Climate-Smart Silviculture in Mountain Regions

AbstractMountain forests in Europe have to face recently speeding-up phenomena related to climate change, reflected not only by the increases in the mean global temperature but also by frequent extreme events, that can cause a lot of various damages threatening forest stability. The crucial task of management is to adapt forests to environmental uncertainties using various strategies that should be undertaken to enhance forest resistance and resilience, as well as to maintain forest biodiversity and provision of ecosystem services at requested levels. Forests can play an important role in the mitigation of climate change. The stand features that increase forest climate smartness could be improved by applying appropriate silvicultural measures, which are powerful tools to modify forests. The chapter provides information on the importance of selected stand features in the face of climate change and silvicultural prescriptions on stand level focusing to achieve the required level of climate smartness. The selection of silvicultural prescriptions should be also supported by the application of simulation models. The sets of the various treatments and management alternatives should be an inherent part of adaptive forest management that is a leading approach in changing environmental conditions.

Download Full-text

Genomics Armed With Diversity Leads the Way in Brassica Improvement in a Changing Global Environment

Frontiers in Genetics ◽

10.3389/fgene.2021.600789 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Nur Shuhadah Mohd Saad ◽

Anita A. Severn-Ellis ◽

Aneeta Pradhan ◽

David Edwards ◽

Jacqueline Batley

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Reverse Genetics ◽

Agronomic Traits ◽

Crop Evolution ◽

Breeding Cycle ◽

World Population ◽

Genome Wide ◽

The Face ◽

Selection Of ◽

The Way

Meeting the needs of a growing world population in the face of imminent climate change is a challenge; breeding of vegetable and oilseed Brassica crops is part of the race in meeting these demands. Available genetic diversity constituting the foundation of breeding is essential in plant improvement. Elite varieties, land races, and crop wild species are important resources of useful variation and are available from existing genepools or genebanks. Conservation of diversity in genepools, genebanks, and even the wild is crucial in preventing the loss of variation for future breeding efforts. In addition, the identification of suitable parental lines and alleles is critical in ensuring the development of resilient Brassica crops. During the past two decades, an increasing number of high-quality nuclear and organellar Brassica genomes have been assembled. Whole-genome re-sequencing and the development of pan-genomes are overcoming the limitations of the single reference genome and provide the basis for further exploration. Genomic and complementary omic tools such as microarrays, transcriptomics, epigenetics, and reverse genetics facilitate the study of crop evolution, breeding histories, and the discovery of loci associated with highly sought-after agronomic traits. Furthermore, in genomic selection, predicted breeding values based on phenotype and genome-wide marker scores allow the preselection of promising genotypes, enhancing genetic gains and substantially quickening the breeding cycle. It is clear that genomics, armed with diversity, is set to lead the way in Brassica improvement; however, a multidisciplinary plant breeding approach that includes phenotype = genotype × environment × management interaction will ultimately ensure the selection of resilient Brassica varieties ready for climate change.

Download Full-text

COTTON FARMERS’ PERCEPTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Journal of Agricultural Science and Environment ◽

10.51406/jagse.v15i2.1975 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 47-58

Author(s):

O. A. ADEYEYE ◽

O. T. ONIFADE ◽

O. A. ADESINA

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Cotton Production ◽

Ogun State ◽

Perceived Effects ◽

The Mean ◽

Cotton Farmers ◽

And Coping ◽

Average Annual Income ◽

Selection Of

Climate change has been a major threat to agriculture in Nigeria. This study was carried out in Imeko Afon Local Government Area. Purposive selection of all practicing cotton farmers (54) at the time of survey was made from the study area. The mean age of respondents is 56years. The household size is 7persons and the average annual income is N9, 972.00k. The mean score of famers’ perception about the climate change and its effects on cotton production is 2.62. Farmers’ stated that there is an increase temperature due to change in climatic condition (Ẍ= 3.45, S.D ± 1.152), and fluctuation in rainfall pattern (Ẍ= 4.04, S.D ± 0.999). Adopted coping strategies to cushion effects of climate change include; increase use of agro-chemicals (Ẍ = 3.35, S.D ± 0.677), integrated weed pest management (Ẍ = 3.44, S.D ± 0.839) and application of fertilizer to improve the depleted soil nutrients (Ẍ = 3.19, S.D ± 0.646). Results indicates a significant relationship between respondents perceived effects on climate change and coping strategies (r =0.890**, P< 0.05). The study recommends that government agricultural and meteorological agencies should provide timely information to farmers on the climate and means of ameliorating the effects of climate change.

Download Full-text

Forward Planning for Scottish Gardens in the Face of Climate Change

Sibbaldia: the International Journal of Botanic Garden Horticulture ◽

10.24823/sibbaldia.2015.79 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 131-144

Author(s):

Chris Smart ◽

Alan Elliott

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Distribution Data ◽

Impact Of Climate Change ◽

Climate Envelope ◽

The Face ◽

Potential Impact ◽

The Impact ◽

Climate Envelope Modelling ◽

Partial Correction ◽

Selection Of

The impact of climate change and its effects on gardens has so far received limited academic attention. This paper offers a partial correction of this imbalance by investigating the potential impact of climate change on a selection of common Scottish garden plants. A climate envelope modelling approach was taken, whereby wild species distribution data were used to build climate ‘envelopes’ or descriptions of the native climates of selected species. The envelope models were projected onto future climate scenarios for Scotland, allowing observations to be made regarding the climatic suitability of Scotland, both currently and into the future, for each of the plants studied. The models and predictions for four species are described here along with strengths and limitations of the methodology. It is suggested that this approach, or variations of it, could become a useful tool in forward planning for gardens in assisting efforts to mitigate the effect of climate change.

