Integrated use of GIS, remote sensing and multi-criteria decision analysis to assess ecological land suitability in multi-functional forestry

The Zagros forests are a treasure of valuable oak forests, but they have been severely degraded from long-term misuse. Geographic information systems （GIS） and multi-criteria decision analysis （MCDA） have been increasingly used to improve the management of vulnerable ecosystems to prevent further degradation and increase the sustainability of land use. This study presents a methodology to assess land suitability using remote sensing （RS） to obtain wall-to-wall data for the calculations, GIS to analyze the data, and MCDA to rank alternative land uses. The criteria and subcriteria affecting the suitability of land for different uses were identified and weighted using an analytic hierarchy process. Variables used as subcriteria were assessed using satellite data and other sources of information such as existing maps and field surveys. Numerical values for the subcriteria were classified, and each class was given a priority rating according to expert judgments. Based on the ratings and weights of the subcriteria, a priority map was created for each land use using the weighted linear combination method. The priority maps for different land uses were overlaid to obtain a preliminary land use map, which often indicated several simultaneous land uses for the same location. The preliminary map was further edited by removing unrealistic, mutually exclusive land-use combinations. The study tested and demonstrated the potential of integrating RS, G1S and MCDA techniques for solving complicated land allocation problems in forested regions using a scientifically sound and practical approach for efficient and sustainable allocation of forestland for different uses.

Effects of chemical sterilization of the culture media,porous membranes and luminosity on in vitro culture of Eucalyptus grandis×Eucalyptus urophylla

Hybrid combinations of Eucalyptus have increased due to expansion of plantations into unconventional areas and to the search for higher quality timber.However,most of these species have difficulties surviving in vitro cultivation.Active chlorine and sealing systems are often used to reduce contamination and increase gas exchange.The aim of the present study is to evaluate the establishment,multiplication,elongation and adventitious rooting of E.grandis × E.urophylla.Two clones(C1 and C2) and four active chlorine concentrations(0.000%,0.001%,0.003%,and 0.005%) were tested in the establishment and multiplication phases.Three sealing forms(W/M,1/M and 3/M) and the same four active chlorine concentrations were applied to the elongation phase.Two luminosities(dark and light)and three sealings(W/M,1/M and 3/M) were tested during adventitious rooting.Active chlorine concentration of0.005% led to the lowest fungal contamination rate and to the highest in vitro establishment.Active chlorine concentration of 0.003% resulted in the greatest length and highest number of shoots per explant in the multiplication phase.There were no phytotoxicity problems and the quality of plants grown in an environment with active chlorine was maintained in comparison with those grown in an autoclave.The increase in gas exchange in ventilation systems had a positive impact on the in vitro growth and development of plants.

Optimal cytokinin/auxin balance for indirect shoot organogenesis of Eucalyptus cloeziana and production of ex vitro rooted micro-cuttings

Shoot organogenesis is critical for the shortening of long breeding cycles and circumvent the barrier of cloning mature Eucalyptus cloeziana trees.It enables large-scale production of plants from transformed tissues.This study evaluates the effect ofα-naphthaleneacetic acid(NAA),thidiazuron(TDZ)and benzylaminopurine(BAP)on the organogenesis of E.cloeziana from hypocotyls and cotyledonary leaves.In the induction stage,hypocotyls and cotyledonary leaves were established in a Murashige and Skoog(MS)culture medium supplemented with NAA or TDZ.Callus tissues were cultivated in a MS culture medium containing only BAP or different concentrations of BAP/NAA in the differentiation stage.Adventitious buds were multiplied in vitro and elongated in a WPM culture medium supplemented with 0.89μM BAP and 0.05μM NAA.Cotyledonary leaves exhibited the best in vitro regeneration.The induction of adventitious buds occurred only in calluses induced from TDZ.In the differentiation stage,4.4μM BAP treatment promoted an increase of adventitious bud regeneration.Micro-cuttings from regenerated shoots were acclimatized and rooted ex vitro in mini-incubators.The results confirm the establishment of an efficient protocol for the in vitro regeneration of E.cloeziana by indirect organogenesis,providing new insights regarding cloning of this species.

