure of anthropogenically damaged areas in semi-arid regions. The present study analyzes the relationships among coverage, height and density of woody vegetation and coverage and thickness of BSCs on the surface mine dumpsite in Heidaigou, China. Results showed that PR （Prunus sibirica L.）, PT （Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.） and PPr （P. tabulaeformis Carr., P. sibirica L.） types had the highest coverage of total BSCs, which were 76.8%, 75.9% and 78.9%, respectively and PR showed the thickest BSCs of 4.41 mm. There was a significant correlation between coverage and thickness of BSCs and coverage and height of woody vegetation as a unimodal curve. Our findings suggest that a single woody plant species and low level coverage and height （no more than 30% and 300 cm, respectively） of woody plants may be able to create suitable conditions for facilitating BSCs restoration on the surface of mine dumpsites. The effects of vegetation arrangement and structure on BSCs colonization and development should be considered in reconstructing and managing woody vegetation in disturbed environments, such as surface mine dumpsites in semi-arid areas.

Woody species composition and structure of Kuandisha afromontane forest fragment in northwestern Ethiopia

To investigate the woody species composition,diversity and structure of Kuandisha Afromontane forest,vegetation and environmental data were collected from 53 plots of 10 m 9 50 m for trees and shrubs and 265 subplots of 2 m 9 4 m for seedlings were laid along eight transect lines. The local name, scientific name, abundance,DBH, height and percentage foliage cover of species were recorded. Environmental variables, namely altitude, latitude and longitude as well as disturbance levels were also recorded in each plot. Structure, basal area, importance value index（IVI） and species prioritization were analyzed using spreadsheet programs. Correlation coefficients, frequency, relative frequency, Shannon diversity index,Shannon evenness and vegetation classification were analyzed using an R package. Sixty-six species belonging to40 families were recorded. Fabaceae was the most diverse family consisting of seven species, followed by Euphorbiaceae and Asteraceae. In terms of habit, 29 species were trees, 28 were shrubs, and 9 were lianas. The overall Shannon diversity index was 2.5. The frequency and relative frequency of woody species with DBH C2.5 cm ranged from 1.9 to 92.5 and 0.1 to 5, respectively. Seedling density varied among species ranging from five to 9938 individuals ha-1. The total basal area of woody species having DBH C2.5 cm is 15.3 m2ha-1. The IVI of species ranged from 0.13 for Solanum giganteum Jacq. to 28.4 for Croton macrostachyus Del. The woody vegetation was classified into five community types. Species richness,diversity and evenness of communities were strongly positively correlated. On the other hand, the correlation between disturbance and seedling density, and species richness was strongly negative. Thus, among the recorded woody species, a significant portion was either lacking regeneration or selectively removed for various purposes.The lack of seedlings of those species is mainly attributed to anthropogenic disturbances particularly free grazing. As a result, 14 tree, seven shrub and one liana species were prioritized for conservation and management interventions.

Species diversity, regeneration and dominance as influenced by canopy gaps and their characteristics in tropical evergreen forests of Western Ghats, India

Canopy gaps play a significant role in maintaining structure and composition of tropical forests. This study was carried out in tropical evergreen forests of central Western Ghats in India to understand the influence of canopy gap size and the relationship of gap regime attributes to diversity measures and regeneration. The average gap size in the study area was found to be 396 m2 and around half of gaps were 4–8 years old. Gaps created by natural single tree fall were smaller in size but significantly higher in number. Diversity and regeneration of woody species were compared with canopy gaps and intact vegetation. Species richness and diversity was higher in gaps than in intact vegetation. Macaranga peltata, a shade intolerant species dominated gaps while intact vegetation was dominated by shade tolerant Kingiodendron pinnatum.Gap size significantly influenced species diversity and regeneration. Gap area and age were significantly and negatively correlated with diversity measures but positively correlated with regeneration. Among all the attributes of gaps, regeneration was significantly positively correlated with light intensity. Gaps maintained species diversity and favored regeneration of woody species. In addition to gap size and age, other gap ecological attributes also affected species diversity and regeneration.

A multiscale analysis of herbaceous species richness in a Mediterranean ecosystem

Aims studies of species distribution patterns traditionally have been conducted at a single scale,often overlooking species-environment relationships operating at finer or coarser scales.Testing diversity-related hypotheses at multiple scales requires a robust sampling design that is nested across scales.our chief motivation in this study was to quantify the contributions of different predictors of herbaceous species richness at a range of local scales.Methods Here,we develop a hierarchically nested sampling design that is balanced across scales,in order to study the role of several envi-ronmental factors in determining herbaceous species distribution at various scales simultaneously.We focus on the impact of woody vegetation,a relatively unexplored factor,as well as that of soil and topography.light detection and ranging(liDAR)imaging enabled precise characterization of the 3D structure of the woody vegetation,while acoustic spectrophotometry allowed a particularly high-resolution mapping of soil CaCo3 and organic matter contents.Important Findings We found that woody vegetation was the dominant explanatory variable at all three scales(10,100 and 1000 m2),accounting for more than 60%of the total explained variance.in addition,we found that the species richness-environment relationship was scale dependent.many studies that explicitly address the issue of scale do so by comparing local and regional scales.our results show that efforts to conserve plant communities should take into account scale dependence when analyzing species richness-environment relationships,even at much finer resolutions than local vs.regional.in addition,conserving heterogeneity in woody vegetation structure at multiple scales is a key to conserving diverse herbaceous communities.

Carbon stocks and sequestration potential of dry forests under community management in Tigray, Ethiopia

Introduction:Forests form a major component of the carbon(C)reserves in the world’s ecosystems.However,little is known on how management influences C stocks of woody vegetation,particularly in dry areas.We developed regression models for two dominant tree species to predict C stocks and quantified the potential of community managed forests as C sinks.Methods:Plots were randomly selected from community-managed natural forest,herbivore exclosures,and from communal grazing land.Tree and shrub biomass were estimated using a regression model on the most dominant woody species while herbaceous biomass was determined using destructive sampling.Results:The simplest model,based on only one single predictor variable,showed a good fit to the data for both species(Juniperus procera and Acacia abyssinica).Diameter at breast height(r2>0.95)was a more reliable predictor than height(r2>0.54),crown diameter(r2>0.68)(p<0.001).The C content of the total biomass for the managed natural forest and the exclosure were estimated as,58.11 and 22.29 Mg ha−1,respectively,while that for the grazing land was 7.76 Mg ha−1,and the mean carbon content between the three land uses were significantly different(p<0.05).Conclusions:We conclude that forests managed by the community have a high potential for C sequestration and storage and their conservation should be promoted.