Download Full-text

Entender a natureza para projetar: a Paleta Vegetal do Projeto Paisagístico do Parque Capibaribe

Revista Brasileira de Geografia Física ◽

10.26848/rbgf.v14.1.p281-297 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 281

Author(s):

Joelmir Marques da Silva ◽

Ana Raquel Santos de Meneses ◽

Maiara Costa Mota

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Urban Forest ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Lowland Forest ◽

Environmental Recovery ◽

The Face ◽

Environmental Network ◽

The City ◽

Selection Of

Ante as demandas globais emergentes relacionadas à conservação da natureza e às mudanças climáticas, a cidade do Recife, capital do Estado de Pernambuco, Brasil, vem buscando estratégias para enfrentar tais problemáticas. Entre os projetos em desenvolvimento destaca-se o do Parque Capibaribe que visa promover uma nova forma de experienciar a cidade atrelada à recuperação ambiental e viabilizada pela criação e valorização dos espaços públicos, notadamente aqueles que englobam porções de natureza, e por sua conexão aos fragmentos florestais urbanos, públicos ou privados, formando uma grande rede ambiental. Contudo, um dos grandes desafios estava na seleção de espécies vegetais da Floresta Ombrófila Densa das Terras Baixas, característica do sítio, para compor a Paleta Vegetal do Projeto Parque Capibaribe, por existir uma lacuna referente ao seu emprego no paisagismo. Desta forma, objetiva-se com este artigo, apresentar e discutir o processo da seleção das espécies que compõem esta Paleta Vegetal. Por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica, sobre levantamentos florísticos e fitossociológicos de fragmentos florestais próximos ao Rio Capibaribe, chegou-se a um total de 523 espécies, que posteriormente foram submetidas a critérios relacionados ao uso dos espaços e manutenção, resultando em 194 espécies de diferentes estratos. Understanding nature in order to design: the Vegetation Palette of the Capibaribe Park Landscape ProjectA B S T R A C TIn the face of emerging global demands concerning nature conservation and climate change, Recife, capital of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil, has been seeking strategies to address these issues. Among the projects under development, the Capibaribe Park Project, which aims to promote a new way of experiencing the city in conjunction with environmental recovery, stands out for its creation and enhancement of public spaces, notably those that include pockets of nature, and their connection to fragments of public or private urban forest, forming a large environmental network. However, one of the major challenges has been the selection of plant species from the Dense Ombrophilous Lowland Forest, characteristic of the locality, to compose the Capibaribe Park Vegetation Palette, since there is a knowledge gap regarding their use in landscaping. The aim of this article is thus to describe the methodological process of selecting the species that make up this vegetation palette, which, through bibliographic research on floristic and phytosociological surveys of forest fragments near the Capibaribe River, reached a total of 523 species. From these, 194 species from different strata were subsequently selected according to space use and maintenance criteria.Keywords: Environmental Recovery, Urban Parks, Urban Sustainability, Landscape, Vegetation.

Download Full-text

Climate change impact : Regional scenario

MAUSAM ◽

10.54302/mausam.v52i1.1688 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 52 (1) ◽

pp. 201-212

Author(s):

U. S. DE

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Global Warming ◽

Water Availability ◽

Simulation Models ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Crop Simulation Models ◽

The Face ◽

Major Shift ◽

Change Impact ◽

The Impact

Climate change and global warming are going to be the major issues for the 21st century. Their impacts on agriculture, water availability and other natural resources are of serious concern. The paper briefly summarizes the existing information on global warming, past climatic anomalies and occurrence of extreme events vis-a-vis their impact on south Asia in general and Indian in particular. Use of GCM models in conjunction with crop simulation models for impact assessment in agriculture are briefly touched upon. The impact on hydrosphere in terms of water availability and on the forests in India are also discussed. A major shift in our policy makers paradigm is needed to make development sustainable in the face of climate change, global warming and sea level rise.

Download Full-text

Personal protective equipment and doffing procedures in out-of-hospital practice: assessment with a contamination simulation

International Journal of Emergency Medicine ◽

10.1186/s12245-021-00362-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Fabrice Pottier ◽

Charles Groizard ◽

Grégory Briche ◽

Nicolas Haraczaj ◽

Maxime Garnier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Intensity Level ◽

Additional Protection ◽

The Face ◽

The Mean ◽

Context Specific ◽

Practice Assessment ◽

Surgical Gowns ◽

Selection Of

Abstract Background The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by emergency medical services (EMS) providers requires specific attention, as it takes place in out-of-hospital unsecured settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate which PPE gown was less contaminating during doffing procedures in an EMS setting. Six well-trained healthcare worker (HCW) subjects tested 4 different gowns: (1) surgical gowns (SG), (2) full body coveralls (FBC), (3) self-made alternative PPEs (SMP), and (4) non-surgical isolation gowns (NSIG). An invisible tracer was sprayed on the gown after donning each subject. After doffing, each HCW was photographed under UV lights to show areas of fluorescent “contamination” on their clothes. The number, size, and intensity level of contaminated areas were noted, as well as observational deviation from the procedure and doffing time. In addition, the subjects were asked to take a questionnaire about their perception of the level of comfort, ease of doffing, and overall safety for each gown. Results Despite a well-trained team of HCW subjects, contamination while doffing was observed with every type of PPE gown, and with each HCW subject. All body areas were contaminated at least once, except the face. Contamination was more frequent while doffing FBCs. On the other hand, the removal of SG was found to be the least contaminating. The mean doffing time was significantly shorter with SG 1:29 and longer with FBC 2:26 (p=0.005). Conclusion Results of this study converge towards the selection of surgical gowns over other types of PPE gowns, which met both contamination criteria as well as staff appreciation in this context. Specific attention should be paid to the legs and abdomino-pelvic areas. Additional protection such as protective trousers or aprons could be added.

Download Full-text