Behavior of wood basic density according to environmental variables

The relationships between climate conditions and wood density in tropical forests are still poorly understood.To quantify spatial dependence of wood density in the state of Minas Gerais(MG,Brazil),map spatial distribution of density,and correlate density with climate variables,we extracted data from the Forest Inventory of Minas Gerais for 1988 trees scaled throughout the territory and measured wood density of discs removed from the trees.Environmental variables were extracted from the database of the Ecological-Economic Zoning of Minas Gerais.For spatial analysis,tree densities were measured at 44 georeferenced sampling points.The data were subjected to exploratory analysis,variography,cross-validation,model selection,and ordinary kriging.The relationships between wood density and environmental variables were calculated using dispersion matrices,linear correlation,and regression.Wood density proved to be highly spatially dependent,reaching a correlation of 96%,and was highly continuous over a distance of 228 km.The distribution of wood density followed a continuous gradient of 514-659 kg m^(−3),enabling corre-lation with environment variables.Density was correlated with mean annual precipitation(−0.57),temperature(0.63),and evapotranspiration(0.83).Geostatistical methods proved useful in predicting wood density in native tropical forests with different climate conditions.Our results confirmed the sensitivity of wood density to climate change,which could affect future carbon stock in forests.

Risk Analysis of the Economic Benefits of Ochroma pyramidale:A Case Study of Forest Planting in Brazil

The forest investment projects,analyzed through the application of simulation techniques,allow measuring more accurately the benefits or losses,considering the systemic uncertainties related to forest plantation.In this perspective,the objective of this study was to identify the relative importance of sources of uncertainties in determining the net present value(NPV)of planting of Ochroma pyramidale on a forested property located in the state of S?o Paulo,Brazil.Thus,it assigns probability distributions to the parameters with uncertainties and applies the Monte Carlo technique to obtain the stochastic behavior of the NPV,of the modified internal rate of return(MIRR)and the profitability index(PI).The probabilistic results of the quantitative methods analyzed allowed us to conclude that for the planting O.pyramidale,with 5-year cutting age,indicated economic profitability.In addition,there is a probability that 84.6%of the project will add economic value to the invested capital.

Influence of physical-anatomical wood variables on charcoal physical-mechanical properties

This research assessed the relationship between wood physical-anatomical variables and charcoal physical-mechanical properties.Nine trees were harvested and mechanically processed into standard pieces for laboratory analysis.The following variables were determined:wood density,fiber length and width,fiber lumen diameter and wall thickness,fiber wall fraction,and vessel frequency.The charcoal was produced in a laboratory and gravimetric yield,relative density,and mechanical properties established.Pearson’s correlation coefficients,multivariate statistical analysis of canonical correlation,and principal component analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between wood and charcoal properties.Fiber width was not significantly correlated with charcoal properties.Charcoal bulk density,hardness,and strength were positively correlated with wood density,fiber length,wall thickness,and wall fraction.Charcoal properties were negatively correlated with fiber lumen diameter and vessel frequency.These results will help identify the best wood with adequate physical-mechanical properties for industrial charcoal proces sing.

Correction to:Effects of chemical sterilization of the culture media,porous membranes and luminosity on in vitro culture of Eucalyptus grandis×Eucalyptus urophylla

Correction to:J.For.Res.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-020-01240-5 In the original publication of the article,there were errors in the fig 3 and fig 6.The corrected Figs.3 and 6 are given below:The original article has been corrected.

The Effect of Tsunami in 2004 on Mangrove Forests, Nias Island, Indonesia

The earthquake and tsunami that devastated coastal area in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province and North Sumatra Province,especially Nias Island on December 26,2004,caused damage to most mangrove and coastal forests in the areas.Before the 2004 tsunami,there is no report or publication about mangrove and coastal vegetation in Nias Island.The aims of this research were to describe the mangrove forests and coastal vegetation after tsunami disaster and to learn the ecological functions of mangrove forests and coastal vegetation on shore protection.Field surveys,in eastern,northern and western coast of Nias Island within 10 days of the middle weeks in March 2005 and in southern coast of Nias Island within 6 days of the first 2 weeks in November 2006 after the 2004 tsunami,were conducted.Our research results showed that dense mangrove forests and coastal vegetation had been proven to be effective on protecting coastal area from the tsunami,while heavy damage occurred in the areas that have degraded mangrove and coastal forests.Therefore,mangrove forests play an important role on shore protection,and this protection depends on the quality of the mangrove habitats.It should be noted that degraded habitats or habitats with mangrove associate species instead of true mangrove species do not provide adequate protection.

Hydrological variability and long-term floristic-structural modifications in different habitats of a tropical semi-deciduous forest

Shifts in hydrological regimes alter river flow rates and flood pulses, decrease environmental heterogeneity and the floristic-structural complexity of associated plant communities. We tested the hypothesis that drought events affect plant community composition and structure at a small-scale within a riparian fragment towards a reduction in floristic-structural complexity. The tree community was sampled in three habitats (wet, transitional and dry) and monitored in seven inventories carried out between 1991 and 2018. Hydrological variations were evaluated through annual rainfalls, river flow rates and water level data. The species richness and the detrended correspondence analysis axes were used to characterise the temporal modifications in floristic composition. Community structure was described in terms of biomass: accumulated, growth of survivors, mortality and recruitment. Generalised linear mixed models were fitted to evaluate the effects of time and environment in community. It was concluded that the climate has become drier in recent years due to declining precipitation that has affected flow rates and water levels. The floristic-structural complexity of the study fragment was maintained during the monitoring period. However, prolonged and extreme drought events displayed the potential to impact floristic-structural patterns.

Pest and disease incidence of coniferous species in Taman Saujana Hijau,Putrajaya urban park,Malaysia

Taman Saujana Hijau(TSH),Putrajaya is a 41-ha urban park planted with various coniferous species from around the world.Insect pests and disease incidences of this park are unknown and there is a need for an evaluation of the health status of this urban park.This study assessed the level of pest and disease incidents of coniferous species in 12 plots of 7 species(Araucaria bidwilii,Araucaria haterophylla,Araucaria cunninghamii,Pinus caribaea,Pinus merkusii,Podocarpus polystachyus,and Podocarpus costalis).Termites,canker disease,and foliar disease are three major problems.The highest pest and disease incidence(PnDI)was foliar disease with a 0.49 coefficient correlation between the total number of trees and the PnDI,followed by canker disease with 0.40,and termites with 0.36.Of the seven conifers,A.haterophylla was the most infected followed by A.bidwilii and A.cunninghamii.It was concluded that the incidence of pests and diseases in TSH was moderate.To our knowledge,this may be the first baseline inventory of pests and diseases of coniferous species in Malaysia.

Ecophysiological acclimatization to cyclic water stress in Eucalyptus

Drought is considered the main environmental factor limiting productivity in eucalyptus plantations in Brazil. However, recent studies have reported that exposure to water deficit conditions enables plants to respond to subsequent stresses. Thus, this study investigates the ecophysiological acclimatization of eucalyptus clones submitted to recurrent water deficit cycles. Eucalyptus seedlings were submitted to three recurrent water deficit cycles and anatomical, morphological and physiological changes were analyzed. The results were:(1) Eucalyptus seedlings responded to water deficits by directing carbohydrates to root and stem growth;(2) Size and number of stomata were reduced;(3) Stomatal conductance decreased which allowed the plants to reduce water losses through transpiration,increasing instantaneous water use efficiency;(4) The relationship between gas exchanges and available water contents allowed the seedlings to uptake the retained soil water athigher tensions;and,(5) Physiological recovery from subsequent water deficits became faster. As a result of these changes, the eucalyptus seedlings recovered from the same degree of water stress more rapidly.

Disentangling spatial,environmental and historical effects on tropical forest tree species turnover

Aims We aimed at disentangling the effects of spatial distance,current and past environmental dissimilarity,and their combinations on tree community taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover by addressing the following questions:(i)Is tree community taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover related to the indirect effects of spatial distance via environmental dissimilarity?(ii)Does tree community taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover respond to paleoclimate(Last Glacial Maximum and Mid-Holocene)?Methods The study was carried out in 14 Atlantic rainforest sites in Brazil(20.4 ha sampled)containing 615 tree species from 83 plant families.We obtained plot-level geographic coordinates and soil variables and site-level bioclimatic variables in the current,Mid-Holocene and Last Glacial Maximum.We used structural equation models with a distance-based approach to(i)test the direct effects of spatial distance and environmental dissimilarity and(ii)test the indirect effects of spatial distance via environmental dissimilarity on taxonomic(Bray–Curtis distance)and phylogenetic turnover(Comdist and Comdistnt distances).Important Findings Our results suggest a weak indirect effect of spatial distance via environmental dissimilarity on taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover.Tree community turnover was driven by the direct effects of neutral,niche-based and historical processes.Thus,we inferred that the paleoclimate(historical processes)promoted the selection of the clades that gave rise to the current flora,while spatial distances(neutral processes)limited the dispersal range of species from the regional pool and environmental conditions(niche-based processes)locally selected the taxa that are able to persist.